Head of Financial Services
What is your role and area of expertise?
As Head of Financial Services at Cullimore Dutton, I lead our financial planning team and oversee the delivery of whole-of-market financial advice to individuals, families and business owners across the region. With over 20 years of experience in UK financial services, my areas of expertise include retirement and pension planning, inheritance tax mitigation, investment management, later life planning and tax-efficient wealth structuring. I also hold the FCA's Senior Management Function for Compliance Oversight (SMF16), which means I take a personal responsibility for ensuring that the advice and service our clients receive meets the very highest regulatory and professional standards.
How do you approach working with clients?
I believe that truly great financial planning starts with listening. Every client I work with has a unique set of circumstances, priorities and concerns, and my role is to help them make sense of the often complex financial landscape and feel genuinely confident about the decisions they make. I take a holistic approach, looking at the whole picture rather than individual products in isolation, and I aim to build long-term relationships built on trust, transparency and clear communication. I want every client to leave a meeting feeling informed, reassured and in control of their financial future.
What's a standout achievement in your career?
One achievement I'm particularly proud of is the work I have done over the years helping clients navigate some of the most significant financial decisions of their lives, whether that's transitioning into retirement, protecting their estate for future generations, or restructuring their finances following a major life event. Seeing a client go from uncertainty and anxiety to clarity and confidence is what motivates me every day. More recently, joining Cullimore Dutton as Head of Financial Services has been an incredibly exciting step, the opportunity to develop and grow a financial planning proposition within a firm with such a rich heritage and outstanding reputation is something I feel genuinely privileged to be part of.
How do you incorporate Cullimore Dutton's values?
Cullimore Dutton has built its outstanding reputation over more than 230 years on the principles of integrity, expertise and putting clients first, and those are values I have held at the heart of my own practice throughout my career. Working within a firm that combines legal and financial expertise under one roof means our clients benefit from truly joined-up advice, and I am committed to making sure that the financial services we provide reflect the same high standards of professionalism and care that clients have come to expect from the Cullimore Dutton name.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Outside of work, I love spending quality time with my family and getting outdoors whenever I can. I'm a keen caravaner and enjoy exploring the beautiful landscapes of Wales and the wider North West, there's nothing quite like getting away from it all in the countryside to recharge the batteries! I'm also passionate about keeping active and enjoy walking and hiking, including taking part in organised charity challenges. Family is everything to me and I try to make the most of every opportunity to create lasting memories with the people I love.
Nobody plans for the moment a parent needs care, or the conversation where a family has to make difficult choices about the future. But when that moment comes, having the right guidance can turn anxiety into clarity and uncertainty into a plan.
As a SOLLA-accredited later life specialist, the gold standard in later life financial advice, I help families understand their options, whether that’s funding care at home or in a residential setting, making the most of retirement income or ensuring wealth is protected for the people who matter most.
Because we sit alongside our Wills, Trusts and Estates team, we can join up legal and financial advice so that nothing falls through the gaps and families feel genuinely supported, not just advised.
Our collaborative approach means we can look beyond immediate care funding needs. Alongside specialist later-life financial advice, our team can advise on matters such as Lasting Powers of Attorney, wills and estate planning and, where appropriate, the use of trusts. This allows us to consider not only how care may be funded, but also arrangements that take into account both current needs and the legacy our clients wish to leave to their family and loved ones.
Working together under one roof enables us to support clients and their families through some of life’s most important decisions – helping to fund care appropriately, protect vulnerable individuals and, where suitable, put arrangements in place that preserve assets and safeguard the legacy intended for future generations.
If this sounds like a conversation you or someone close to you needs to have, please get in touch. There’s no obligation, and sometimes just knowing your options is enough to take the weight off.