Posted 29.06.2023
We are delighted to onboard six newly qualified Wealth Managers to the team following their training through the St. James’s Place Academy to become the next generation of financial advisers within our Practice.
Josh Nicoll, Tom Byrne, Steve Tilley, Lewis Mellors, Heather Brobyn and Lucy Coates have successfully completed the SJP Academy and continue to be fully supported by Rhodes as they build their competence and confidence within the industry.
Lucy Coates and Josh Nicoll had experience in Admin and Paraplanning roles at Rhodes prior to progressing through the St. James’s Place Academy. Steve Tilley, Heather Brobyn, Lewis Mellors and Tom Byrne had somewhere between no, and limited experience in financial services prior to joining Rhodes. This is the largest cohort of new advisors that we have ever taken on at any one time, and we are proud of how quickly they have progressed with the support structure we have put in place.
Some of the initiatives we have implemented to support their progression and learning include:
Learning from experienced advisors: Encouraging and supporting new advisors through regular observational meetings with more experienced advisors to bring a practical reality to their development.
Full team support: We have structured our teams to fully support every stage of the client journey. Advisors are supported by Para Planner and Admin Support using collaborative working ‘Pods’ where they get to understand each other’s role and how they can support one another. This also enables clients to always have a point of contact at Rhodes beyond just the Advisor that they meet with.
Building the right behaviours and mindset: Recognising that our success not only lies in financial results, but about how we can change people’s lives for the better, we have restructured how we set personal targets. We will continue to measure client satisfaction via the internationally recognised net promoter score method, this will be key to monitoring how successful our new advisers are.
Monthly Developmental Meetings: We hold Monthly Developmental meetings that focus on advancing technical skills, knowledge and soft skills. This includes developing their basic understanding of ‘Brand’ and ‘Paralinguistics’ so that our clients receive a seamless end to end service.
Structured recognition and reward: We introduced a structured recognition for all teams:
Advisers, CSS Admin support and the Paraplanning team by encouraging recognition for going ‘above and beyond’ and ‘exceeding client expectations’ via nominations. All nominations are published in the new Rhodes People Update and discussed in weekly meetings to recognise the individual for their contribution.
Encourage self-review of performance and self-analysis: This enables advisors to make best use of their time, business and behaviour ownership, accountability, and performance.
Adam Rhodes, CEO of Rhodes says: “We are proud of the contribution our graduates are already making, and it is encouraging to see them fully engaged in the work they do, and the success they are now achieving as a result. Our structured in-house support and training program has enabled us to build independent, confident, competent advisers who can deliver a professional service and actively demonstrate our mission of ‘Changing People’s Lives for the Better’.