Wealth & Finance International | July 2016
Business Elite CEO of the Year 2016 In an interview with the firm’s CEO - Tony Ryan, he reveals that he was honoured to be awarded the Business Elite CEO of the Year 2016, and sheds light on Asite’s cloud technology. /14
CEO of the Year in Personalised Medicine and Healthcare We spoke to Dr Husein Salem, CEO of Precious Cells Group, a personalised medicine company, which exists to connect lives through stem cells. /16
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MEMORANDUM TO: Prospective Client (Entrepreneur, Business, Family Office, Investor, Fund) RE: U.S. Laws and Regulations Need advice on U.S. laws or regulations affecting a company, investment, transaction or contract? Or company formation and administration in the U.S.? How do you find the right lawyer? Search the Internet and thousands of choices, perhaps tens of thousands, will appear, all extolling the experience and qualifications of the firm’s attorneys. Many of these law firms and lawyers can and do provide the high quality legal services that they advertise. What, then, distinguishes one from the rest? Clients want the level of professional competence, knowledge and experience that can be expected from a large law firm. But small businesses, and even large businesses needing advice on a small matter, do not want to pay the fees that large firms charge. Too often an invoice for legal fees comes as a shock. Client service is as much about value as it is about responsiveness and professional excellence. Roger Wiegley offers 35 years of experience, more than half of it at well known Wall Street law firms, but at fees far below those charged by large law firms. His clients, many of long-standing, seek his advice on a wide range of business and commercial legal matters. References available upon request. Law Offices of Roger D. Wiegley also owns and manages The Corporation Secretary (www.thecorpsec.com). R.D.W.
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Welcome to the July 2016 edition of Wealth & Finance magazine In this edition, a special feature lifts the lid on research carried out by Intelligent Partnerships’ for the forthcoming 2016/17 BPR Industry Report, which reveals that advisers use of BPR qualifying investments in estate planning strategies is on the rise. 77% of the advisers surveyed expect that their use of BPR will either increase or stay the same over the next two years. In other news, staff are a significant risk to their employer’s cyber security according to new research by specialist global executive search and interim management company, Norrie Johnston Recruitment (NJR). In addition, Mindful Chef has been given the thumbs up by members of the England Rugby team and the Beckham’s, and is seeking to raise £300,000 on equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs, as it offers existing and prospective customers a first opportunity to share in its success. In a special interview with the firm’s CEO - Tony Ryan, he reveals that he was honoured to be awarded the Business Elite CEO of the Year 2016, and sheds light on the Asite’s cloud technology. CEO of the Year in Personalised Medicine and Healthcare goes to Precious Cells (PC), existing to connect lives through stem cells. In a special feature, Ricardina Bridges Ltd reveals their experience in commercial law, conveyancing (commercial and residential), arbitration, litigation and diplomatic law, as well as how they strive to provide an encompassing service to their clients. Other features in this edition include USA Financial Services Top 100, Best in Hospitality and the Finest Independent Financial Planners 2016 UK. I hope that you find something of interest in this absorbing edition, published by AI Global Media Ltd, now members of the CPD Certification Service. READ THIS MONTH’S CPD ACCREDITED ISSUE TO GAIN 6 CPD POINTS
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4. News 14. Business Elite CEO of the Year 2016 - Tony Ryan, Asite 16. CEO of the Year in Personalised Medicine and Healthcare - Dr Husein Salem, Precious Cells Group 16. Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 UK - Ricardina Bridges Ltd 22. Best Boutique Litigation Firm – USA - Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau LLP 24. Business Elite MD of the Year 2016 - Syed Rahman, Millennium Balti 26. Fund Manager Elite 2016 - Wise Investment 28. Finest in Finance - Finest Independent Financial Planners 2016 – UK - Pensionlite 32. Finest in Finance - Most Innovative Software Insurance Specialist 2016 – UK - Sequel 34. Best in Hospitality - KK Communications 36. Finest in Finance - Independent Wealth Management Firm 2016 – UK - Clear Solutions 38. Why Financial Services Companies Fall Short on Digital 40. The Future of Banking: The Money Mindset 60 Seconds... 42. Castle Hall Alternatives 44. Cornerstone Investment Services 46. Hyperion Capital Advisors 48. IIFL Private Wealth 50. Independent Legal 60 and Will Solutions Ltd 52. Pacer ETF Distributors 54. Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd 56. Whitescape 58. Winners Directory Date:
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Wealth & Finance International | July 2016 | News
London Clinic Launches UK’s First Ever Private GP Crowdfunding Campaign One of the UK’s fastest growing low-cost private GP practices has announced they are seeking funding to open more clinics so they can keep up with patient demand.
London Doctor’s Clinic already have clinics at major London transport hubs including Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Waterloo, Soho, London Bridge and Victoria. They are seeking a 600k crowdfunding investment on Crowdcube which could see patient numbers rise to 10,000 in the next six months.
This growing demand is reflecting in LDC’s increasing patient numbers – which have grown 35% month on month in the last six months and their busiest sites are already profitable. With patient numbers going up exponentially LDC plan to use the investment to open new sites in Farringdon, Canary Wharf and West London.
LDC founder Dr. Seth Rankin says: “as demands on the NHS continue to grow we see a huge opportunity to offer convenient access to affordable GPs for UK residents and tourists who want an appointment at a time and place that suits them. The growth of LDC is strong and we are excited about the next phase of development”.
Dr Rankin says: “our aim is to make private GPs affordable and accessible to anyone who needs one. For far too long private doctors have been associated with the super-rich and celebrities. LDC want to change that perception and ensure that anyone who needs a GP appointment can get one at time that’s convenient for them.”
According to recent statistics it is estimated that 5.5 million Londoners a year fail to get an NHS GP appointment on the day they want it, alongside 30 million visitors to London, unable to easily access the NHS.
For more information on their investment opportunity visit: https://www. crowdcube.com/company-details/london-doctors-clinic-21125 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwsdC8e88k
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EBRD Finances Road Repairs and upgrades in Bosnia and Herzegovina The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a sovereign loan of up to €65 million to Bosnia and Herzegovina to support an infrastructure programme aimed at repairing and upgrading the country’s road network, which has been damaged by severe floods in recent years.
Since the beginning of its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina the EBRD has invested more than €1.8 billion in over 130 projects in the country. Strengthening regional integration is one of the three key priorities of the EBRD under the bank’s current business strategy that aims to re-energise growth in its countries of operations, promote regional integration and address global and regional challenges.
The improvements to the network will support regional connectivity, making it easier for domestic companies to transport their products to local and regional customers. Supporting regional integration is one of the EBRD’s three main strategic priorities. The EBRD loan will be extended to the public company ‘Roads of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’. The European Investment Bank and the World Bank are expected to provide parallel financing for other road sections under the company’s priority investment programme.
For more information, please visit: http://www.ebrd.com/home
Due to the mountainous terrain, roads are the main means of transport in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 70 per cent of cargo and 90 per cent of passengers carried on its roads. The EBRD loan will contribute to the improvement of service and traffic safety on the country’s road network. The EBRD funds will not only support road improvements but also measures to strengthen the company’s management, enhance procurement procedures, upgrade road traffic safety systems and procedures, introduce measures to increase climate change resilience and improve the company’s economic performance. The state-owned firm is in charge of the construction, rehabilitation, maintenance and protection of a network of 2,000 km of main roads in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Phil Bennett, EBRD First Vice President, said: “for the EBRD, this is a very important project as Bosnia and Herzegovina has been badly hit by severe floods in recent years. We are pleased to be able to take part in the repair and wider reconstruction of the road network to achieve a higher level of sustainability, improve the daily lives of citizens and create new opportunities for businesses.” Vjekoslav Bevanda, Minister of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said: “we are grateful for the EBRD’s support in this very important road innovation project. We see it as an economic priority to connect our regions via national roads and international connections. This project is beneficial for the people, the country and for sustainable economic development.”
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Wealth & Finance International | July 2016 | News
Effective threat Detection Strategies for the Financial Industry Staff are a significant risk to their employer’s cyber security according to new research by specialist global executive search and interim management company Norrie Johnston Recruitment (NJR). The research, which forms part of NJR’s cyber security report: how real is the threat and how can you reduce your risk, shows that 23 per cent of employees use the same password for different work applications and 17 per cent write down their passwords, 16 per cent work while connected to public Wi-Fi networks and 15 per cent access social media sites on their work PCs. Such bad habits and a lack of awareness about security mean that employees are inadvertently leaving companies’ cyber doors wide open to attack.
the recent Shifu attacks on Japanese banks. Other attackers may be looking to compromise systems within an organisation and modify their behaviour to either move cash out or to create conditions that they can profit from. Other attackers may not have a financial motive at all, instead aiming to sabotage critical networks for geopolitical reasons. When designing a data security policy, threats need to be addressed as part of a comprehensive program. The first step is to ensure that proper authentication is in place before conducting any transactions, such as multi-factor authentication to ensure that customers are who they say they are. After confirming their identity, it is still important to check all data in the transaction to ensure that the user isn’t unknowingly bringing in any malware. This can be done by defining a secure data workflow to detect and eliminate any threats.
This research is supported by a report which incorporates the advice from fifteen experts in the field. Here, Tony Berning, OPSWAT, discusses effective threat detection strategies for the financial industry. “Over the past few years, the financial industry has been moving towards more digitisation and greater accessibility, mostly due to the industry’s competitive nature. In retail banking, customers expect access to their accounts at all times, from any device that has access to the Internet. Banks are also offering more services than ever before, from digital deposits to money transfers, and any bank that does not offer these services will surely lose customers to competitors that do. Unfortunately, these new services provide an easy way for cyber criminals to attack financial institutions. Some of the threats affecting the financial industry have taken advantage of this digitisation trend by using multiple channels to extract funds that they have compromised.
Handling sensitive data is best addressed by keeping it within segregated networks that have limited access to outside networks, reducing the likelihood that the data can be extracted by any malware that has managed to compromise the secure network. A combination of secure data workflow policies and unidirectional transfer devices (data diodes) can be used to make sure that high-security networks stay appropriately isolated. A regular security scan should be part of any financial institution’s security strategy. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) can stay in a network for long periods of time, avoiding detection and waiting to carry out an attack. ZeuS, one of the most persistent threats in the financial industry, has been around for almost nine years and is constantly adapting to compromise more systems. The Shifu virus has continued spreading as well, moving from Japan to the UK. Anti-malware engines are always updating their detection techniques and databases, so it is important to perform regular system scans and continue to check files for threats, even in secure networks that have been fully scanned before.
