What is the best change that you have seen in wealth management during your time in the industry? 

The move away from product sales and commissions towards fee based advice. Elevated the industry towards professional status as opposed to just peddlers, and raised the expectation level towards conduct and customer care.

What is the most exciting thing you have worked on at Pefin so far?

Elevating the digital wealth management platform experience and expectation beyond simplistic robo-advisors to a holistic fiduciary planning and advice experience, encompassing both sides of a users balance sheet, income, spending, investment and debt management - all leveraging true AI. 

What advice would you give to a firm looking to digitalize their wealth management offerings?

Firstly, understand who the real market for digital wealth management is - spoiler alert - it is not young millennials. Second, you need to go beyond a now commoditized robo platform and think about where things are going because that’s last year. Third, this is more about fin than it is about tech - it’s a very human business being transformed in delivery efficiency with technology effecting price, transparency.

What would you like to get out of the conference this time around and what do you hope delegates will get out of it?

I’d like to see the conversation continue to mature and evolve beyond the simplistic “robos for the young and inexperienced” and embrace this is for delivery channel is ripe for advancement in complexity of offerings, perfectly suited for planning and advice, and the market opportunity was never the young and inexperienced - it’s your best customers and the mass affluent.   

What would you like to achieve by attending the 3rd Edition Digital Transformation in Wealth Management Conference? 

I’d like to share my unique experience encompassing the traditional side of the business -retail and institutional - and now the digital side going back to 2012 with multiple platforms, and drive the strategic discussion further, clarify the opportunity, remove the hubris and misconceptions holding things back, and have people walk out going “ok - now I get it”