Started at Equilibrium

March 2015

Current job title

Chartered Financial Planner

Job title when first joined

Client Manager

What do you remember from when you first started?

Everyone throughout the business made an effort to make me feel welcome. It's nice to see that as we've grown this continues to be the case.

What's the biggest positive change you've seen during your time at EQ?

I think the launch of our own funds was a massive challenge; both logistically and ensuring we communicated with clients fully. As such, it involved everyone at the firm in one degree or another and it was great to see everyone band together and support each other. The fund has created so much more efficiency and time for our financial planners and client managers to spend their time doing more of what they do best; advanced, in-depth and holistic financial planning.

What's been your biggest personal challenge so far, and how did you overcome it?

Having come from a specialized pension role with little encouragement for exams and personal development, I remember being surprised by the breadth and depth of knowledge at EQ. It was a real awakening that this was financial planning at its best, and I'd need to develop my understanding across the full spectrum of wealth management. I quickly set about studying and taking exams in order to develop the technical knowledge I needed, and it was rewarding to see it played out in practice. Even after becoming Chartered and starting as an adviser, the importance of developing both soft skills and developing technical and practical financial planning strategies is never lost. You never stop growing at EQ, and it's great to be in a challenging environment.

What excites you about your future at EQ?

The need for financial planning has never been more apparent than it is today, and people are needing advice earlier and earlier. As the industry changes and the company continues to grow, I'm excited to find new ways to engage with clients at the various stages of their life and their own unique circumstances.

How did your current role come about?

There was a need for a new adviser and instead of going outside the company, it was decided to recruit from the current client manager team. I put my name forward but knew I was going up against colleagues with a lot more experience. We went through an apprentice-style process putting you to through a number of different adviser scenarios - both technical and client facing. It was a great experience and really gave me the opportunity to reflect on whether it was the right role for me throughout. Ultimately, it was going through the process that made me see that this was the role I wanted and where I could have the biggest possible impact for clients.
 

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