What happens when someone who’s spent years working in Financial Planning steps into recruitment? In this edition of Getting to Know the Team, I sat down with Senior Manager Andy to talk about his journey from adviser to recruiter, why industry experience gives him a unique perspective, and how understanding the realities of the job has helped him become a trusted career partner to both candidates and clients.
“I’ve sat in their chair.” It’s a simple phrase, but after spending time chatting with Andy, it quickly became clear just how much those five words shape the way he approaches recruitment.
Before joining Recruit UK back in 2008, Andy had already built an impressive career within Financial Services, spending more than 15 years working in the very roles he now recruits for. From advising clients as a Financial Adviser to running his own businesses in both the UK and Spain, he’s experienced many of the same challenges, career decisions and opportunities that the candidates he speaks to every day are navigating themselves.
Listening to Andy talk about the industry, it’s obvious that he isn’t simply matching people to jobs. Every conversation is backed by first-hand experience, giving him a level of understanding that goes far beyond reading a CV or a job description. When he offers advice, it’s not based on theory or assumptions; it’s based on having been there himself, and I think that’s what makes his approach to recruitment so unique.
Whether he was advising clients on behalf of Prudential,
Legal & General, running his own estate agency and mortgage business in Somerset, building a property and finance company in Spain, every role is centred around building relationships.
When I asked him about his why’s – why work in financial Planning? Why work in recruitment? He responded, “I’ve always known I enjoyed working with people, having a young family made the work/life balance appealing too, but it’s always been about the people for me.”
“When I started out, financial advisers were often viewed first and foremost as salespeople. Today, the profession has earned far greater respect because the emphasis has shifted to delivering genuine advice, building long-term relationships and acting in the client’s best interests. Being a ‘salesman’ has almost become a dirty word in financial planning. But the reality is that, however knowledgeable or technically brilliant you are, you still need the ability to communicate your advice with confidence and help clients make decisions.
Advising isn’t about selling products anymore; it’s about earning trust.”
Life eventually brought Andy back to the UK. Unlike many expats, he missed his life here.
Planning to return to Financial Planning, he contacted Recruit UK to help him find his next role.
Instead…
“They recruited me.”
Rather than placing Andy into one of the many roles he’d previously done himself, Recruit UK recognised something different.
His industry knowledge could become one of his greatest strengths as a recruiter.
“I’d been a Financial Adviser, Sales Manager, I’d done my own paraplanning, mortgage advice and administration, so I could genuinely relate to the people I was speaking to.”
In many ways, recruitment is like financial advising; you need to be good with people and have the ability to build trusting relationships with your clients.
“No matter how experienced you are, people still need someone they trust enough to say yes.”
Rather than simply matching CVs to vacancies, Andy spends much of his time helping people and businesses navigate pivotal moments in their journey.
After almost two decades in recruitment, and more than thirty years connected to financial services, he’s watched the profession evolve dramatically. He’s seen the introduction of the Retail Distribution Review, increasing regulation, higher qualification standards, mergers, acquisitions and the growing influence of private equity.
Today, alongside recruitment, Andy specialises in helping financial advisers and advice firms plan for the future. Whether supporting advisers with succession planning and exit strategies, or helping them buy or sell client books and entire businesses, he draws on his extensive industry knowledge and network to ensure successful, long-term outcomes.
Because of that, conversations with candidates and business owners today go far beyond salary.
“The role of a recruiter should be to give people an overview of the entire market.”
Whether he’s advising someone on their next career move, helping a business understand what candidates are really looking for, or guiding an adviser through the sale of a client bank or the transition into retirement, Andy believes every conversation should start with knowledge.
“The more you understand the industry, the more value you can give.”
That same philosophy extends to Recruit UK’s clients.
As well as finding great people, Andy sees it as his responsibility to offer genuine market insight. Helping firms understand industry trends, candidate expectations and how the Financial Planning landscape continues to evolve.
“It’s about being a consultant, not just a recruiter.”
When I asked what has kept him at Recruit UK for eighteen years, his answer wasn’t complicated.
“The people.”
“The culture has always been something special here, and I’m really enjoying seeing the next generation of consultants coming through.”
It is plain to see that for Andy, success has never really been measured by job titles.
The moments he’s proudest of are often the simplest.
“When a candidate or client genuinely thanks you because you’ve made a difference.”
Helping someone secure the right opportunity.
Supporting a business through growth.
Watching colleagues inside Recruit UK achieve their own ambitions.
After spending over thirty years in Financial Services and nearly two decades at Recruit UK, Andy has seen the industry from almost every angle imaginable.
Which is perhaps why candidates and clients trust him so readily.
Because before he ever became their recruiter…
He’d already walked in their shoes.
