Operations 2024: The business case for transformation and change

As firms continue to face challenges to achieve operational efficiency and scalability, Compeer will review the current state of play for the UK wealth industry and highlight where transformation is required.

For example, recent findings show a substantial variance in operational spend, with the inefficient firms spending more than 5 times that of the top performers. This is putting significant pressure on margins causing a large proportion to be loss making or barely breaking even.

Also, hear from leading suppliers to the UK wealth industry whose solutions could help support firms in their push for transformational change, and a panel of wealth management professionals sharing their first-hand experiences.

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Event Information

15:00 – 15:30          Networking

15:30 – 15:35          Master of Ceremonies (Jason Raikes, Parkwell)  – Welcome & Introduction

15:35 – 15:50          Mark Foulds & Dhavarajh Frank, Nagarro

15:50 – 16:05          James Brown, Compeer

16:05 – 16:20          Hiten Gundecha, FA Solutions

16:20 – 17:00          Wealth Management Panel Discussion

(Elliott O’Brien – LGT Wealth Management, Nina Manning – Killik, Mark Haines – JM Finn, Ian Whyte – Parkwell)

Jason Raikes – Senior Consultant, Parkwell

Jason is a senior consultant with 25 years’ experience of the financial services industry.  Jason has detailed knowledge of business process re-engineering and the appropriate use of technology to improve front office productivity.  Jason’s areas of expertise also include project management, regulatory projects and management information.  Jason is a Chartered Accountant having trained with one of the big four firms.

James Brown – Director 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.

Mark Foulds – Associate Consulting Director, Nagarro

Mark is a seasoned problem solver with a track record in strategic business transformation and leadership across premier Investment Banks and Asset Management firms globally. He started his career on the London Stock Exchange, progressed to trading FX for international banks, before founding an Equities Hedge Fund.

Mark’s pivot toward technology brought him to IBM’s Consulting Practice, where he honed his skills as a certified Management Consultant and Change Management expert. He has held pivotal roles, such as leading Business Strategy & Change for RBS’s Equities division, directing global equity transformation programmes at Deutsche Bank, and overseeing the implementation of eCommerce platforms at finance giants like JP Morgan and BNP Paribas. More recently, at Dassault Systèmes, Mark steered the Financial & Business Services Consulting unit, liaising with prominent clients across the UK, Europe, and North America.

Currently, Mark brings his expertise to Nagarro, where he continues to leverage his deep industry knowledge and consulting acumen, delivering customer-centric solutions that address the dynamic challenges of today’s Asset Management, Wealth Management, and Private Banking industries. Mark’s mission remains to forge personalized solutions that generate unparalleled customer value. ​

Dhavarajh Frank – Associate Consulting Director, Nagarro

Dhavarajh Frank, ‘Dav’, is an experienced executive with an extensive background in the financial services industry (Wealth, Banking & Technology).

His career includes regulatory approved roles including Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).  He has navigated and addressed complex challenges within banking, wealth and financial services, including regulatory challenges, technology, governance, M&A and turnaround opportunities. His expertise lies in operations, finance and technology, identifying & creating operational advantage for organisations.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and an alumnus of the London Business School, Dav holds degrees in Finance and Economics. His professional journey includes the creation of an innovative new bank within one of the UK’s largest retail brokers, organisational transformation of Wealth Management & Private Banking including mergers, acquisitions and disposals.

Dav is a strong advocate of practical innovation believing in the power of consistent incremental change to address critical issues within financial services, ensuring effective risk management, enabling operational automation and creating new opportunities for clients to grow.

Hiten Gundecha – Senior Sales Engineer, FA Solutions

Hiten has been in the wealth management vendor industry for a decade. Previously at Brooks McDonald, Third Financial and SS&C, he joined FA Solutions in 2022 where he works as the Lead Sales Engineer for the UK market. He has honed his skills across various roles within the industry, from business support, implementations, client services, and solution architecting. Alongside his sales engineering role at FA Solutions, Hiten is also responsible for the platforms readiness for the UK market, spanning new functionalities, upcoming regulatory requirements and common third party integrations.

Ian Whyte – Senior Consultant, Parkwell

Ian is a senior consultant and has over 20 years of successfully delivering change in financial services, specialising in Wealth Management.  Ian’s experience of regulatory and business change includes successful delivery of major change programmes including MiFID I, MiFID II, and GDPR.  He is currently responsible for an ESG programme at a global Wealth Management firm.

Nina Manning – Chief Transformation Officer, Killik & Co

Nina has been with Killik & Co since May 2019. She is a Partner and was appointed as Chief Transformation Officer in 2024.

She has experience of digital operations and product management both in her native New Zealand and here in the UK. Initially focused on our saving and investing app solution Silo, she now manages all of our digital product delivery.

Nina works closely with our team of UX and UI designers, front and back-end developers, as well as all commercial functions across the business, that have an input in our digital solutions.

Elliott O’Brien – Head of Business Transformation, LGT Wealth Management

Elliott is a Partner and Head of Business Transformation at LGT Wealth Management. He is responsible for strategy and transformation, leading change as the business looks for innovative ways to enhance the client experience, drive growth and meet the evolving needs of our client base and adviser partners. He has over a decade of client facing experience, having joined the company in 2017 from HSBC Private Bank. Elliott is a Chartered Wealth Manager and holds an MBA from Imperial College Business School.

Mark Haines – Chief Operating Officer, JM Finn

Mark joined JM Finn as Chief Operating Officer in January 2024, and has over 20 years’ experience in the Financial Services, Wealth, and Asset Management industries. Mark started his career in consulting, before spending 10 years with Abrdn and three with RBC Brewin Dolphin, latterly as their Chief Technology Officer.

Mark holds a First-Class degree from the University of Nottingham, and when relaxing, spends time with his young family, and, as time permits, playing a round of golf.

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