Crescent Independent is a former appointed representative of the Tenet Group network and has £70m of assets under advice.

Founders of the firm Steve Penn and David Brookes will join MKC Wealth on a consultancy basis for an initial six months to support the handover.

Recently retired Brearley was an authorised representative of PI Financial and adds a further £20m if assets under advice.

To read more on this topic, visit: Wealth manager merges with IFA firm

Dominic Rose, chief executive of MKC Wealth, said: “We have a fairly simple philosophy; our clients trust us to look after their life savings and to plan for their (and their family’s) future.

“This is a massive responsibility that everyone in our team fully appreciates and passionately cares about. Similarly, business owners trust us to look after their clients whom they have supported over many years. Both of these transactions will facilitate the retirements for Steve, David and Christine whilst ensuring the clients are well cared for.”

Brearley added: “I asked Brian Hill of the Exit Partnership, who specialises in selling the firms of retiring advisers. I wanted the best possible fit for my clients and not just sell out to a major national firm, which would have been all too easy. Quite the opposite.

“Brian introduced me to the team at MKC Wealth for a smooth and seamless transition. I was so impressed that in addition to selling the business, my husband and I have transferred the management of our personal financial affairs to MKC Wealth and without exception all of the clients have been really pleased with the way the transition has been handled.”

The wealth manager has hired Stuart Ritchie as managing partner and Mauro De Santis Bo as partner.

Ritchie is part of the GSB leadership team, providing strategic direction to help the business reach its objectives.

De Santis Bo started his career as a lawyer in 2010 with one of the top 3 firms in Argentina, before moving to the UAE in 2013 and embarking on a new journey in the financial services sector.

He now benefits from a decade of experience as a financial planner and specialises in providing comprehensive financial planning solutions for expats around the World.

The firm has also appointed Christopher Wright as senior executive officer, chief executive and head of UAE.

As well as David Smylie as group head of GSB private.

IFGL

The investment solutions provider has appointed Kelvin Revere as IFGL group actuary, appointed actuary for RL360 insurance company and RL360 life insurance company.

Revere brings 25 years’ experience within on-shore and off-shore life companies.

Since joining the group in 2010, he has held the toles of head of actuarial and chief actuary.

Legal & General

The investment service has hired James Shattock as managing director for UK protection and Pippa Keefe succeeds his role as commercial director.

Shattock brings over 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry. He joined Legal & General three years ago from UNUM UK where he was chief underwriting officer.

Keefe, who was previously Legal & General retail protection businesses development director, brings over 13 years’ experience in the protection market.

Brooks Macdonald Group

The investment manager has hired Maarten Slendebroek as chairman and as non-executive director.

Slendebroek was the chief executive of Jupiter for five years from February 2014 and has been the chair of supervisory board of Robeco since August 2020.

Platform One

The investment platform has appointed Matt Freeguard as its director of product.

Freeguard joins from the investment wrap platform and wealth software, Shares, where he was investment products manager.

The Exit Partnership

The business manager has hired financial planner and wealth management professional, Zane Hunter.

Hunter as sat on the board of leadership teams, most recently as head of wealth for One Four Nine group.

Blevins Franks

Martin Gilbert has joined the board of the specialist financial advice firm.

The ‘Exit Right’ series runs for six weeks, from 10 November and is free to attend.

The topics covered include how to value a financial-advice business, the selling ‘journey’ and other key issues that sellers can expect to encounter.

To read more on this topic, visit: Have interest rates impacted M&A deals in the advice market?

Exit Partnership managing director Victoria Hicks, said: “The M&A process is complex, challenging and often totally new to sellers. We want to instill confidence in business owners, so that when they approach the market, they do so with an understanding of what they do and don’t want, as well as how to take control of the process and avoid the many pitfalls along the way.

“This series breaks the process into manageable chunks giving business owners a blueprint for their own exit and a strategy to take into 2024. It’s also a ‘safe space’ where they can ask questions about the process and get answers from experts.”

Hicks and Brian Hill, head of strategic exits at the firm both have first-hand experience of selling advisory businesses.

The Exit Partnership was founded last year and specialises in mergers and acquisitions in the financial-services sector, focusing mainly on helping financial advisers successfully sell their business.

The bank has announced that chief executive Peter Flavel will step down with immediate effect, following his role in the handling of Nigel Farage’s case.

Mohammad Kamal Syed will step into the role as interim chief executive of Coutts and the wealth businesses, subject to approvals.

Strabens Hall

The wealth manager has promoted Alex Stephens to chief operating officer.

Stephens has been with Strabens Hall for 9 months and was previously head of operations.

Prior to that he worked at the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Natixis Investment Managers

The investment manager has promoted Patrick Sobotta to regional head of Germany, Austria and Central and Eastern Europe and executive managing director.

He will be responsible for the retail, wholesale and institutional activities within those regions. Sobotta will report to Fabrice Chemouny, executive vice president and head of international sales.

Elsewhere, Erik Crawford will join as senior sales director in August.

The firm has also promoted Constance Clerc as head of business enhancement based in Paris.

Clerc joined Natixis in 2016 and was previously head of strategy and sales management for international distribution.

The Exit Partnership

The wealth manager has hired Dave Robinson as head of internal exits.

He will spearhead guidance and advice to retiring IFAs considering a management buy out (MBO) or employee ownership trust (EOT).

BlackRock

The investment manager has appointed Mandy Lui as head of greater China wealth and Dennis Quah as head of Singapore wealth.

Lui will join in mid-August in Hong Kong and will focus on developing relationships with distributors in the greater China refioin.