Similar forces are driving commercial banking towards increased automation and connectivity. With the majority of trades of equity, currency and commodities now done via electronic exchange, transaction speed can make or break a trade. Automated algorithms now execute trades so quickly that the physical distance trade orders travel (at the speed of light), to reach trading platforms significantly impacts profitability. This focus on speed has pushed more operations to become automated with less focus on human interaction. This combination of greater automation with more information being stored on interconnected networks means that financial institutions have more to lose if hit by a cyber-attack. Because of the potential for large gains, malware developers have rapidly adapted their methods, creating new types of threats such as banking malware. There are many different attack vectors that need to be considered, as well as various strategies that attackers may use that need to be addressed.
Financial institutions are at risk from cyber threats because of the large amounts of money they handle as well as the technological innovations they are making that leave them vulnerable to new attack vectors. It is crucial that these organisations consider the security implications of any new technology, in order to keep up with the evolving threat landscape.” To read more useful and practical insights into topics including: How to assess the scale of your risk level; Managing the immediate aftermath of a security breach; How different sectors are affected, download the full report - http://www.norriejohnstonrecruitment.com/downloads/cyber-security/
For instance, some attackers may attempt to get information out of financial institutions, such as customer information, account numbers, etc. that they can then use for financial gain. An example of this is
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Wealth & Finance International | July 2016 | News
Price Bailey Supports Cambridge Agrichemical Transaction Price Bailey Strategic Corporate Finance recently assisted Cambridge-based Headland Amenity, a specialist supplier of turf fertilisers, chemicals and wetting agents, to complete the sale of the company to the Irish quoted Origin Enterprises plc for an undisclosed sum. Origin is a leading amenity and sports turf supplier.
Price Bailey worked with Headland to negotiate the initial offer from Origin, assisting the vendors through the diligence process and project managing the sale process, enabling the vendors to focus on the continued success of Headland.
Mark De’Ath, Operations Director at Headland commented, “Price Bailey provided the leadership and direction of this transaction proving their experience and pragmatism in handling what became a complex deal once it became necessary to consider a CMA clearance. Simon and his team kept us steady and focused throughout to completion working closely alongside our legal team”
Founded in 1994 as a division of Headland Agrochemicals, a then British supplier of adjuvants and micronutrient products to agriculture, Headland Amenity was purchased as a MBO by its current directors in 2002. Since its formation Headland has pioneered the use of new chemicals and techniques in the UK and European turf and amenity markets.
“This transaction proved a timely opportunity for the Headland shareholders to realise the fruits of their labour whilst remaining committed to the future success of the business under Origin’s ownership,” said Simon Blake, Partner and Head of Price Bailey Strategic Corporate Finance.
The transaction was subject to Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) clearance, which was successfully received at the end of June. Following completion Headland will continue to trade as a stand-alone business of Origin UK Operations and the existing Directors, Mark De’Ath, Mark Hunt and Andy Russell, will maintain their current positions.
For more information, please visit: http://www.pricebailey.co.uk/services/ corporate-finance/
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Outsourcing in the Gaming Industry The threats that we associated with money laundering and terrorist financing are evolving at an astonishing rate. Criminals and terrorists are finding new ways to circumvent the law, avoid detection and evade capture.
Furthermore, the ongoing war on terror coupled with the release of the “Panama Papers” has increased both focus and pressure on governments to tackle this growing problem. It is a matter of national and international security and social and political conscience which has led to the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The 4AMLD includes tougher rules and regulations and a new focus on the ever evolving technologies and methods that facilitate financial crime.
FIUs. It is hoped that these new provisions will increase cross-border information sharing in order to help with identifying terrorist networks financial backers. 4. Automated centralised mechanisms to enable FIUs and competent authorities to identify bank and payment account holders. The EC has proposed that Member States set up a centralised database or automatic data retrieval system (to perform the same function) enabling FIUs and others to swiftly identify the owners and beneficiaries of bank and payment accounts.
In May 2015, the European Union adopted its anti-money laundering package which represents a big step in combined international efforts to combat financial crimes such as money laundering and counter financing of terrorist activities. All member states have committed to implement these actions quickly and where possible, prior to the agreed deadline.
5. Standardisation of Enhanced Customer Due Diligence measures for high-risk third countries across all Member States. At present, each Member State adheres to a different list of measures pertaining to Enhanced Customer Due Diligence on high-risk countries. An across the board harmonisation will be implemented to avoid risks associated with criminals targeting particular jurisdictions due to more, or less stringent regulations.
Following this, the European Commission adopted a proposal on July 5th, to modify the current framework and to implement a more stringent set of amendments to combat organised crime, corruption and tax evasion.
6. Beneficial Ownership identification and information to be made easily accessible. The 4AMLD specifies rules on the collection, storage and easy public access to information on the ultimate beneficial owners of companies, trusts and other legal instruments. Any person who controls more than 25% of a company or trust will have their details publicly available on a centralised register. The level of access will ultimately be defined on a country-by-country basis. Some countries are expected to make it completely public and others only to those with a “legitimate interest”. With reference to Data Protection Regulations (DPR), it is expected that AML Regulations will trump them due to the criminal nature of any infringement as opposed to the civil nature of DPR. Plans have been laid out for all national central registers to be interconnected to allow ease and efficiency when trying to identify UBOs.
Amendments are as follows: 1. Virtual currency exchange platforms as well as wallet providers will be designated as obliged entities. A regulatory framework governing the functioning of exchanges means that authorities will be able to increase their visibility on currency transfers. They also become subject to the obligation to implement preventive measures and report suspicious transactions. 2. Tackle the use of anonymous pre-paid instruments. The EC also wishes to lower the €250 threshold to €150 when referring to non-reloadable pre-paid payment instruments to which Customer Due Diligence measures apply, in order to widen customer verification procedures. It is hoped that by limiting the anonymous use of prepaid instruments, it will provide a deterrent for use by terrorists and/or other criminals.
7. Earlier transposition. The requirement for transposition of the anti-money laundering framework into national law for each Member State has been brought forward to 1st January 2017.
3. Increase the power of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) when requesting information from an obliged entity. The EC intends to reinforce all rules pertaining to facilitating cooperation between
For more information, please visit: http://whpartners.eu/
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Wealth & Finance International | July 2016 | News
‘Farm to Fork’ Healthy Eating Investment Opportunity Mindful Chef, the healthy recipe box company that has been given the thumbs up by members of the England Rugby team and the Beckhams, is seeking to raise £300,000 on equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs as it offers existing and prospective customers a first opportunity to share in its success.
Advocating convenient healthy eating for the busy individual, couple or family, Mindful Chef is expanding to offer their services to more health-conscious homes, to benefit the entire country. Mindful Chef currently delivers gluten-free, organic produce with no refined carbohydrates to homes nationwide. Customers choose the recipes, Mindful Chef source and deliver the produce and the customer cooks and enjoys the meals. No fuss, minimal waste, just delicious and healthy meals. Three remarkable men with variant qualities and experience saw a gap in the market, and joined together to launch Mindful Chef. Co-Founder Robert Grieg-Gran was a one-time-poor, global investment banker who ate badly at his desk for 7 years, whose mission is to offer the nation good quality, ‘farm to fork’ meals. Co-Founder Giles Humphries worked long hours at M&C Saatchi and preparing healthy meals was unwillingly replaced with grabbing fast food with no nutritional goodness. Giles brings digital marketing and brand experience to the executive team. Lastly, Co-Founder Myles Hopper, personal trainer and nutritional coach brings health credentials and expertise to the team, regularly keeping a strict, close eye on the nutritional value of each recipe. They are supported by a hard-working and talented team including Head Chef, Louisa Mitchell, who trained at Leith’s cookery school and has extensive experience within the premium fresh food sector. Current investors include former Global Chief Strategy Officer of Interbrand, Leslie Butterfield CBE who commented: “This is one of the most promising brands in one of the strongest growth markets right now. High-quality product, talented team and major growth market - that makes for a very powerful brand! I’m really excited to be supporting the Mindful Chef team as they build a great business and a powerful brand for the future.” The healthy recipe box brand plans to use funds raised to increase marketing, invest in their technology to enhance the user experience and build a state of the art mobile app. Mindful Chef’s long-term vision is to sell other health and lifestyle products to homes nationwide.
