James Brown – Head of Client Services, Compeer

James joined Compeer in October 2006 as an analyst following his graduation from The University of Warwick, where he studied Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics.  Today he manages Compeer’s team of analysts. He has widely presented key trends in the UK Wealth Management Industry, with in-depth experience of providing statistical analysis of firms’ business performance. He regularly provides recommendations during presentations to Executive boards, and is actively involved in bespoke research projects.

Tom Thwaites – Senior Research Analyst, Compeer

Tom joined Compeer in January 2019 having graduated from the University of Leicester with a BSc in Financial Economics. During his time at university Tom attended Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium as part of the Erasmus program where he furthered his studies into economics, finance, business management and econometrics. He also gained work experience in Beijing on a summer internship for a Chinese consulting firm which specialises on the Belt and Road initiative.

Now, as a member of the Compeer analyst team Tom works on a variety of bespoke research projects looking into different aspects of the Wealth Management industry, presenting the findings at Compeer conferences as well as supporting the team with the annual industry report and benchmarking services.

John Ennis – Managing Director, UK, Ireland & Northern Europe, CREALOGIX

As Managing Director for CREALOGIX in the UK and Northern Europe, John is tasked with growing the customer base and geographies with new business from Wealth Management companies and Retail Banks to deliver front end digital solutions that enable long-term, strategic growth and a positive impact to their bottom line and end customers.

John started his career within the financial services industry in Retail Banking and was credited with making the NatWest self-service channel the most innovative and profitable in the UK. His knowledge and understanding of Retail Banking and digital transformations, meant that he has progressed through a range of fintech organisations growing their business in new markets. He has worked globally in the Middle East, Africa, the Nordics and UK/Ireland, selling and delivering services, hardware and software solutions to Financial Institutions. His in-depth technical understanding is balanced with relationship skills and a commercial perspective, that allows him to translate business problems into technology solutions.

Alexander Sawley – Head of Solution Consulting, Avaloq

Alex has more than 12 years’ experience in software and services space with domain expertise in wealth management. Alex owns the Avaloq products in the UK market.

His career has been built around working with Clients to understand problems and business drivers in a collaborative approach to deliver efficient solutions that create tangible business benefit.

Alex is passionate about technology and it’s ability to solve problems and create efficiency.  He believes in embracing human-centred design thinking to deliver true value.

Outside of work Alex enjoys playing and watching  golf, rugby and football. He is also a keen long distance runner.

Paul Jones – Chief of Staff, Rathbones

Paul joined Rathbones from WH Ireland, where he was Chief Operating Officer, and brings with him an extensive experience from working in Brewin Dolphin as Chief of Staff, Regional Director for the London Office and as Group Director of Change and Transformation. Paul has wider experience and is well-versed in our sector, having also worked previously at Old Mutual, Bluefin Financial Planning, AXA and Lloyds TSB. His current responsibilities and remit include: Front office change management and delivery; Front office air traffic control; Group communications; First line of defence including training and competence/ supervision; Special group projects; Front office Client and Investment Support; Front office operations and issue resolution; Exec advisory; CEO support and point and click project/ issue resolution.

Tony Hanlon – Chief Operating Officer, WH Ireland

Tony’s business career began as a consultant with Boston Consulting Group, focused on retail and business process outsourcing. He left to work for a client, running process outsourcing services across Europe, and subsequently helped clients like Costa Coffee, InterContinental Hotels and Expedia think through their operational strategies. He entered wealth management in 2014, bringing a retail view to the industry and has since focused on shining a customer lens on the industry. Most recently, he has been driving the turn-around and repositioning at WH Ireland where he is now COO of the Wealth business. Tony holds an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth and also spent 10years in the RAF as a fighter pilot before entering business.