St. James’s Place (SJP), the UK’s largest wealth manager, has today announced that four experienced financial Appointed Representatives (ARs) have brought their Partner practices to SJP, as the company continues to attract established professionals looking to build their own advice businesses.
Larry Yesufu, Matthew Kemp, Mitchell Hough and Richard Woods have joined SJP as advisers from organisations including Quilter, Skipton Building Society, NFU Mutual and Nationwide Building Society. They join a network of approximately 2,700 Partner practices and nearly 5,000 advisers, adding decades of combined financial services and wealth management experience to the Partnership.
Larry Yesufu of Heightgate Financial Associates joins St. James’s Place from Quilter, where he served as a financial planner. Specialising in retirement planning, estate planning and tax planning, Larry is based in North London.
Based in Dorset, Matthew Kemp of Ferndale Financial Planning joins from Skipton Building Society where he spent over a decade as a financial planning manager. He brings over 30 years of experience having worked in financial planning and advisory roles for businesses including Santander and Openwork.
Mitchell Hough of Gloucestershire-based Combine Financial Planning, brings more than 20 years of experience to SJP, having started his career in banking at NatWest before moving into financial advice at Santander. Most recently at NFU Mutual, he works with individuals, families and business owners, particular within the agricultural community, across the South West and Midlands.
Richard Woods, of Richard Woods Financial Planning, based in Suffolk, joins after a long career at some of the UK’s biggest financial institutions, including Nationwide Building Society and Halifax. He left the Royal Air Force to spend more than three decades building his career as a financial adviser.
Commenting on the new appointments, James Rainbow, Chief Executive of St. James’s Place Wealth Management PLC said: “We are delighted to welcome Larry, Matthew, Mitchell and Richard to the Partnership. With each bringing significant experience, strong relationships and a shared commitment to delivering high-quality, long-term financial advice, they further strengthen our offering as we continue to grow across the UK.
“One of the key strengths of our Partnership model is the breadth and depth of support we provide to advisers, helping them build high-quality, sustainable businesses while enabling them to focus on delivering excellent client service and helping clients achieve their long-term financial goals. The decision of these new additions to join SJP reflects the continued strength and appeal of that model.”
Discussing their reasons for joining SJP, the new Partners* highlighted the strength of support and infrastructure available to advisers, allowing them to spend more time supporting clients and building their own businesses.
Larry Yesufu said: “I wanted to spend more of my time focused on clients and less time dealing with operational and administrative challenges. Widely recognised across the industry, SJP provides the framework, resources and support that enable advisers to do exactly that, alongside a professional environment where advisers can build lasting client relationships with confidence. For me, it was the combination of entrepreneurial freedom and the backing of an established, respected organisation that made the decision an easy one.”
Matthew Kemp added: “Rather than moving into another employed position, I decided it was the right time to create something of my own and build a business focused on delivering great outcomes for clients. SJP provides the support, infrastructure and expertise that allow me to spend more time meeting clients, building relationships and helping people make important financial decisions while also focusing on growing the business.”