Giles Humphries, Co-Founder at Mindful Chef said: “There is something very exciting about inviting existing customers as well as brand ambassadors of the future, to actually be part of our growth. £9 billion is spent online on groceries in the UK each year and that number that is set to double by 2020. It is the fastest growing sector of e-commerce. Mindful Chef is a challenger brand in an exciting sector with a number of unique brand differentiators. By fundraising on Seedrs we hope to reach a wider market, build brand loyalty from new investors and take our simple, delicious healthy-eating option to more people. We are excited to invite people to be a part of our long-term journey.” Ekaterina Steube, Campaigns Success Manager at Seedrs, said: “Mindful Chef is a vibrant, eye-catching healthy food brand, pioneered by three inspirational entrepreneurs. We are delighted to be hosting the campaign on Seedrs, and we’re excited to see their customers, fans and partners jump on board to be a part of their exciting growth plans.” The business has seen a 25% month-on-month growth since launch in summer 2014, has a £1m gross order value, with an average order spend of £36. There is a huge opportunity for Mindful Chef to own the health sector in the rapidly growing recipe box market. In the US, research firms like Technomic have pointed towards recipe boxes making up $3-5 billion of the $1.2 trillion grocery and restaurant market. If that holds in the UK, recipe boxes would be 0.25% of the £178bn grocery market. That means potential annual revenue of £44+ million for Mindful Chef alone. In May 2016, Seedrs was named the most active investor in private companies in the UK in a report¹, The Deal Q1 2016, from independent research firm Beauhurst. The report also showed that Seedrs has over 52% market share within the UK equity crowdfunding space. View the full report here: http://about.beauhurst.com/report-the-deal-2015-16 For further information, please visit: www.seedrs.com/mindfulchef, http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/node/2472 and www.mindfulchef. com
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Wealth & Finance International | July 2016 | News
Seven Reasons BPR Investment is Growing Business Property Relief provides 100% relief from Inheritance Tax for investors who are holding shares in qualifying businesses (and have done so for at least two years) upon their death. A number of investment managers offer consumers investment solutions that benefit from BPR. Research carried out by Intelligent Partnerships’ for the forthcoming 2016/17 BPR Industry Report has found that advisers use of BPR qualifying investments in estate planning strategies is on the rise, with 77% of the advisers Intelligent Partnership surveyed expecting that their use of BPR will either increase or stay the same over the next two years. Here are seven key drivers behind this trend: i. The Housing Shortage House price inflation is set to continue to increase IHT liabilities, in spite of the Residence Nil Rate Band (RNRB): From 2009 (when the nil rate band was frozen) to 2015/16, the House Price Index for the South East rose 30% and by 52% for London (ONS). In the same period, the total CPI (which excludes house prices) increase was just 21%. This has pushed up estate values so that many more are piercing BOTH the nil rate band AND the new residence nil rate band (to be introduced from 2017/18). The RNRB is likely to reduce the 45,000 death estates caught by IHT in 2016/17 by a third. However, the reality is that any reduction is likely to be short-lived. Projections for IHT collection for the four year RNRB phasing in period, show the percentage of death estates liable dropping in the first year and then climbing again, whilst the monetary value continues to rise during the whole period. Moreover, after the phasing in period, the RNRB will only be increased by CPI. So, as housing shortages continue to drive up property values, estate values are likely to climb at a higher rate than CPI, thereby drawing more people back into the scope of IHT. ii. More Reforms New rules set to come in in 2017 are likely to catch more estates in the IHT net: From 2017, rule changes regarding non-doms will bring their UK residential property into the scope of IHT (no matter whether it is held directly or indirectly) and reduce the amount of time they can be resident in the UK before becoming liable to the tax. Additionally, the five million UK ex-pats will need to re-check their inheritance tax status as tighter regulations governing their UK domiciliation for tax purposes will apply. iii. Pension Freedoms Funds that go into drawdown may increase the value of estates. Latest figures show that, since the implementation of pensions freedoms last year, £6bn has been withdrawn from pension funds. IP’s provider survey shows that 79% of BPR investment managers see this as a positive, because they see BPR qualifying investments as the perfect home for some of those funds, where they can earn a better return whilst mitigating IHT. iv. Low Interest Rates The low interest rates and low inflation levels look set to continue. The low risk profile of capital preservation has historically resulted in BPR
products offering relatively low returns. This can be a problem if bank rates start to look more appealing, or if funds don’t grow in line with inflation. The good news for BPR investment providers is that in March 2016, the Office for Budget Responsibility concluded that, “the market now believes that Bank Rate is more likely to fall than to rise over the next two years and that it will only reach 1.1 per cent by the end of the forecast period [2020/21].” v. Higher returns broadening the appeal of BPR Investment: In spite of the traditional focus on capital preservation, there is a now marked increase in the number of strategies available for BPR investment. A new focus on growth and income in recently launched BPR products has raised the average target return from 3.97% to 4.26%, reflecting the demand for estate planning solutions that don’t sacrifice returns. vi. New BPR qualification for Entrepreneurs Relief: Many clients holding BPR-qualifying investments will hold them until death (at which point no CGT is chargeable) as required to meet the IHT relief criteria. However, new rules allowing a 10% rate of capital gains tax on newly issued shares in unlisted companies (provided they are held for a minimum of three years) could increase demand for BPR products; they will become more tax efficient when withdrawals are made, for example to pay for care costs. vii. Increase in dementia: This is set to double to 1.6 million by 2040, which represents over 30,000 people a year. The lasting powers of attorney this is likely to generate are particularly obstructive to estate planning as they require that all but the smaller gifting decisions go through the court. BPR investment decisions, on the other hand, can be made by the attorneys without court permission. Although the short term effects of the RNRB and the potential use of pensions as IHT-efficient vehicles following the abolition of the 55% pension death tax may present challenges, the outlook for the BPR industry looks very robust. More details can be found in the 2016 BPR Industry Report. The report follows up Intelligent Partnership’s 2015 Report which was the first of its kind to bring together BPR research, analysis and information for an adviser audience. The 2016 version looks at recent developments in the sector to give an overview of the BPR market that’s current, relevant and easy to read.
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Wealth & Finance International | July 2016
Company: Asite Name: Tony Ryan Email: marketing@asite.com Web: www.asite.com Address: Albert House, 256-260 Old Street, London, EC1V 9DD Phone: 0207 749 7880
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Business Elite CEO of the Year 2016 Founded in 2001 and headquartered in London, Asite helps people share information and build knowledge in a secure cloud environment. Asite’s cloud technology gives everyone involved in projects access to key information online in a secure environment. It allows for increased collaboration, fewer mistakes and reduced rework, giving huge time and cost savings. In an interview with the firm’s CEO - Tony Ryan, he reveals that he was honoured to be awarded the Business Elite CEO of the Year 2016, and sheds light on Asite’s cloud technology. The CEO at Asite since 2006, Tony turned the business around to produce consecutive quarterly growth and led Asite to its current position as a leading corporate collaborative cloud solution provider. Prior to Asite, Tony held a number of senior roles with companies including Renaissance Worldwide, Group Bull and Cara Information Technology. He has over 27 years’ experience in the IT services arena, with extensive knowledge of corporate collaboration technologies. When he can find the time, he enjoys nothing more than playing (albeit badly) a game of golf or two. First of all, can you elaborate on what the firm does? Asite’s cloud technology gives everyone involved in construction projects access to key information online. It allows for increased collaboration, fewer mistakes, reduced rework, giving demonstrable time and cost savings.
global leader of corporate collaborative technology or cocial as we call it around here, will only continue to grow. What kind of clients do you serve and how do you approach them? Historically, Asite managed the entire asset lifecycle for the AEC community, from concept through to completion. We now take care of the beyond by offering our Cloud based services to the owner operators and FM firms. Through the firm’s award winning collaborative Building Information Modelling (cBIM) technology, we cover the entire spectrum. However, the firm is increasingly being asked to look at every aspect of technology within these businesses from CRM, Digital Media through to Finance.
Asite’s Adoddle platform allows teams to store and manage all project data in one central and secure repository, integrating with existing solutions for big data capabilities. It also enables customers to fully customize the structure of their content with highly controlled access and rich configurable workflows to allow for improved project controls.
Do you have any plans for 2016 and beyond that you would like to share? The next three years will see exponential growth for Asite, particularly in the infrastructure and ever increasing manufacturing sector. BIM is a key focus for our clients in the AEC community. The firm are the leading provider of cloud based model servers and we will continue to lead in this area.
The Adoddle platform is used by leading architecture, engineering and construction firms, as well as property owners world-wide to manage their largest and most demanding capital investment programs. Can you go into detail about the areas your company specialises in? Adoddle helps global organisations manage their projects and supply chains collaboratively, accessing the information they need, when and where they need it. It enables AECO companies to measure and track capital projects and asset operations.
What challenges lie ahead in 2016 for you as a CEO and for your company in 2016? UK’s exit of Europe and Donald Trump’s hair. But seriously, the main challenge is keeping up with our clients’ expectations and ensuring that Asite delivers the best service for their needs. I love a challenge but I prefer solutions - and the Ateam always deliver, we have a very exciting future ahead of us.
Can you tell us how the business is going and the challenges you face at the helm of it? I have steered the company through some very tough conditions in a market that suffered the hardest since the downturn in 2008. I could not have done it without the incredible team that I have had the honour of working for - the Ateam.
Are there any specific industry based challenges you are facing now and in the future? My Golf handicap, helping government’s around the world and globally shaping the future of BIM.
What experience do you have in the IT services arena and also in corporate collaboration technologies? I am the CEO of a business that helped start the wave of cloud collaboration services. I have over 27 years of experience working within the IT industry and have enjoyed every minute of it. Asite’s position as a
Do you have any further remarks to make? Asite’s company ethos is to make a difference and enable clients to Get to IT!.
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Wealth & Finance International | July 2016
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CEO of the Year in Personalised Medicine and Healthcare At its very heart, Precious Cells (PC) is a personalised medicine company, existing to connect lives through stem cells. Someone, somewhere needs a lifesaving cell transplantation. PC strives to be a world leader and innovator by enabling healthcare providers, researchers and individuals to save a life; by offering a range of unique and innovative healthcare services.
PC was the first organisation of its kind to establish exclusive partnerships with NHS Trusts across the UK as a provider of stem cell recovery and cryobanking related services. Stem cells are referred to as the building blocks of life, characterised by their ability to differentiate and become any cell in the body. Stem cells are already used routinely in medicine throughout the world because of their ability to treat life-threatening illnesses and diseases such as blood cancers and anaemias.
As a personalised medicine company, Precious Cells Group specialise in providing personalised medical and healthcare solutions. These DTC solutions better empower individuals for their own future health planning. The services include stem cells bio banking, molecular blood tests and genetic testing services. The company also has a highly ambitious R&D department developing new products and technologies. Someone, somewhere right now needs a lifesaving transplant. The growing need for stem cell transplants and the growing area of medical applications that will use stem cells, means, that in my opinion, there is a 1 in 5 chance that a young adult may use stem cell technologies in their lifetime. Precious Cells Group enables doctors, researchers, patients and clients to take advantage of this growing area of medicine by providing access to the stem cells, either by storing the clients own cells or by providing access to stem cells that may be close tissue match.
Times Magazine reported Bio banking (storing of human material such as blood or stem cells) as one of the top 10 ideas that was changing the world, and over 4 million families around the world have already made the informed decision to store their own stem cells, to take measures towards safeguarding their future health. The company really pioneered the DTC (direct to consumer) bio banking solution when it launched Accellerate® – a simple yet innovative three-point blood test that includes molecular wellness, personalised genomic service and stem cell bio banking services all in one.
PC offers this range of services including stem cell recovery and storage services, personalised genomic services and molecular wellness tests directly to our clients.
Accellerate® is a premium service built specifically in mind for the technology savvy busy individuals, the forward thinking executives and for the entrepreneurs of the world. Accellerate® is a totally unique assessment of the client’s health status through molecular methods, and culminating in what Precious Cells Group believe is the best health investment that anyone could ask for – having their own cells stored for future applications. We are all individuals, unique in our genetics, so Accellerate® was created to match that uniqueness as the ultimate personalised medicine service.
Stem Cell Storage services (bio banking) was described by Times Magazine as one of the top 10 technologies that is changing the world. With the amazing developments occurring right now and with so many proven applications for using stem cells to treat cancer and so on, storing your own stem cells today, whilst you are fit and healthy, I believe is the most important health investment everyone should do. The molecular wellness service is again one of the most important actions we should all be undertaking. A 60+ diagnostic test that screens for major biomarkers to give us an indication about your overall health. Regular screening ensures you stay ahead of potential problems, particular those problems that are so commonly linked to lifestyle, stressful careers and general aging.
