The Spear’s Awards 2023 was a who’s who of the private client world as the great and the good gathered to toast another extraordinary year.
The annual ceremony, held in the grand ballroom of the Landmark London, attracted some of the biggest names in wealth management, private banking, property and more.
Click here to register for updates on the Spear’s Awards 2024
A total of 18 winners were recognised for their incredible achievements over the last 12 months, in categories including School of the Year, HNW Wealth Manager of the Year and Private Client Accountant of the Year.
Among the honourees were Entrepreneur of the Year award winners G.P. Hinduja & Family, who were represented by Shalini Hinduja.
The night’s biggest winner was J.P. Morgan Private Bank, which took home both the Private Bank of the Year – International award and the inaugural Grand Prix award for Private Client Firm of the Year. Charlotte Bobroff, the bank’s executive director and head of UK consumer and retail, was named UHNW Wealth Manager of the Year.
As co-host Edwin Smith, the editor-in-chief of Spear’s, noted in his opening remarks, what sets the Spear’s Awards apart is its commitment to impartiality and excellence.
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‘Several months ago we assembled the deepest, most impressively credentialed judging panel that the industries represented here today could provide,’ he said of the rigorous judging process. ‘It included barristers, the head of investing data analysts ARC, the head of STEP, the head of the Independent Schools Association, a host of former winners, and genuine authorities on the worlds of wealth management, private banks and family offices.’
The judges, together with the Spear’s Research Unit, reviewed hundreds of submissions and the quality of the winners reflects the exceedingly high calibre of the nominees overall.
Recipients of the Spear’s Awards 2023 are in excellent company. Previous award winners include Sir Richard Branson, telecoms entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa and high-profile family lawyer Catherine Bedford.
The ceremony, co-hosted by Michael Portillo, was presented in association with AP Group, August Collection, Aranyani, Blackstone, SilverBell Global, St. James’s Place Private Clients and Thuso, with drinks provided by Blackeye Gin,
Read on to discover the full list of finalists and winners and click here to join the waitlist for the Spear’s Awards 2024.
Spear’s Awards 2023: finalists and winners
HNW Wealth Manager of the Year
in association with August
Learn more about the finalists for HNW Wealth Manager of the Year
WINNER: Ross Elder, Lincoln Private Investment Office
Read the full profile on Ross Elder, winner of HNW Wealth Manager of the Year
Bandish Gudka, LGT Wealth Management
Josh Matthews, MASECO Private Wealth
Charles Sanford, LGT Wealth Management
UHNW Wealth Manager of the Year
in association with Aranyani
Learn more about the finalists for UHNW Wealth Manager of the Year
WINNER: Charlotte Bobroff, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Read the full profile on Charlotte Bobroff, winner UHNW Wealth Manager of the Year
Nicholas Hornby, Cerno Capital
Khaled Said, Capital Generation Partners
Private Bank of the Year (UK)
WINNER: Weatherbys Private Bank
Read the full profile on Weatherbys Private Bank, winner of Private Bank of the Year (UK)
HSBC Global Private Banking (UK)
Private Bank of the Year (International)
in association with Blackstone
Learn more about the finalists for Private Bank of the Year (International)
WINNER: J.P. Morgan Private Bank
No two UHNW clients are the same. It’s a cliché, but it also happens to be true. Creative entrepreneurs need assured advisers who understand their clients’ goals and requirements. And that’s a principle under- pinning the way J.P. Morgan Private Bank goes about its business. The institution prides itself on the ‘highly personalised and goal-oriented’ experience it provides to an eclectic mix of international UHNWs.
In a year where uncertainty and volatility produced only tepid results for many wealth managers, J.P. Morgan has managed to excel through what the bank calls a ‘laser focus’ on client outcomes. In 2022, its US private bank reported full-year revenues of $6.2 billion – an all-time record, $1.1 billion higher than the previous year and around double the figure from six years ago.
‘The firm is not growing by accident,’ said one Spear’s judge of J.P. Morgan’s barnstorming success, which saw it take home our gong not just for the International Private Bank of the Year but also the inaugural Spear’s Grand Prix for the leading private client firm of the year. ‘It’s an incredibly impressive organisation.’
The bank has lofty ambitions. A target for the following decade, set in 2021, will see the firm strive to facilitate $2.5 trillion in financing for green initiatives and other sustainable development. It also remains at the forefront of technological innovation in private banking, with its new ‘investment preference’ screening software, OpenInvest, helping clients to tailor their ESG investing around themes that matter most to them.
Summing up the personalised support provided by the bank, one judge said: ‘Quite often, banks dealing with UHNWs find an excuse not to give them institutional-level advice or pricing. This one doesn’t.’
Family Office Services Provider of the Year
in association with AP Executive
Learn more about the finalists for Family Office Services Provider of the Year
WINNER: Schroders Family Office Service
Read the full profile on Schroders Family Office Service
Lawyer of the Year (Family Law)
in association with SilverBell Global
Learn more about the finalists for Lawyer of the Year (Family Law)
WINNER: David Allison, Family Law In Partnership
A director at Family Law in Partnership, David Allison was commended by our judges for his work on the landmark case Xanthopoulous v Rakshina, on behalf of entrepreneur Alla Rakshina. The case was voted the most interesting case of the past 12 months by 73 per cent of attendants at recent conference of family lawyers. This view was shared by the Spear’s judging panel, with one member saying of Allison: ‘He was a consummate professional in what has seemed to be visceral litigation.’
