Wealth managers may be known as a siloed, even secretive set, ever-protective of a hard-won competitive edge, but Nataša Williams sees an industry becoming more collaborative. ‘We make sure our clients are getting the best service,’ she says. ‘I think the industry is becoming much more grown-up, professional and actually quite high-quality.’
Williams joined Vestra Wealth (as it then was) in 2013 to set up the private office division, which has an AuM of £600 million and offers family office services to more than 20 of the firm’s wealthiest clients. Today, clients of the Cambridge-educated marathon runner and countryside lover – who started in M&A before moving to wealth management at UBS and Deutsche Bank – include some of the most affluent entrepreneurs, City executives and multi-generational families in the UK. Strong returns and service aside, she highlights how the firm recently co-sponsored EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year programme, gaining ‘enormous’ insight into the lives of UHNW entrepreneurs.
One client told Spear’s that Williams ‘is not only the professional who is giving and sharing relevant information with me, but the adviser with whom I want to discuss matters prior to making a decision. The final outcome of that experience is that I’m going to extend my business with Vestra.’