What the firm does The company started in 2008, with head offices based in London, UK and has state of the art laboratory cleanroom facilities in Scotland. The company expanded its operations over the last few years to span over 15 countries with clients from over 25+ locations globally.
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Finally, Precious Cells Group offers a personalised genomic service. This is cutting edge technology that looks at your genes and analyses these against published data, to empower individuals to understand their own bodies from the genetics perspective, and to make informed decisions from what foods to eat/avoid and how they will react to certain drugs and medicines. I believe that this type of assessment, non-diagnostic, should be part of standard care in the not too distant future.
the Precious Cells Group which includes Precious Cells BioBank and Pharmacells Ltd since the company was created in 2009. Who Precious Cells Group serves Firstly, we serve expectant mums-to-be. Precious Cells Group provide cord blood stem cell banking services via the NHS hospitals we are contracted with, or via the many clinics we partner with. Furthermore, these same clients can also find us via the web.
Thoughts on winning CEO of the Year It is an honour and privilege to receive an acknowledgement for the work I am doing to contribute to improving the lives of so many and to the field of medicine. Winning this award is representative of the cumulative work of a great team that I have the honour of being part of.
Secondly, we also serve clients between the ages of 18 and 55. These are the forward-thinking, early adopters and visionaries. I have found that a large percentage of our clients are executives in corporate careers, and are looking to take control of their lives, and the lives of their loved ones by embracing cutting edge healthcare solutions. This group are primarily buying the Accellerate® service as described earlier. We have just entered into a partnership with one of the UK’s leading wealth management companies, who are now offering the Accellerate® service to their clients.
The challenges for a CEO at the helm of the business The business continues to go from strength to strength and is fast gaining an international reputation for innovation. Precious Cells Group have had year on year growth as the firm is attracting new clients from across the globe. We continue to form formed strategic alliances with some of the worlds most respected industries that are keen to benefit from our technologies and service offerings either directly for themselves or for their own organisations.
The services are also available through the UK’s leading retail Pharmacy Plc Group - Superdrug Stores - which has recently just launched. Precious Cells Group continues to widen access to the firm’s services by our exclusive partnerships with more and more NHS Trusts, now spanning the breadth of the UK. We have already served several thousand clients spanning over 25 countries globally.
PC now has a growing number of private organisations that has started offering Accellerate® as an employee benefit package to demonstrate how important they feel their employees are to them. Precious Cells Group have clinics and health gyms, services we offer to our patients and clients.
Plans for 2016 and beyond and future challenges Precious Cells Group have some incredibly exciting plans for the next 36 months. We have new products in final stages of development, which will widen access to a greater number of people. The firm have been selected a cell manufacturing partner for a stem cell clinical trial for patients suffering from a heart attack and we are expanding our global presence, by opening a number of international offices for what the we see as a growing international market.
Many of the well documented challenges that all young founder CEO’s face are the ones I face in my current role. I authored an editorial in the City AM last year about the lack of funding available for early stage companies, particularly in the healthcare/life science sector. Undertaking business in the UK is extremely challenging and I have found the myriad of regulators and compliance requirements overly burdensome and if one of the main reasons why small business struggle to “grow up”. PC has however been one of the more successful companies and Precious Cells Group have successfully raised several million pounds in private equity to facilitate the expanded growth and uptake of services by clients globally.
In the healthcare sector and a rapidly developing technology field, industry regulations continue to be a major challenge for innovation, but equally serve as a barrier to entry to competition. The “Brexit” situation is still very unclear, but I am cautiously watching what the full impact of this will be. One of the things I am proudest of is the talent and skilled people that I have been fortunate to attract to the company. From the board of directors to the seasoned management personnel, the team is the very essence of the success of the organisation. I am optimistic of growing the team further, and developing the existing team, by inwardly investing in our own people. I welcome the challenge we will undoubtedly face in recruiting specialist technical personnel.
Dr Husein Salem’s career background I formally trained as a Molecular Biologist, with a PhD in Molecular Medicine (specifically gene and cell therapy), held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Imperial College London, Department of Medicine. My research interests were in gene and cell therapies particularly focused on the use of stem cells in the treatment of cardiovascular and coronary diseases (heart attacks, strokes) as well as neurological conditions such as motor-neurone diseases (including amyloid lateral sclerosis), Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. I have presented to the British Cardiac Society, the American Society of Gene Therapy and the British Society of Gene Therapy. I previously held a Medical Research Council Scholarship as well as a European Research Council Fellowship.
Company: Precious Cells Group Name: Dr Husein Salem Email: husein@accellerate.uk Web Address: www.precious-cells.com / www.accellerate.uk Address: Biobank Centre of Excellence, Gardiner Building, Brunel Science Park, London. UB8 3PQ Telephone: 01895 367 980
Concurrent to my research interests, I have been a serial entrepreneurial scientist, having successfully built several ventures across sectors including IT, technology, medical logistics and real estate. I founded Precious Cells Group by combining my passion for business with my passion for science. I have been serving as the Group CEO of
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Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 - UK
With a head office and branch in London and working in association with leading firms in Portugal, Angola and Cape Verde, we strive to provide an encompassing service to our clients. The aim of the practice is to set itself apart through its commitment to a high standard of service to both the corporate and individual client, in compliance with the ethical benchmarks of the respective regulatory bodies. With experience in cross-border matters, clients have the comfort of knowing that their matters can be dealt with fully without any geographical and lingual constraints. The work of Ricardina Bridges Ltd covers commercial law, conveyancing (commercial and residential), arbitration, litigation, diplomatic law, employment, family and immigration. RBS stands on the foundation of the work, reputation and personalities both Partners have built over the years, resulting in trust with our clients who seek assistance based on the recommendation of other professionals and past clients.
Concerning high-profile cases, Ricardina Bridges Ltd has worked on, there are a number. For example, in the field of arbitration the firm has been involved in a number of interesting cases, with companies in Portugal and in the UK. Ricardina Bridges Ltd has also dealt with litigation cases, where we represented companies in other jurisdictions against ones in the UK.
In the future, the Ricardina Bridges Ltd aims to expand into doing more international work. My plan is to strengthen the departments here, and in this vein I am due to go on a notary diploma course in 2017, which will tie in very well with the very strong commercial law department here. At present, there other firms such as ours entering the market, but I am lucky enough not to have much competition from other firms. Competition does not scare me, but of course it can be challenging when working in the same field as others. My response to any challenge I have, is to always maintain the best quality of work possible, so that the clients will always want to come back to us. On winning the award of Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 UK, receiving such recognition is extremely rewarding, and I believe it makes us do our work even better.
Ricardina Bridges Ltd provides a very high-quality and friendly service, indeed we are approachable and respond to our clients promptly. The firm strives to resolve the issues on behalf of the clients, and we are also quick in the work we do. The firm ensure that the client is provided with a solution, utilising our expert advice. In addition, the firm’s employees address clients through different languages, which can make things much easier for the client. The staff at Ricardina Bridges Ltd are very important - without them I would not be able to run this practice. They respond to the concerns of the clients, and they are the very first point of contact for a potential client. The staff work very well together at Ricardina Bridges Ltd - the environment here is a happy one because we all enjoy what we are doing - which is to assist clients with their problems and to prevent difficult situations for them in the future.
Company: Ricardina Bridges Ltd Name: Ricardina Pederneira Email: rp@rbsolicitors.com Web Address: www.rbsolicitors.com Address: 47 South Lambeth Road London SW8 1RH Telephone: 0207 582 5108
I have recently written a book entitled ‘Do Business in Angola’, to provide a tool for private investors interested in that specific market. The book was launched in London late last year, then in Angola earlier this year, and also in Portugal during May. I am still promoting the book to several jurisdictions all around the world, including Spain this November and in India at the end of 2016. 21
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Best Boutique Litigation Firm – USA Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau LLP (“DEYB”) is a litigation firm based in New York City offering creative, practical and cost-effective solutions for the variety of issues confronting businesses today. DEYB was founded by Jennifer Darger, Vincent Errante, Judith Yavitz and Craig Blau in 2011. As a boutique litigation firm we pride ourselves on being attentive, responsive and dedicated to our clients’ individual needs.
Being named “Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016” is an honor and we are very pleased to see that the hard work of our attorneys, legal assistants and staff has been recognized. In some ways this is just the start for us as we continue to look for new ways to further enhance our reputation and identify additional opportunities to grow and develop our practice.
their issues. For its efforts, DEYB has been recognized twice by Forbes Magazine and every year since its formation by Best Lawyers, Best Law Firms and Super Lawyers. Recently, two of DEYB’s young attorneys were recognized as “rising stars” by Super Lawyers, showing how this firm is well positioned to continue excelling for years to come.
DEYB has more than doubled in size since its formation in 2011. We now have almost 50 employees, including 21 lawyers and almost 20 legal assistants. The four founding partners, all of whom worked for many years at large International law firms before starting the firm, have collectively over 100 years of experience in mass tort litigation. We have a very high retention rate, as it is very rare that lawyers or paralegals leave DEYB. We believe this offers our clients a unique advantage, as they are getting attorneys and legal assistants who have vast knowledge, some with 15-20 years of experience, and therefore get the best bang for their buck.
According to founding partner, Craig Blau, the firm is very proud of the work it does, the clients it represents, and the recognition it has received. We are most grateful, however, for our clients who every day put their trust in us, and for that we continue to strive to keep doing the best we can for them. The future Looking ahead to the future, DEYB is considering opportunities to expand the firm both inside and outside of New York. We have been approached by other law firms, both small and large, looking for opportunities to merge with our firm. While we might one day consider the right opportunity, we are very happy with the way things are going right now, says Blau.
The firm has a national reputation for expertise and success in managing and defending complex product liability cases, mass tort claims, and other business disputes for Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and individuals. We have spent years developing and honing our legal skills at top law firms, and we bring this “big firm” experience to every facet of our practice.
We have assembled a top notch team at DEYB with a collegial working environment. We also have great diversity at the firm, which is something we are very proud of. More than half of the attorneys at DEYB are women, including four of the seven partners, and the firm has several African American and Asian American attorneys. We believe our diversity is one of our strongest features and has contributed to our great success.