She joins from Baring Asset Management where she was head of wealth and retail distribution for greater China and southeast Asia.

Quah has joined this month and will focus on building relationships with consumer banks, private banks and insurers.

He has previously worked at Columbia Threadneedle and Schroders.

Schroders

The asset manager has made several changes across its Asia Pacific team.

The current Apac head of client group, Szu Yi Chin will become head of wealth for Apac.

While, Katherine Cox who has been the firm’s Apac head of strategic clients, product and private banks, has now been appointed as its global head of long-term asset owners.

In another move, Lily Choh, the firm’s chief executive for Singapore, has had a broadening of her role to oversee Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and India as head of south Asia.

Similarly, the firm’s Hong Kong chief executive and Apac head of strategy, Gopi Mirchandani, has been named head of north Asia. Her area of focus will now include Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. She will also retain her role as head of strategy for Apac.

Chris Durack, who is currently head of Apac, as well as Karine Szenberg, head of Europe and global head of product and marketing, have been appointed co-heads of Schroders’ client group.

Stonehage Fleming

The family office has made a series of promotions across the London office.

In the family office division Jack Henderson and Anna Wetherell have been promoted to associate director while Francesca Maule and Eleanor Sowerbutts to manager and Edward Durgan to senior associate.

Within investment management, James Cook has been promoted to director, Mark Leshnick, Archie Burt and Miki Caves to associate director, and Ross Elliott to manager.

Robyn Bramwell has been promoted to director in corporate, legal and tax advisory.

In group services, Peter Rogerson has been promoted to director, Hannah Berry to associate director, with Claire Main and Oliver Taylor promoted to senior associate.

JM Finn

The wealth manager has promoted Todd Babington to head of operations following the retirement of Frank Reardon.

Babington has been with the firm for five years , he has previously worked at Arbuthnot Latham and HSBC Private Bank.

JTC

The wealth manager has appointed Helena Storjohann as director in its Geneva office, where she will be responsible for a portfolio of clients and trusts

Prior to JTC, Storjohann was at Julius Baer, where she was a wealth planner.

DFSA

The Dubai Financial Services Authority announced that Swee Lian Tee will be stepping down from its board of directors on 31 August.

Teo has served on the board for six years as the chair of the board’s risk committee and as a member of the governance and nominations committee and Emirati working group.

Fiera Capital

The asset manager has appointed Mandy Adamou as managing director, head of consultant relations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Adamou will chair the firms Global Consultant Committee and will report to Klaus Schuster.

Prior to this role, she was managing director, global head of consultant relations at a global asset manager in London.

Close Brothers

The asset manager has hired Nic Heath as senior investment director.

He will provide bespoke investment management services for private clients, trusts, charities and pension schemes.

Heath has previously worked at Barclays Wealth and Investec W&I.

Rathbones

The investment manager has appointed Lynsey Carson as business development director.

She will be responsible for enhancing Rathbones’ partnership with adviser businesses across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Carson joins from LGT Wealth Management where she was business development director and has also held senior positions at Coutts, RBS and NatWest.

Aviva Investors

The global asset manager has appointed Viktor Dietrich as research director and Rebecca Crocker as research analyst.

Both will report to David Hedalen, head of real assets research as part of a seven person team.

Dietrich was previously at Patrizia where we worked as an equity analyst while Crocker joins from American Express as a senior financially analyst.

The investment boutique has appointed Irshaad Ahmad as chief executive.

He joined the firm in September 2022 as head of global distribution. Prior to Ardevora, Ahmad was chief investment officer of Canada Post Corporation’s pension fund.

Ahmad previously spent over four years at Allianz GI as managing director and head of institutional for Europe.

He succeeds Ardevora co-founder William Pattisson, who will focus solely on his role as portfolio manager.

Chartered Insurance Institute

The professional body has named Brian Caruth as interim vice president for local institutes.

Caruth is well versed in local institute matters, having served as a council member for the Insurance Institute of Northern Ireland (IINI) for over 30 years.

Evelyn Partners

The wealth management and professional services group has appointed Harrison Boar as a financial planner at its Chelmsford office.

Harrison joins Evelyn Partners from Fisher Investments, where he spent nine years as a private client adviser.

Boodle Hatfield

The law firm has strengthened its private client and tax department with the appointment of partner Nicola Bushby.

Bushby joins from Irwin Mitchell. She specialises in trust and estate litigation for individuals and families.

The Exit Partnership

The financial services M&A consultancy firm has hired Steve Mclean as a exit specialist.

He was the former head of operations at FS Legal.

Spring Capital Partners

The funds disributor has appointed Delphine Kadel as managing director for Germany and Austria, and Christian Nilsson as managing director for Nordics.

Kadel joins Spring Capital from Jupiter Asset Management, where for six years she worked with asset allocators as sales director, discretionary. She was most recently sales director for institutional clients.

Nilsson joins from William Blair IM, where he was head of Nordic distribution.

Polar Capital

The active asset management group has hired Jasper Wright as a fund manager in its Emerging Markets and Asia team.

Wright spent six years at Federated Hermes, where he was an associate director in the firm’s Global Emerging Markets Equity team.

Latitude Investment Management

The London-based firm has expanded its investment team with the appointment of Gabriel Hull as an analyst.

Hull started his career at Fidelity International as an equity analyst in the emerging markets team. He then spent three years as an investment analyst for Highclere International Investors, an affiliate of Silchester Partners Group.

Paradigm Norton Financial Planning

David Kelly has been appointed as a non-executive director at the firm.

Kelly is currently chief executive at Storm Consultancy.