Peter Lürssen, Lord Verjee of Portobello and Baroness Shackleton were among the winners as Spear’s celebrated the leaders of the private client world with a ceremony hosted by Jeremy Vine.
Peter Lürssen was crowned Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2021 Spear’s Wealth Management Awards in recognition of his efforts to introduce greener technologies to shipbuilding.
Lürssen, who heads his family’s nearly 150-year-old yachtbuilder, said it was a ‘great honour to receive this award’.
‘Innovation and progress have always been in our DNA,’ Lürssen said. ‘We have developed many new technologies, and many of them led to more sustainable yachts. My dream is to build the first yacht without a combustion engine.’
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‘Fuel-cell technology onboard a yacht is just one of many topics we are currently researching, but is probably the most ground-breaking topic in the yachting industry, and one which will hopefully fundamentally improve the way yachts are powered.’
‘I’m very fortunate to have a great team of people and resources to hopefully make a difference.’
Lord Rumi Verjee took home the award for Philanthropist of the Year. The businessman and Liberal Democrat peer, who brought Domino’s Pizza to the UK, established the Rumi Foundation, which aims to ‘nurture inspiring initiatives with the capacity to create a richer and hopefully better society for us all.’ He considers the foundation his ‘proudest achievement’.
Spear’s Editor Edwin Smith said the award recognised Lord Verjee’s ‘outsized philanthropic contribution’. Of his net worth, thought to be around £165 million, Lord Verjee has contributed around £35 million towards philanthropic projects, representing over a fifth of his personal wealth. This makes him one of the most charitably generous HNW individuals in the UK.
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Lord Verjee said: ‘It’s a great honour and privilege to receive this award from Spear’s, it’s a very humbling experience.’
‘I of course receive this award in the wake of the global pandemic. The pandemic has taught us many things. It’s taught us to relook at our relationship to ourselves, relook to our relationships to our families, to our communities, to our society, to our country and of course to the planet.’
‘The pandemic has also taught us to value the unsung heroes of our society, frankly people we’ve just taken for granted before.’
The 2021 Spear’s Wealth Management Awards were presented in association with Villa Sandi, Utmost Wealth Solutions, XCyber, Air Charter Service and The Royal Mint.
Mary Haly from Waverton was crowned by the judges as HNW Wealth Manager of the Year, and was recognised for her efforts establishing a new responsible investment offering at the firm.
In the UHNW Wealth Manager of the Year category, Nicholas Hornby from Cerno Capital emerged triumphant, impressing the judges with his entrepreneurial outlook, ‘undoubted integrity’ and personal philanthropic contributions.
Weatherbys Private Bank was named Private Bank of the Year – UK. One of the judges said the bank impressed for offering ‘depository lending in an excellent way’.
Meanwhile the judges crowed Lombard Odier as Private Bank of the Year – International. The judges praised its ‘institutional quality’, international approach and outstanding offering. The hotly-contested award was sponsored by Utmost Wealth Solutions.
BDO took home the trophy for Family Office Services Provider of the Year.
Fiona Shackleton of Payne Hicks Beach took home the award for Lawyer of the Year – Family Law, and was hailed for her ‘magnificent handling’ of one of the most high-profile disputes of 2021.
Adam Craggs of RPC scooped the prize for Lawyer of the Year – Tax & Trusts. The articulate and experienced adviser was recognised for spearheading a competent and well-rounded team.
Paul Tweed from Gateley Legal, who was dubbed by one magazine as the ‘most powerful man in Hollywood’ despite living in Northern Ireland, was crowned Lawyer of the Year – Reputation, for his widely-reported work with high-profile figures such as politician Arlene Foster. In the same category, Jo Sanders from Withers was ‘highly commended’ by the judges for her expert handling of reputation cases, helping her clients to fly under the radar and remain out of the papers.
The Private Client Accountant of the Year award went to Iain Younger from EY Frank Hirth, who was celebrated for his knowledge of technical matters, an approach to his work that was defined by a ‘robust good grace’, and for his contributions to one of the industry’s most exciting new partnerships.
Jo Eccles of Eccord was named Property Adviser of the Year. The judges said Eccles went ‘the extra mile’ for her clients, by organising rapid-fire Covid testing to secure property viewings, and noted her determination to look off-market for the best properties.
Rothschild & Co received the Client Relationship Award for exceptional client service. The judges noted the firm’s innovation in ensuring that everyone in the business goes above and beyond clients’ expectations. The establishment of an ‘exceptional client service committee’ and initiative such as ‘adopt-a-client’ resulted in two-thirds of clients referring the firm to family and friends.
Adele Pledger from Withers was crowned Future Leader in Private Client Services. In a category which celebrated a host of rising stars, she was commended for servicing several highly-demanding clients with flair. Her firm Withers also picked up the award for Private Client Innovation of the Year award for their Uncouple initiative.
Encapsulating the ethos of the awards, Lord Verjee said: ‘As an entrepreneur and as the founder of Domino’s Pizza in this country, as the prior owner of Watford Football Club with Elton John, and many other businesses, I truly realise the importance of incredible professional help.’
‘I couldn’t have done any of this without the professional help that I receive.’
You can watch the full ceremony below, as well as see a full list of the winners.
2021 Spear’s Wealth Management Awards winners
- Mary Haly, Waverton – HNW Wealth Manager of the Year
- Nicholas Hornby, Cerno Capital – UHNW Wealth Manager of the Year
- Weatherbys Private Bank – Private Bank of the Year – UK
- Lombard Odier – Private Bank of the Year – International
- BDO – Family Office Services Provider of the Year
- Fiona Shackleton, Payne Hicks Beach – Lawyer of the Year – Family Law
- Adam Craggs, RPC – Lawyer of the Year – Tax & Trusts
- Paul Tweed, Gateley Legal – Lawyer of the Year – Reputation
- Highly Commended: Jo Sanders, Withers – Lawyer of the Year – Reputation
- Iain Younger, EY Frank Hirth – Private Client Accountant of the Year
- Jo Eccles, Eccord – Property Adviser of the Year
- Rothschild & Co – Client Relationship Award
- Adele Pledger, Withers – Future Leader in Private Client Services
- Withers – Private Client Innovation of the Year
- Lord Rumi Verjee – Philanthropist of the Year
- Peter Lürssen – Entrepreneur of the Year