We have particular expertise in asbestos defense litigation at national, regional and local levels. In New York, for example, the firm serves as New York City Defense Liaison Counsel, where we coordinate asbestos litigation in New York City for dozens of law firms and hundreds of companies. The firm has been involved in several high profile victories over the years including being instrumental in the creation of a deferred docket for non-malignant asbestos cases, obtaining a key court ruling that bankrupt companies should be considered in apportionment of fault in New York, and collaborating at trials to obtain defense verdicts in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. The firm has also had success, where others have failed, in getting several high profile cases severed from consolidated trial groups.
One future challenge for us will be to remain at the cutting edge of new developments. However, with a highly skilled team at the forefront of this field of the law, we are confident we will remain well equipped to deal with whatever the future may hold. Company: Darger Errante Yavitz & Blau LLP
Name: Craig Blau Email: info@deybllp.com Web Address: www.deybllp.com Address: 116 East 27th Street at Park Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10016 Telephone: 001 (212) 452-5300
As a company, we offer excellent client service. Each of our partners is very hands on in managing the day to day activities for our clients. At all times, keeping the client informed is of the upmost importance to us, and ultimately we try to find a creative and cost effective solution to
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Business Elite MD of the Year 2016 First established in 1999 Millennium Balti is one of the most authentic Indian cuisines in the Birmingham area. Our menu has been carefully crafted to present to you a taste of the subcontinent with the most popular dishes from across the various regions; you can savour fabulous cuisine created with clever blends of exotic spices and delicate herbs, whilst relaxing in the unpretentious atmosphere of our simple-yet-elegant restaurant with our discreet and attentive service. In regards to the people we serve, Birmingham has become a multicultural city and so we are at the forefront of delivering authentic Indian cuisine to a diverse client base. Over the decades, Indian cuisine has become a more popular choice of food in Britain and so fierce competition is clearly something we have encountered on a daily basis. For us, the challenge has been to develop more exotic dishes which we feel will attract more customers to our restaurant. To have been awarded ‘Business Elite MD of the Year 2016’ is a great honour as I have put a lot of time and effort in to make Millennium Balti the business it is today. Looking ahead to the future, our goal is to maintain our reputation as one of the major players in Indian cuisine in the Birmingham area and identify any opportunities from which we can thrive from.
Company: Millennium Balti Name: Syed Rahman Email: enquiries@millenniumbalti.co.uk Web Address: www.millenniumbalti.co.uk Address: 796 Alcester Roud South, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 5EZ Telephone: 0121 430 6155
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Fund Manager Elite 2016
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Wise Investment, founded in 1992, is an independent investment company based in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. We got in touch with John Newton at Wise to find out more about the company and to hear his thoughts on winning this award.
Wise Investment has two complementary businesses. One advises private clients on investment and wealth management. The other manages investment funds through an OEIC. The funds business is run by two teams. The Evenlode team manages Evenlode Income, and is working on a new Evenlode global fund which is due to be launched next year. The Wise Funds, TB Wise Investment & TB Wise Income, are managed by Tony Yarrow, who heads up the Wise funds team. The Wise OEIC has funds under management of around £900m. The Wise funds are marketed by John Newton, working in the Wise Funds team. The fund that has won the award is TB Wise Income. TB Wise Income has three aims: • to provide investors with an attractive starting dividend yield, currently 5.6% net, • to increase the income by the rate of inflation or better, • and to grow the capital value of the fund at the rate of inflation or better. Over a long period of time, we believe that the best way to provide a growing income for investors is by holding a carefully-selected portfolio of shares in medium-sized and smaller companies, and to complement this portfolio with a diverse range of higher-yielding, lower-volatility assets, including fixed interest, commercial property, cash and alternatives. We alter the proportions we hold in the different asset classes according to where we see the best value, and the most robust income streams. Our process is focused around the production of reliable income, and we are proud of the fact that investors who joined the fund at launch, a little over ten years ago, have received over half their starting capital in income payments over that period, as well as making capital gains. TB Wise Income invests ethically, and we are exploring the possibility of having it accredited as an ethical fund. Investment markets have been challenging during TB Wise Income’s first decade, and we have risen to the challenges we have been presented with. Our aim as we go forward is to continue offering our investors an attractive, reliable and growing income in all market conditions, using the wide range of asset types that are available through our mandate.
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Finest in Finance
First formed in 2004, Pensionlite is a UK based Financial Adviser firm based in Telford, Shropshire offering free and independent advice via telephone, email and text. We got in touch with Andy Hawthorne to find out more about the company and to his thoughts on winning this prestigious award.
- Finest Independent Financial Planners 2016 – UK
As a chartered financial planning firm, Pensionlite have the desire to support financial advice disciplines to improve standards of knowledge and behaviour and, in turn, to raise levels of professionalism, capability and ethical practice. Being a chartered firm shows a commitment to an overall standard of excellence when dealing with clients, partners and employees. The service Pensionlite offers is simple, straightforward and is suitable for reviewing any personal plans or pensions from past employment as well as getting the best from your pensions when the time comes to take benefits. Pensionlite’s process, as opposed to traditional face to face advice, is more cost effective, less intrusive, less stressful and far more convenient without any loss of quality. Owing to the fact that we have provided this service for over 10 years, we know that both our initial and on-going charges are less than traditional face to face advice, whilst also providing a more efficient and effective service. Personalised recommendations are posted to the client in the form of an easy to read and understand report, drawing comparisons with what they have and taking into account key factors like charges, performance, attitude to investment risk, features, benefits and of course penalties, for them to consider in their own time before making any decisions. Pensionlite specialise in pensions of all types from an individual’s perspective. Over the working life of an individual, they may well have taken out personal pensions or been members of former employer schemes. Unless these are reviewed and managed professionally, and possibly moved into a different place, it is highly likely that they will carry high charges and have poor investment performance. Our firm’s advice and recommendations are targeted to help reduce costs, improve pension performance and reduce risk. This facility is equally as important during your working life when accumulating pension funds, as it is when you want to take benefits, and ensure you get best value for money. Pensionlite’s advice and recommendations are designed to show an individual how things could be improved from a position of knowledge. If the client does not accept our advice and recommendations there is nothing to pay, indeed the clients we serve only pay for the advice they accept. If they accept our advice, they do so with a clear understanding of our charges and the potential benefits that are specific to their existing arrangements, personal needs and aspirations.
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In most cases, the cost of advice can be deducted from the pension funds and because Pensionlite’s services are designed to reduce costs, lower risk and improve investment performance it is likely that the cost will be recovered in a matter of months. How we are paid, if applicable, is always agreed with each client. Six monthly reviews are equally as important as an initial review, to ensure that the client’s plans continue to meet their needs, and remain in line with their circumstances and attitude to investment risk. Markets change and over time your invested funds will need to be changed and re-balanced. Our clients can complete their regular six monthly investment reviews in a way that is best suited to them and their lifestyle. Pensionlite regular investment reviews can be carried out via our secure on line service web site, in paper format or if preferred using a discretionary arrangement where the work is done and the client is updated by post or e mail. The method of the reviews can change without penalty and in most cases valuations are available on line 24/7. The firm’s client base is spread across the UK and extends from the very wealthy and also to people with pension funds as small as £20,000. The one common denominator is that they prefer to deal with us remotely by telephone, text, e mail and post. They do not like face to face advice and that is because, depending on the individual, it is stressful, embarrassing, inconvenient and more expensive. In the event that face to face advice is more appropriate this can be arranged at a client’s convenience. Pensionlite’s staff play a huge role in the success of the firm, thus they are at the front line and speak to clients and address their needs, as any good service provider does. At present, the financial services industry faces a number of challenges not least of all providing better service and value for money. There is supposedly an advice gap and talk of excessive charges and pension exit charges and the ’good guys’ in the industry are having their reputations blackened by those individuals failing to deliver quality and value for money. The pension exit penalties issue is being addressed by the regulators and the big challenge is to create confidence in members of the public. It would help if the authorities could come up with some form of benchmark that would indicate what good looks like and promote best practice. Looking ahead to the future, Pensionlite’s aim is to continue to provide quality tailored pension advice in a convenient, efficient and cost effective way which fills the gap between guidance, robo advice & face to face advice.
Company: Pensionlite Name: Andy Hawthorne Email: ahawthorne@pensionlite.co.uk Web Address: www.pensionlite.co.uk Address: Halesfield 2, Telford, Shropshire. TF7 4QH Telephone: 01952 279 379
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Finest in Finance Most Innovative Software Insurance Specialist 2016 – UK
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Sequel Business Solutions is a leading insurance and reinsurance software specialist delivering powerful, reliable solutions across the market. We got in touch with Rob Stavrou to find out more about the company and to hear his thoughts on winning this prestigious award.
Founded in 1993 and based in London, Sequel Business Solutions is at the heart of the global insurance industry. Working in the areas of insurance and reinsurance, we can offer a variety of solutions to our clients. The firm’s success has been built on industry expertise, professionalism and an unrivalled track record for delivering powerful software and high quality services on time and on budget. The recent success of Sequel Business Solutions has been built on our strong foundation of core products as well as modern, innovative recently-launched supporting products. Coupled with this, has been the firm’s success in listening to the customers understanding their issues and challenges, and responding accordingly to help them. We look forward to continuing in this successful partnership with our customers, and helping them make the insurance and reinsurance industries even stronger. Technology is key to the insurance and reinsurance industry, indeed Sequel Business Solutions see this as a continuing trend with many legacy systems in need of replacement. Regulation remains a key topic for the industry we work in, as well as M&A activity, and of course the Brexit vote. Sequel’s products are very robust, proven as well as innovative and are well positioned to assist the insurance and reinsurance industries through this current period of change. Receiving this award is a great honour and thus is recognition for the hard yards the staff of Sequel Business Solutions have put in over recent times. Sequel Business Solutions have experienced incredibly strong growth in the last 24 months, doubling our customer base and implementing many large change projects. We have invested heavily in new innovative products, and the firm have seen this pay dividends, especially in London and Europe. During 2016 and beyond we are aiming to repeat this success in London and Europe, as well as developing on the firm’s recent successes in the USA and Bermuda.
Company: Sequel Business Solutions Name: Rob Stavrou Email: rstavrou@sequel.com Web Address: www.sequel.com Address: Level 14, The Broadgate Tower, Primrose Street, London EC2A 2EW Telephone: 02076553000
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Best in Hospitality KK Communications are an independent public relations agency specialising in lifestyle and hospitality. They create tailored PR campaigns for every brand they work with, encompassing the entire media spectrum, including print, digital, social and broadcasting media. In an interview with Katrina Kutchinsky, she lifts the lid on her passion for food, and the hospitality industry clients that she and her enthusiastic team of superstars serve.