Allison is also known for his mediation work and settling of cases outside of court. Our judges also noted his expertise in matters relating to same-sex relationships.
Mark Irving, Harbottle & Lewis
Kate Landells, Withers
Caroline Park, Hughes Fowler Carruthers
Simon Pigott, Levison Meltzer Pigott
James Stewart, Penningtons Manches Cooper
Lawyer of the Year (Tax & Trusts)
WINNER: Jonathan Conder, Stephenson Harwood
Jonathan Conder was brought into Stephenson Harwood as a partner in 2022 to grow its private wealth team alongside fellow industry heavyweight James Quarmby. Within a year, Conder and his colleagues have significantly grown the department, adding new clients (including several billionaires) and promoting the company at conferences.
Our judges particularly commended Conder’s in-house development scheme, which is helping to advance the careers of people from a wide range of backgrounds. As the tax firm’s private wealth team looks to cement its place in the US market, Conder is also engaging with American firms, hosting events in London and Miami.
Damian Bloom, Taylor Wessing
Robert Brodrick, Payne Hicks Beach
Lawyer of the Year (Reputation)
WINNER: Gideon Benaim, Simkins
The consequences of the recent backlash against so-called ‘Slapps’ (strategic lawsuits against public participation) are an issue ‘bigger than any other in this field – yet few have managed to take a stand on it’, noted one of the judges.
A notable exception to this has been Simkins partner Gideon Benaim, who has raised his head above the parapet to question the wisdom of what many (quietly) believe amounts to an ill-defined restriction of the right of an individual to defend their reputation. ‘It’s a genuine affront to constitutional principles, and the work Gideon has done on it is highly relevant,’ said one judge.
Private Client Accountant of the Year
in association with St James’s Place Private Clients
Learn more about the finalists for Private Client Accountant of the Year
WINNER: Dawn Register, BDO
Read the full profile on Dawn Register, Private Client Accountant of the Year
School of the Year
in association with Thuso
Learn more about the finalists for School of the Year
WINNER: The British School of Brussels
Established in 1969, the British School of Brussels welcomes 1,350 students across 70 nationalities. Expertly helmed by principal Melanie Warnes, the school has prided itself on taking a ‘unified, holistic approach’ to education where students are selected on the basis of their attitude to learning rather than academic attainment.
The school came under the spotlight in 2022 when it welcomed more than 50 Ukrainian students after they were forced
to flee the conflict in the country. In a highly competitive category, our judging panel felt that this ‘values-driven’ ethos
made the British School of Brussels stand out from the crowd.
Property Adviser of the Year
WINNER: Thomas van Straubenzee, Knight Frank
‘He has a phenomenal soft-spoken gravitas and is unflappable around very HNW clients,’ said one industry peer of Thomas van Straubenzee. The co-chair of Knight Frank’s Private Office has developed a reputation for being a go-to adviser for billionaires seeking super-prime residences. Our judges felt he and his clients were benefiting from his commitment to discretion. He has ‘kept his head down and bought himself immense loyalty’, noted one judge.
He joined Knight Frank when it acquired VanHan (which he founded with current colleague Rory Penn and Giles Hannah, now of Binghatti). Penn tells Spear’s van Straubenzee is ‘the best person in the industry’.
Becky Fatemi, Sotheby’s International Realty
Marcus O’Brien, Sotheby’s International Realty
Roarie Scarisbrick, Property Vision
Ollie Marshall, Prime Purchase
Mark McAndrew, Strutt & Parker
Super Prime Development of the Year
WINNER: The Bryanston
Read the full profile of The Bryanston, winner of Super Prime Development of the Year
Park Modern
The Broadway
Private Client Service Award
WINNER: Charities Aid Foundation
Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has one overarching goal: ‘to accelerate progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all’.
Our judges commended CAF for a year of milestones. Its dual-qualified donor-advised fund has now generated $1 billion in charitable contributions since it was established in 2000. The organisation also launched an ‘Impact Accelerator’ service combining advisory, grant-making and social investment expertise in one programme. One judge pointed to CAF’s innovative partnership with The Sunday Times in producing the Giving List, which celebrates the work of philanthropists in Britain.
Neon Century
Future Leader in Private Client Services
WINNER: Priyanka Hindocha, Stonehage Fleming
Lorna du Sautoy, BDB Pitmans
Joshua Moger, Payne Hicks Beach
Tahir Ebrahim, BDO
Henry Sands, SABI Strategy Group
John Davies, Farrer & Co
Private Client Innovation of the Year
WINNER: Ceri Griffiths, Willow Brook Lifestyle Financial Planning
Read the full profile on Ceri Griffiths, winner of Private Client Innovation of the Year
The Soke
Victor – Alto
Y-Tree
Grand Prix Private Client Firm of the Year
WINNER: J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Weatherbys Private Bank
Schroders Family Office Service
Charities Aid Foundation
Ceri Griffiths, Willow Brook Lifestyle Financial Planning
Impact Award
Read the full profile on James Chen, winner of the Impact Award
Entrepreneur of the Year
GP Hinduja & Family, accepted by Shalini Hinduja. Read her interview with Spear’s
The 2023 Spear’s Awards are presented in association with:
St. James’s Place Private Clients
With drinks provided by: Blackeye Gin
To find out more about The Spear’s Awards 2023, click here.
