Please can you give us an overview of your career.
I started my career way back in the 1980’s in local government internal audit. This was a very diverse role and great training ground.
I decided to leave the public sector and was fortunate to have the opportunity to join the IOMA Group in the early 1990’s where I became a director of the fiduciary and captive insurance subsidiaries. Working at IOMA was a very rewarding experience and I learned a great deal during my time there and also had the opportunity to travel extensively to meet clients and professional advisors. It was while at IOMA that I first started working with my Boston co-director, Moira McHarrie, and nearly 30 years later she’s still putting up with me!!
In 2001 Moira and I took the big step of leaving IOMA to join IQE which was then a new entrant to the fiduciary service provider sector. On joining IQE there were only 3 other team members and we worked hard to build the business and established excellent and enduring relationships with clients, professional advisors and colleagues many of whom we continue to work with to this day including another Boston co-director, Anne Couper Woods.
With an eye on the longer-term and to provide a stable platform for future growth and succession, we entered into discussions with Boston Multi Family Office to acquire IQE in 2019. The acquisition was concluded late in 2020 and this was quite an achievement in the face of the considerable challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic; thanks in no small part to the grit and determination of all involved. Over 6 months on, we are now well advanced with the integration process and it’s great to be part of the Boston story.
Where is the most interesting place you have travelled to for work and why?
I have been fortunate to travel to many amazing places around the world for work but I would have to put Delhi in India at the top of the list of interesting places. There is amazing and diverse history and culture everywhere you turn and the sights, sounds, smells and tastes send your senses into overdrive!
What’s the one gadget you couldn’t live without?
Definitely my iPad.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The people. Fiduciary services is all about people and the diverse, international nature of the work means that I have met and worked with some great people from all parts of the globe.
What was the last TV series you watched?
Ozark on Netflix. It was fantastic!
Tell us something that might surprise us about you?
The Isle of Man has a highly regarded annual music competition, The Manx Music Festival, that was first held in 1888. I am a 2 time winner…
What’s your motto or personal mantra?
I admit to stealing it from The Beatles but the closing line of The End on the Abbey Road album had a profound effect on me when I first heard it and has done every time since; “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”
What are you most proud of?
My family.