In what ways is your firm successful in a competitive, ever adapting global market? What really differentiates KK Communications from our competitors is that, instead of just publicising what they give us, the firm love keeping ahead of trends and brainstorming interesting, creative ideas that will generate ongoing publicity and, ultimately increased revenue.
On the subject of people, what contribution do your staff make to the success of your firm? I could not do this without them, they are all completely passionate about the hospitality industry. I think a lot of people think the life of a restaurant PR is purely drinking free champagne and attending parties, and there is a lot of that which is fun but my team works so hard to ensure all these events run well, and then are at their desks first thing in the morning chasing up press coverage and reporting to the client. They are all total superstars!
Can you share your thoughts on how hospitality continues to be a growing sector, with a worldwide revenue that has vastly increased over the last five years? People, including myself, are just obsessed with food! Britain had such a bad reputation for food around the world and the last twenty years has completely reversed that. People want to know where their food comes from, how it is prepared, and in addition the huge growth in the health and wellness sector has also propelled this.
Do you have any plans for 2016 and beyond that you would like to share? KK Communications recently launched a social media division and also have started hosting regular seminars where different people from the world of hospitality come and give us advice on emerging trends, we invite the clients and key journalists to them and everyone says they are very useful and great networking occasions too
With this in mind, what important contribution does your firm provide in regards to innovation, customer service, and enterprise? KK Communications has a social media department who follow every new type of developing trend, from snapchat to Instagram, and we can run our clients feeds for them, as well as providing full social media consultation and training, indeed anything our clients want. We constantly send the clients suggestions of new innovations and exciting things happening in the hospitality world too.
What challenges lie ahead in 2016 for your company and the industry more generally in 2016 and beyond? I suppose the main challenge is in attracting new clients, whilst also ensuring that KK Communications keep all our current clients happy. We have never taken any outward investment, so all the firm’s growth has been entirely self-funded, but we do have to be careful at times not to overstretch ourselves. I think the economy is in question at the moment, so obviously the hospitality industry is hugely affected by recessions, global upheaval and so on. Having said this, hopefully all the panic over Brexit will die down and no impact will be felt, so I think it could ultimately be a good thing in all honesty.
How would you say that you firm excels in an industry where meeting and exceeding expectations is everything? I think where KK Communications excel is that, in order to ensure the clients receive the best media coverage and service from us, we always try to predict what they want or need before they know it themselves. We always ensure all press coverage is sent to them the moment it comes out and are there to react to immediately.
Company: KK Communications Name: Katrina Kutchinsky Email: katrina@kkcom.co.uk Web Address: www.kkcom.co.uk Address: Blackburn House, Blackburn Road, London NW6 1RZ Telephone: +44 (0)207 625 0935
What kind of clients do you serve and how do you approach them? KK Communications serve many different hospitality industry clients, from restaurants and bars to food and drink products. We are still a young firm, as we celebrate our fifth birthday this year, but generally we have been lucky enough to be recommended by many current clients so I would say word of mouth plays a huge part in finding new clients, plus we are all out networking and socialising at least three nights a week
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Independent Wealth Management Firm 2016 – UK Clear Solutions (Wealth & Tax Management) Ltd believe that too many people forget that all actions should begin with the ‘end in mind’. We train our business people to think and strategize before taking action. We drill into them the advantages of producing a plan, yet fail to teach individuals to do the same thing. The primary role of Clear Solutions is to ask our clients to stop and reflect, to share their aspirations, however simple or complex they may be, in order to produce a realistic, reasoned and reasonable financial plan. Then we produce a structure that provides the parameters for us to cut through the complex array of financial services products, to make life simpler and reassure them, and reassure them by providing clear milestones. The current business was created via a management buyout in 2005 and is now based in two locations: Derby and Birmingham. Our primary service is pure financial planning covering all aspects of the financial services marketplace, whether that is for an individual and their families, or an SME business. The firm’s comprehensive knowledge of the market, allied with specialist researchers, enables us to deliver detailed advice across the entire spectrum. Many clients of Clear Solutions have complex planning requirements, encompassing the principal UK taxes’: income, capital gains and inheritance tax. We have built an enviable reputation for tax mitigation. The firm’s expertise in utilising investments tax efficiently, whether long only funds, structured products, pension schemes or more specialised products such as venture capital trusts, enterprise investment schemes, SEIS and crowdfunding. Future plans Due to client demand, Clear Solutions are actively looking to open another office in London and are seeking several further chartered financial planners to join us at the firm’s existing locations. The great uncertainty must be the Brexit and the regulatory changes which will follow as a result. In the immediate short-term, guiding clients remains the firm’s top priority. Finally, we are spending considerable time and money improving our client experience, and in particular the points of contact. Managing social media has proven to be a surprising challenge.
Company: Clear Solutions (Wealth & Tax Management) Ltd Name: Stephen Jones Email: sjones@clearsolutionsifa.co.uk Web Address: www.clearsolutionsifa.co.uk Address: Chatsworth Court Uttoxeter Road Hilton Derbyshire DE65 5GE Telephone: 01283 730080
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Why Financial Services Companies Fall Short on Digital New research from creative consultancy Radley Yeldar discovered that there is plenty of scope for improving the digital presence of banks and financial services firms. The agency’s digital director Richard Coope looks at what can be learned from the best performers.
When everything feels very complex, it can often pay dividends to focus on the simple basics. So, as the business community begins to soak up the implications of Brexit, one valuable task marketers would do well to concentrate on is auditing the state of their digital presence. At a time when public trust is at a premium, online platforms provide a responsive and easily-accessible channel by which a company can communicate many elements of its operation, and aid in the strengthening of its brand loyalty.
eca. Indeed, the pharma firms are really displaying the most progressive websites – the latter two pharma giants are also impressive in their creation of genuinely interesting written content. Integrating social feeds into a site is something that increasing numbers of companies are having the confidence to do – and it pays dividends in terms of projecting a progressive, inclusive attitude. Woodford’s blog includes moderated comments, meaning it retains some control. You can see how engaged its users are by the responses to its Brexit video post.
We surveyed digital platforms of all the FTSE250 companies, analysing them for a variety of elements. One of the striking conclusions we came to was how variable the websites of banks and financial services companies are. The sectors as a whole don’t rank well - 10th and 13th respectively, of 14 in total - and while some have excellent sites others leave substantial scope for improvement.
Site navigation is important to get right so that the user experience is clear and simple. This means working on peppering the site with relevant links to allow the user to move easily between sections, and offering intuitive section headings.
So what divides the great from the not so good? Despite the poor show of the financial services sector as a whole, the websites of three investment management companies are actually in our top ten of sites of FTSE250 companies – Woodford Patient Capital Trust, Rathbone Brothers, and Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust.
We’ve noticed that the most progressive companies are paying a lot more attention to integrating the investor relations and careers sections of their sites, so that neither of these stakeholders feel as if they are visiting a ‘ghetto’ of the site. Shell and Centrica stand out for the quality of their careers content, with Shell adding interviews with its staff to give potential employees an idea of how it feels to work there.
What these and other top performers like Hays and the Weir Group do well is present a well-integrated picture of their company that feels consistent right across their digital channels. They pick a narrative and then ensure that all the elements support this.
Similarly, IR sections of the best sites are no longer dull tables of numbers but feature content that makes a more active case for investing in the company. Perhaps unsurprisingly given its controversial ownership, Royal Bank of Scotland’s Investment Case page is a good example.
That narrative is often a corporate voice on an issue that is bigger than just their own operations – a societal issue that the organisation can position itself as part of the solution to. For instance, Rathbones enables its customers to ‘help you look forward with confidence’, and its website supports that proposition.
Like the rest of the business community, financial services companies must be asserting their place in the changed political and economic landscape. The time has never been more appropriate to ensure that digital is pulling its marketing weight.
With this strategy arranged, it’s a matter of curating content that always fits within it, in an inventive and creative way. The most impressive corporate websites now look more like that of a magazine publisher, with attractive visual content like that of Sainsbury’s, GSK and AstraZen-
Company: Radley Yeldar Name: Richard Coope
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The Future of Banking: The Money Mindset
By Alex G. Secchi, Financial Services Principal, Accenture and Luis Villa, Strategy Director, Fjord
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The customer financial services landscape is changing faster than we can keep up and the gap between banks and people is widening. New types of competitors are springing up from unexpected places to take advantage, and traditional financial institutions are being forced to rethink their products and how they serve their customers at the risk of losing them.
Understanding the Four Money Mindsets In order to design new products and services, we need to understand what people think and how they feel when dealing with their banks. The Accenture/Fjord research dug into how people deal with money and their perception of banks, validating a growing gap between banks and consumers. It revealed that banking tools are not meaningful to customers and that banks themselves are forcing people to be something they are not. Banks need new ways to approach customers and take into account behaviors and attitudes to create new products and services.
Customers see a lack of transparency from banks and financial institutions, leading them to feel like banks are making money through complexity and opacity. To customers, banks speak a completely different language as a way of securing more business. And while banks are vital to saving money, oftentimes customers don’t trust their advice, or wish to utilize their financial tools. People are Starting to Bank Without Banks With many banks busy focusing on processes, regulations and organizational structure, new players with non-fiscal backgrounds are entering the financial services arena, fitting effortlessly into customers’ lives. Easy-to-use digital services from innovative fintech startups like Geezeo provide simplified mobile-friendly interfaces that aggregate services from banks or third parties and help the bank’s customers to visualize their finances in rich, engaging ways. Even tech giants like Facebook and Google want share-of-wallet and have entered the fray beginning with easy, peer-to-peer payments.
We determined there are four Money Mindsets that describe different customer segments and their varying definitions of success. There are the achievers, who define success by budgeting for clear, long-term goals; the explorers, a more gut-check decision-oriented group who measure success by saving money and making trade-offs; the balancers, who define success by getting the best deal and sticking to their financial plan; and the experiencers, who enjoy spending money in the present.
Whoever owns the interface ultimately owns the customer. There are millennials (ages 18-34) who don’t even have banks on their radar. The disparity between what customers want and what banks offer is increasingly apparent, as the new breed of financial players are entering the market with simple experiences that are mobile, social and personal; even friendly. The battleground is about re-engaging customers.
So, what are the implications of mindset segmentation for financial institutions? There are many segments that make up individual users which many banks are not paying attention to. Not only static variables like income, occupation and social class, but also more dynamic factors like attitudes and behaviors that can be tracked in real time. Looking at the attitudes and beliefs that guide people’s approaches to money and financial services have value not only to customers but to banks as well.
