Wealth & Finance Finance Awards 2015

Wealth & Finance Finance Awards 2015 36 Foster Denovo Ltd Workplace Financial Education Firm of the Year - UK & Best for Employee Benefits Advisory Services - UK Foster Denovo is a national firm of financial advisers with eight UK offices. Its advisers provide financial advice to indi- viduals and families, businesses and charities. Chief Operating Officer Helen Lovett provides a unique insight into this exciting company. Company: Foster Denovo Name: Helen Lovett (Chief Operating Officer) Web Address: www.fosterdenovo.com Address: Foster Denovo Limited, 8 Eastcheap, London, EC3M 1AE. Foster Denovo Limited offers individuals and their families a complete range of financial advice, which includes financial planning, retirement solutions, estate planning, as well as mortgages and protection. Secondsight is our multi award-winning employee benefits division, and provides financial education, pension, wellness and employee benefits advice to businesses and their employees. We’ve expanded digitally and offer an online communication portal which provides employees with instant digital information about their individual employee benefits package; all in one place. Our Group has also created Enrolsme, a complete online solution designed to help small businesses comply with auto-enrolment. We are very aware that changes in the UK financial services industry have left many people unable to access financial advice in a manner that is affordable to them. For many, working with a financial adviser is out of their reach; yet there is a greater need than ever for advice; pension freedom being just one example. As such we are finding an increasing number of employers wanting to provide access to financial education at work; empowering employees with the tools to make their own financial decisions. There is also in- creasing talk about ‘robo-advice’, already seen in the USA, as a way for the masses to access wealth management. As a profession, we should embrace technological developments and new ways of engaging with our clients and potential clients. As a people facing business we are passionate about providing quality financial advice and an outstanding client experience. We love working alongside those clients that value this approach and we work hard at maintaining the personal touch throughout our journey with them; whether they are individuals or companies. We make sure we listen to our clients and respond to their needs. Additionally, we are well connected in the market and invest time in evaluating new opportunities as they emerge. We actively invest in our business and innovation is a key focus. Over the last year or so our Group has launched Enrolsme (www.enrolsme.com) , an online small business auto-enrolment solution; Mybenefitsatwork (mybenefitsatwork. co.uk) , our online communication portal, and our award winning work- place financial education programme through Secondsight. In order to succeed a company needs to have clear direction, strong leadership and the right people in it. Over the last five years our profes- sion has changed almost beyond recognition and companies in our sec- tor need to embrace this change and evolve. We don’t envisage things quietening down; the sector will remain competitive and we believe only the fittest will survive. Adaptability is a must. A business that delivers exceptional service to clients throughout this change will distinguish itself from its competitors. A key example of the need for adaptability is our own response to the ‘advice gap’, which left many being less able to access financial advice; - they cannot always afford to pay explicit fees for it. To help those in the workplace, we launched the Secondsight Financial Education Programme at the end of 2014. The programme is about making our corporate clients’ employees aware of the options available and the course of action they may wish to take - so they can be in the best financial shape for their future. And looking to the future, the market is consolidating and we plan to be part of this journey; potentially acquiring other financial advisory firms in 2016. Ensuring cultural and operational alignment with new teams is a challenge we will embrace. There are opportunities that automatic enrolment brings in 2016 with smaller and micro companies needing to auto-enrol their employees into a workplace pension. Improving employee engagement, especially with their employee benefits and finances, also brings opportunities that we intend to focus on. Alongside these developments our business itself is keen to grow, and as such we are on the acquisition trail. We also expect to announce more fi- nancial advisers joining Foster Denovo next year and are actively seeking business partnerships where our services complement their offerings. Foster Denovo Limited is part of the Foster Denovo Group, and is autho- rised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Foster Denovo Enrolsme Limited is an appointed representative of Foster Denovo Limited.