White-label platform provider Seccl has made three hires in its adviser services team, bringing in former employees of institutional names Raymond James, Abrdn and Sanlam UK.
Hamish Warnock has started as Seccl's partner launch lead. Previously a senior relationship manager at Raymond James, he will support both advisers and direct fund managers to launch their own platforms and investment technology.
Particularly, he will focus on guiding advice firms looking to operate a platform for the first time.
Warnock will also continue to serve as chairman of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments’ wealth management forum committee.
Meanwhile Michelle Angell, previously platform oversight manager at Abrdn, has joined Seccl as its relationship manager lead.
According to the platform builder, Angell will help build its existing adviser relationships to ensure the self-run propositions continue to run smoothly.
Seccl’s third hire, Chris Hicks, previously served as new business and client operations head at Sanlam UK, which announced the winddown of its adviser business in August.
Hicks, who is set to join in January, will lead client services for Seccl, overseeing day-to-day operations of the firm’s client services team, as well as customer service infrastructure.
Seccl said it hopes Hicks’ appointment will help improve advice firms’ overall client experience, and allow them to build more efficient, affordable and sustainable businesses in the process.
“We have been working hard over the last year to build an experienced and talented client services team, dedicated to supporting firms across the advice and investment management community,” said Daniel Marsh, Seccl’s customer head.
“At Seccl, we see more and more businesses looking to take control of their technology and client experience with a platform of their own.
“This team is designed to help them launch and operate one with as little friction as possible – so that firms can focus on what they do best: delivering an amazing client experience.
The hires contribute to what is now 515 per cent headcount growth since September 2019, when Seccl was acquired by Octopus Group. In that time to today (December 9), it has grown from 13 to 80 employees.
Adviser appetite for white-labelled platforms has evolved over the last year. In May, almost half of advisers said they plan to launch their own white-label platform in the next three years, according to research from NextWealth.
But last month, the consultancy firm’s CEO Heather Hopkins noted appetite was beginning to “dry up”, due to advisers finding themselves in the “nitty gritty” of how a platform under their operation would work, meaning the white label proposition “didn’t sound so good”.
ruby.hinchliffe@ft.com
