But the firm has also worked with other companies. For example, as reported by FTAdviser at the time, Bordier UK launched a decumulation service mapped to Dynamic Planner risk profiles in April this year (2022).
He adds: "We prefer to be known and appreciated for our service and approach among high-quality distribution partners, analytical researchers and the professional services cohort in our industry.
"Perhaps like being given the heads-up on a great new restaurant, we quite like the idea that advisers, introducers and gatekeepers tell their clients about a company they may never have heard about."
Post-Skandia
For eight years or so back in the early 2000s, MacLeod was the figurehead and chief executive of the Skandia Investment Group – at its peak it was a £50bn, mega platform/multi-manager.
Skandia, which launched in the UK in 1979, was bought by Old Mutual in 2006, and in 2014 the rebranding of Skandia's platform to Old Mutual Wealth was announced. In 2021 it rebranded to Quilter.
Since then, how well does MacLeod think the platform market has evolved?
He comments: "A wonderful business opportunity was presented to us very recently, which caused me to take a closer look at an industry-leading platform, its systems, operational model and processes.
"It was a flashback to my very enjoyable days at Skandia. Little has changed in platforms from my angle of sight.
"The sometimes-aired view or notion that enhanced technology means nobody sees or touches anything on the platform simply isn’t right. There are still way, way too many manual processes."
He says that while the discussions have moved on, this has been against a backdrop of substantial growth in the adviser platform market. "They represent nowhere like 20 years' worth of evolution".
And there are still many challenges facing professional advisers. MacLeod says: "The list [of challenges] is long and endless, but the industry has shown its resolve in overcoming many of them over the decades."
simoney.kyriakou@ft.com