Mobile is Breaking the Language Barrier Banks have traditionally segmented their customers based on things like demographics and payment and settlement transactions flowing through their current checking account and credit cards. However, there are many segments that make up individual users that many banks are not paying attention to -- not only static variables like income, occupation and social class, but also more dynamic factors. The goal is to demystify, simplify or democratize finances through digital services that also take into account users’ attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and context. In short, success for financial institutions today requires a different mindset. We call these ‘Money Mindsets’.
A mindset segmentation approach allows banks to improve relevance and ultimately financials - by: 1. Focusing investments on “valuable” segments. 2. Helping evolve from a traditional product-based portfolio to needsbased experiential services. 3. Achieving surgical precision in Service Design – designing, building and managing different sets of tools and services relevant to each mindset, including rules of engagement and KPIs. 4. Designing services of the future by catering to customers’ needs and behaviors, through new breed of digital (and increasingly, mobile) financial services, and sometimes in partnership with FinTechs.
For example, our research about new ways to think about financial mindset segmentation revealed that 35%of money moments happened via mobile phone. Financial companies utilizing smart mobile services will be able to combine the strength of traditional banks – with their industrialized approach to business processes -- with the simplicity of fintech start-ups. They will be able to use customer-insight analytics based on real-time behavior to design, market and deliver seamless, individualized customer experiences.
Digital is driving new behaviors and creating new expectations from customers that industry disruptors are already fulfilling. Financial institutions need a fundamental shift: to view their customers as people – with all the associated attitudes, behaviors, preferences, and motivators that drive them– and to cater digital services to their individual needs. More work needs to be done by banks to keep up and reach their customers, including looking at the size of different segments, creating appropriate algorithms, defining new metrics and KPIs and developing new data sets. The winning formula for financial institutions lies in ensuring they deliver the right products and services, at the right time, which match the modern customers’ liquid expectations and mindsets.
“33% of millennials believe they won’t need a bank in the next five years.”
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Castle Hall Alternatives
Name: Christopher J. Addy Company: Castle Hall Alternatives Email: info@castlehallalternatives.com Web Address: www.castlehallalternatives.com Address: 1080 Cote du Beaver Hill
Castle Hall Alternatives helps investors build comprehensive due diligence programs across hedge funds, private equity and long only portfolios. Built upon Castle Hall’s next generation online diligence architecture, OpsDiligence® assists institutions, fund of funds, advisors, endowments and family offices evaluate whether or not asset managers meet operational best practice. We caught up with the firm’s seasoned professional, Christopher J. Addy, to find out more about the industry’s largest and most experienced teams, and their unique position in the market Who are your clients? Castle Hall works with institutional and private Investors, including public and private pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, financial services firms, endowments, foundations, family offices and multi-family offices, as well as advisors to these institutional and private investors. What sets your company apart from other? OpsDiligence® - Castle Hall’s award-winning, proprietary operational due diligence client portal, combined with one of the industry’s largest and most experienced teams, contribute to the firm’s unique position in the market. Castle Hall remains with no conflicts within our work, because we are only engaged by allocators, not managers. Furthermore, we provide clients with the flexibility to request reviews across all asset classes and investment types, without constraint to a pre-set list of funds or managers. What are the biggest challenges facing the company at present? Castle Hall continues to grow capacity and product and service lines, so maintaining the firm’s growth and meeting the evolving needs of our clients is the top priority for us.. Looking to the future, what is the most important aim for the business? Castle Hall Alternatives seeks to provide operational due diligence services and platforms that allow allocators and investment advisors to focus their time and efforts on value-added analysis of data, rather than on the data gathering and presentation process.
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Cornerstone Investment Services
Name: John Riley, AIF Company: Cornerstone Investment Services Email: jr@cornerstoneri.com Web: www.cornerstoneri.com Address: 245 Waterman St, Ste 301, Providence, RI, 02906 Phone: 001 401 453 5550
Cornerstone Investment Services provide a variety of risk managed investment portfolios for IRAs, non-IRA accounts and trusts. They also offer financial, retirement and estate planning. For pensions and 401ks, they offer assistance with ERISA compliance. We spoke to the firm’s experienced, John Riley about his mission to deliver superior service to the clients he serves, and the vital role of excellent research-driven risk management strategies. Who are your clients? Our clients come from all walks of life – professionals, business owners, middle class families, retirees, trusts and pensions – investors that are looking for long term risk managed strategies for their serious money. What makes your firm unique? Money management firms usually rely on outside research, but since our chief strategist is also a registered research analyst, Cornerstone Investment Services is not dependent upon other people’s research. We don’t have to wait for the analyst at another firm to produce a report to see if their opinion has changed. What is the most significant challenge facing the business at present? For over 24 months the market has been flat, running in place, but with a lot of volatility. All this activity can be misleading to some investors that do not see the long term perspective and only notice the big-up days. Although the risks in the market today are substantial, I think that many investors have been lulled into a false sense of security by the Fed’s interventions. What is the overriding objective for your business? To deliver superior service to clients, along with excellent research-driven risk management strategies. Finally, at this moment in time, what is the company’s biggest challenge? Getting investors to see past the bullish dogma that comes from the mainstream media and Wall Street. Investors need to understand that markets go through cycles and there is a time to be invested in and also a time to be safe. What individual in your industry and beyond do you admire the most and why? My wife, Susan, for inspiring me and putting up with me for over 32 years.
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Name: Christopher Sullivan, AWMA, CMT, CRPC Company: Hyperion Capital Advisors Email: csullivan@hyperioncp.com Web Address: www.hyperioncp.com Address: 270 W. New England Ave Winter park Fl 32789 Telephone: 001 407 935 1040
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Hyperion Capital Advisors Hyperion Capital Advisors provides investors an objective and empirical based investment solution, designed with the goal of generating long term capital appreciation through the compounding of high probability, and short duration trades. The firm’s Christopher Sullivan enlightened us on how the business strives to combine advancements in fintech, data analytics, and machine learning with human oversight, and awareness.
Who are your clients? The clients of Hyperion Capital Advisors are primarily high net worth individuals, family offices, and small institutions.
What is the overriding aim for of the business? To provide investors with objective long/short investment solutions that reduce volatility, and to offer true strategy diversification. Ideally, we are striving for three funds each with 5oom under management.
What makes your firm unique? Hyperion Capital Advisors strive to combine advancements in fintech, data analytics, and machine learning with human oversight, and awareness. To us, maintaining objectivity does not necessarily translate to automating black box only strategies. Also, the firm’s fund is a multi-strategy fund, where model places capital into the high probability opportunities across trend following, mean reversion, and momentum. In addition, our model does not force trades.
What is your company’s biggest challenge? The biggest challenge for Hyperion Capital Advisors is overcoming objectives related to the entire Hedge Fund space, as many funds are closing, and recent underperformance has led to an exodus from many fund families and platforms. Which individual in your industry do you most appreciate and why? Jim Simons from Renaissance Technologies because he has maintained his edge and investment in trading technologies for decades, and in my opinion he has continually done the right thing by his clients.
What are the biggest challenges facing the firm at present? Growth in AUM, and expanding the firm’s sales outside our own region.
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IIFL Private Wealth
Company: IIFL Wealth Management Ltd. Name: Karan Bhagat, Founder, MD & CEO Web Address: www.iiflw.com
IIFL Private Wealth is India’s largest and fastest growing private wealth management firms. It advises clients on investment strategies across multiple asset classes with widest array of products, customised solutions and seamless execution. A probing interview with the firm’s Founder, MD & CEO, Karan Bhagat, reveals more. Who are your clients? IIFL Private Wealth clients are Individuals (HNIs / UHNIs /NRIs) and Institutions (Pension Funds, Corporate Treasuries). What makes your business unique? Since inception, we have built a practice based on the principles of modesty, simplicity and client centricity. Our unique proposition can be summed up in 5Ps. The Proposition we offer, the Platform on which we operate, our strong Parentage of first generation professional entrepreneurs, our People strength, which comes from seasoned individuals, who bring with them rich experience from the financial services space and our Products, which covers multiple asset classes and follows an open architecture, allowing clients to choose from a wider range of products to benefit their portfolios. Also, we are investing heavily in new age technologies, in order to bring a client’s portfolio to him on a tap. We have our app (both on Android and iOS platforms) where the client can see his portfolio, raise a query and reach out to his team instantly. What are the biggest challenges facing you at present? Keeping our clients abreast of the ever-changing regulatory environment which impacts their investments and helping clients adapt to the technological changes in financial dealings can be a challenge for few. What is the key aim of your business? We intend to be the largest, most respected and trusted Wealth Management Company in Asia within the next 5-7 years. What are your company’s biggest challenges? In a world of falling yields and demanding services, our biggest challenge is to keep a tight check on costs without compromising on the client-experience. Finally, what individual in your industry and beyond do you admire the most and why? It is difficult to take a single name but here at IIFL Private Wealth, we believe there are various lessons to learn from different people.
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Independent Legal and Will Solutions Ltd
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Independent Legal and Will Solutions Ltd (iLAWS) are now one of Scotland’s largest Estate Planning professionals advising on and producing effective and robust wills, powers of attorney, care cost planning and although not directly authorised themselves, routes to fully authorised and independent Financial Advisers for a Client’s savings and pensions needs. Although based in Glasgow, ILAWS have many associate partner solicitor firms from Aberdeen to Edinburgh and beyond allowing them to cover most of Scotland.
Company: Independent Legal and Will Solutions Ltd (iLAWS) Name: Tony Marchi, Director Email: info@ilawsscotland.co.uk Web Address: www.ilawsscotland.co.uk Address: 272 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JR and Burnfield House, 4a Burnfield Avenue, Giffnock, Glasgow, G46 7TL Telephone: 0141 354 1585
“In today’s world of financial turmoil, it is hard to know where to turn for good advice. Most people are unaware of the dangers and risks to their assets until it is too late.”
Why are ILAWS doing so well? ILAWS are unique in their approach to customer service. They will not produce documents for any Client until they have completed a detailed Client Questionnaire of the Clients situation and their requirements. This ensures that the Client receives the best possible advice. Director Tony Marchi says, “it is always easy for a firm do the minimum of background work with a Client. We have seen this done by other firms and unfortunately because the correct amount of time and care has not been taken, the Client ends up with the wrong product or poor advice resulting in things going wrong. This has never been our approach. We want to treat every Client like a personal family member, ensuring that we give them the time and the correct advice. Actually, it works for us as well as the Clients because the Clients are taken care of properly and we end up get a tremendous amount of referral business.” ILAWS try to make things easy for a Client. Particularly unusual in the industry is the fact that they will go out and visit with Clients in their own homes as well as office appointments. This means the Clients relax more in their own surroundings and don’t have to worry about getting out to city office appointments. “Some Clients are elderly, and it just doesn’t make sense to drag them out to see us when we can more easily go and visit them,” says Elaine. ILAWS will also do evening appointments when the Client has finished work to save them having to take time off to deal with these things.
