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, 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.

David Joyce, CEO – CREALOGIX

David’s career spans more than 30 years in financial services and international payments. An experienced business leader in both large corporations and new fintechs, he has held senior leadership positions with Visa Europe, sitting on the Corporate Management Group, Risk Advisory Board and was Chair of the European Processing Advisory Board. Subsequently he worked with fintech companies including Ixaris Technologies where he was GM/ COO, Monitise (now Finkit), MPayMe, and as COO at Paythru.

As CEO of CREALOGIX in the UK, David drives our vision of product innovation, and champions the closely collaborative delivery approach which has been valued by clients in wealth management and private banking here in the UK for over two decades.

More than 550 banks and investment management firms worldwide are able to boost their business growth and scalability by leveraging CREALOGIX software to modernise their client experience.

Sarah Soar, CEO – Hawksmoor Investment Management

Sarah has 35 years’ experience in investment and wealth management having previously worked for Seymour Pierce Butterfield, Brewin Dolphin and JM Finn. She has held roles ranging from Investment Manager, Head of Office, Regional Managing Director, National Director, Business Development Director and Head of Investment Management. She was the first woman to be appointed to the board of Brewin Dolphin Holdings PLC, a FTSE 250 company.

Sarah currently sits on the board of PIMFA, the trade body of the wealth management industry, and is Chair of its Nomination Committee. Sarah is also on the Board of the Council of the Institute of Directors (IOD) where she also sits on the Nomination Committee and is Chair of the Governance Review Group.

In the past she has held external roles such as Chair of Governors of St Francis School, Pewsey and Chair of the Marie Curie Spring Arts Committee.

Married with two daughters, Sarah is a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion and is a mentor to a number of young women in the wealth management industry.

Gareth Johnson, Head of Digital Channels – Brewin Dolphin

Joining the business in 2002, Gareth is now responsible for the Brewin Portfolio Service (BPS) and WealthPilot, the group’s digital channels. In his previous role, Gareth, worked closely with our Research Department and Intermediary Division, and oversaw the growth of MPS from just £15m in 2012 to over £4.5bn in 2020 and an intermediary division that grew from £300m in annual sales to in excess of £2bn. In his current role, Gareth has developed and is responsible for our Brewin Portfolio Service, the Group’s digital offering which has attracted in excess of £200m of AUM and 6,000 clients. Gareth also took on the responsibility for WealthPilot in 2020, our new digital financial advice offering. Reporting into the Managing Director of Advice and Innovation, Gareth works closely with the Executive Committee of the Board, Gareth’s role is to strategically influence the Group and the service offerings utilising new technologies with a laser focus on client outcomes. Gareth is part of our Client Facing Leadership team who together are responsible for the all aspects of the client journey for the Brewin Dolphin group.

Gareth is an Advisory Panel member for the Investment Association’s (IA) fintech accelerator, Engine. He also sits on the TISA Digital Innovation Council. Finally, Gareth is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). In his spare time, he enjoys football, NBA basketball, reading and listening to podcasts.

Ken Darmody, Head of Investment Management – Goodbody

Ken has over 20 years’ experience in Goodbody and in that time, he has held held positions in Finance, Capital Markets and Wealth Management. He is responsible for the Wealth Management digital transformation program and he is also leading new business segments focussed on growth through digital channels. He is a qualified accountant and recently completed and Executive MBA.

With direct client and research experience, he has a strong understanding of all sides of the client experience and investment process and he is always keen to understand what clients have to say. He has a strong passion for the psychology of markets and appreciates that many other factors drive the direction of asset prices.