Elaine Hamilton – Client Manager
The business has continued to grow steadily over the last number of years, and there is no mystery as to why this is happening. Good customer care coupled with a proper professional advice has seen each client referring other members of their family and friends back to ILAWS and their client bank has swelled to an enviable size. “Although, we are extremely proud of our achievements so far, this is something which we keep a close eye on and recruit accordingly to ensure that no matter how many Clients we have, we are always ahead of the game in providing every one of them with the resource to ensure a pleasant and efficient service” Elaine Hamilton concludes.
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Pacer ETF Distributors Pacer ETFs is an issuer and distributor of ETFs, who focus on strategy driven ETF (Exchange-Traded Funds), with an emphasis on identifying client and financial advisor challenges and provider solutions. The firm’s Sean O’Hara gives an insightful glimpse into the work of Pacer ETF, who distribute ETFs through all of the major wire-houses, regional, and independent firms in the US.
What makes your firm unique? Pacer ETFs focuses on strategy driven ETF solutions. ETFs that provide downside risk management, high sustainable dividends for clients looking for income. Pacer ETFs can also be very nimble and quick to develop and build new ETFs. What are the biggest challenges facing the firm at present? The firm’s two biggest challenges are time and attention. We can’t grow fast enough and in a very crowded ETF market, it is tough to get attention. What would you say is the main aim of the business? Pacer ETFs will continue to build new, innovative, strategy driven ETFs. Our short term goal is to reach $1 Billion in assets (hopefully later this summer) and then start focusing on $5 Billion in ETF assets. What individual in your industry and beyond do you admire the most and why? Jonathan Steinberg and Wisdom Tree. They have emerged as one of the leaders in the ETF business. Just 10 years ago they were about our size. They build smart ETFs that solved investor problems. Name: Sean O’Hara Company: Pacer ETF Distributors Email: sean.ohara@pacerfinancial.com Web Address: www.paceretfs.com Address: 16 Industrial Blvd, Paoli, PA 19301 Telephone: 001 610 981 6217
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Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd
Name: Phil Anderson Company: Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd. Email: admin@philandersonfinancial.co.uk Web: www.philandersonfinancial.co.uk Address: 8 Bridge Street, Ellon AB41 9AA Telephone: 01358 268166
Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd is an independent financial advisory firm, offering advice on investments, pensions, mortgages and protection products such as life cover, critical illness cover and income protection. The firm’s Phil Anderson provides an illuminating glimpse into the flexibility of his staff and also his ambitious long term goal for the business. Who are your clients? There are not many people that we cannot help in some way or another. Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd is very good at helping people when they have a big life event such as moving home, retiring or changing job. What makes Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd unique? The firm’s advisers are very flexible with the times that they can see clients. This flexibility adds to the great service that we provide and means we can move fast when required. What are the most significant challenge facing you at present? Our local area has taken a big hit due to the downturn in the oil and gas industry. While this brings challenges it also presents opportunities. What is the long term goal for your business? My long term goal for Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd is to have multiple offices and employ 200 staff. At the moment we have a team of nine, however plans are in place to grow the business in the next few years, and I am confident that we will be able to achieve our long-term aims. What is greatest challenge facing Phil Anderson Financial Services Ltd? Getting good, hard working staff is always challenging for the firm. We have an excellent team in place though and have been very fortunate with our employees so far. What individual in your industry and beyond do you admire the most and why? I have always admired Richard Branson. As a businessman, I look up to what he has achieved with his Virgin brand. I listen to the things he says and he is very switched on and focused. Branson is always looking to advance, and as things change all the time, I feel it is important not to stand still.
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Whitescape
Name: Andrew White Company: Whitescape Ventures Limited Email: andrew.white@whitescape.co.uk Web Address: whitescape.co.uk Address: Studio 5A, Upper Adhurst Farm, London Road, Petersfield. Hampshire. GU31 5AE Telephone: 1730 897960
Whitescape is a different kind of construction company. Our core services are civil engineering, building construction, services engineering and landscape construction. We thrive on complex technical or operational challenges. Over the past 12 months, we have quadrupled the scale of construction projects we undertake, from around £500K to £2m. Who are your customers? Our specialist sectors are education, health and wellbeing, and residential. Our work for public and private sectors ranges from refurbishment to building extensions and new blocks. By concentrating on local markets in the south of England, we can guarantee to keep in close personal contact and communication with our customers. What makes your firm unique? We build with intelligence. Best practice is just our starting point. In this business today, service is as vital as product. Real intelligence is about merging technical excellence with an intuitive understanding of what customers and occupants need from constructors – and then delivering it in an equally intelligent way. What are the greatest challenges facing the business at present? Delivering on promises at both a personal and business level. The challenge is consistency and remaining true to my principles while balancing home and work - supporting my children through the late stages of education and starting their fledgling careers, while encouraging our Management Trainees to fulfil their potential and giving our customers an excellent product. What is the main aim for your business? To grow into a £100 million business by 2024, while staying close to our customers and safeguarding our intelligent approach. Our strategy is to create ten complementary businesses, each turning over up to £10m - six are already operating. Each is built around outstanding individual talent and will be 49% owned by its employees, galvanising them to achieve our collective target. What is the company’s main challenge? Finding the right people to drive that growth. We have set the bar very high, and our strategy is to find the talent and grow our own team with the right skills, attitude and customer focus. Experience is important, but it’s not everything. We make a big investment in training for a small company: 13.6% of our net profits over the past year. What individual in your industry and do you admire the most and why? Colin Acheson, a founding Director of MITIE Engineering, was passionate about giving people opportunity and drove the entrepreneurial model of equity ownership for as many as possible. A Chartered Engineer by background, he was also totally in tune with what motivated people, describing himself, to those closest, as an embarrassed Socialist. We have honed the equity model and backed it up with great performance management and people development.
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Winners Directory Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 Company: Independent Legal and Will Solutions Ltd Name: Tony Marchi Email: info@ilawsscotland.co.uk Web Address: www.ilawsscotland.co.uk Address: 272 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JR Phone: 0141 354 1585 Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 Company: CMS, China Name: Nicolas Zhu Email: Nicolas.Zhu@cmslegal.cn Web Address: www.cms.law Address: 2801Plaza 66, Tower 2, 1266 Nanjing Road West 200040 Shanghai, China Phone: +86 21 6289 6363 Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 Company: PUNO & PUNO LAW OFFICES Name: RODERICO V. PUNO Email: rvpuno@punolaw.com Web Address: www.punolaw.com Address: 12th Floor, East Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Centre, Ortigas Center, City of Pasig 1605 Philippines Phone: +63 2 631 1261 Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 Company: PLS Solicitors Name: Laura Thornhill Email: lmthornhill@pls-solicitors.co.uk Web Address: www.pls-solicitors.co.uk Address: Manchester - PLS House, 2 Aegean Road, Altrincham, WA14 5UW. London – 41 Lothbury, London, EC2R 7HG Phone: 0333 014 6150 Most Outstanding Law Firm 2016 - USA Company: American Mortgage Law Group, P.C. Name: James W. Brody Email: jbrody@americanmlg.com Web Address: www.americanmlg.com Address: 75 Rowland Way, Suite 350, Novato, CA 94945 Phone: 001 (415) 878-0030
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Telecom Awards Company: VNOW TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD Name: NITIKA SHARMA Designation: FOUNDER & CEO Email: nitikas@vnowworld.com Web Address: www.vnowworld.com; www.vnowoem.com Address: Spaze Itech Park, Sohna Road, Gurgaon, India - 122018 Phone: +91 981 899 0434 Address for shipment: 436 A&B, Tower B3, Spaze ITech Park, Sector 48, Sohna Road, Gurgaon, Haryana, India - 122018 Money Management Awards Name: Robert M. Castleberry CPA/ABV,CVA,CSA,CSRP,PFS Company: Castleberry & Associates PC Address: 540 Merchant Drive Norman, OK 73069 Phone: 405-364-5830 Fax: 405-360-6429 Web Address: www.castleberrycpa.com Best in Software and Data 2016 Company: Intertrust Technologies Name: Barry Strauss Email: barrys@intertrust.com Web Address: www.intertrust.com Address: 920 Stewart Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 USA Phone: 408-616-1600 Best in Software and Data 2016 Company: Anacle Systems Pte Ltd Name: Edmund Yeo Email: sales.marketing@anacle.com Web Address: www.anacle.com Address: 1 Fusionopolis View, Sandcrawler #08-02 Phone: +65 6734 9012
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People who left a gift in their Will to the GLFB in the past are playing a significant part in the lives of people dealing with sight loss.
Help us Build a Brighter Future
Although some of these supporters may have passed on, their foresight in leaving a legacy is making a real and lasting difference to visually impaired children and adults today. This is because gifts left in Wills are helping to provide services that reduce the isolation sight loss so often brings, enabling people to live much happier, more fulfilling and independent lives.
Insight
Isn’t that the kind of legacy we would all love to leave? Please accept our heartfelt thanks if you have already remembered the work of the GLFB in your Will. If you haven’t already done so, please do consider whether you could support our work in this very special way once you have made provision for your loved ones. All legacies, be they large or small, help to change lives. If you would like more information about gifts in Wills, please call us on telephone number 020 7620 4918 or by writing to us at the address below.
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Issue Three Autumn 2015
Every day 100 people in the UK start losing their sight – that’s one person every 15 minutes. Sight loss affects people of all ages this edition of Insight you andIn it can strike at any time. A legacy giftfind: to the GLFB will help will ensure that we can provide specialist care from the point • News of how your donations of diagnosis. Thank you.
have helped to fund local blind welfare services
• The positive and lasting difference your support is making to the lives The Greater London Fund for the Fund was established in 1921 to provide blind welfare services in London. of people withthrough sightvoluntary loss donations including gifts in wills, enable us to reach 50,000 people every year. Today, the services we fund,dealing made possible Greater London Fund for the Blind, 12 Whitehorse Mews, 37 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7QD. • Legacies: leaving a gift of a lifetime Email: info@glfb.org.uk Website: www.glfb.org.uk Registered charity number 1074958.