Greg Macdonald Email & Phone Number

Newbury, Gb

London, England, United Kingdom

Working in the Advisers, Wealth and Pension department in Consumer Investments, I primarily act as a Supervisor to directly authorised and AR financial advisers, underaking proactive and reactive casework, reviewing the suitability of advice files and engaging in related project work.

Leeds, England, United Kingdom

Assessing the quality and suitability of the advice that SPW advisers provide is the core component of this role. This is done through assessing documentary evidence as well as recordings of adviser meetings. Consumer Duty has introduced the new principal 12, that highlights the vital role that this 2nd line supervision has in ensuring “a firm must act to deliver good outcomes for retail clients” and this is central to our purpose.My key achievements in this role are:➢ Provided qualitative assessments on meeting styles and missed business opportunities in the form of T&C feedback to advisers, in both a 1-2-1 setting and to senior stakeholders for the purpose of assessing trends.➢ Ownership of MI production and distribution for the function. Providing key information to a wide range of internal stakeholders.➢ Advanced my understanding of VCTs, EIS, cashflow modelling, pension switches, drawdown cases as well as protection and accumulation advice.➢ Presented procedural changes to adviser meetings of over 300 advisers.➢ Conducted investigations into advisers of concern, liaising with the head of compliance and HR to resolve complex cases.➢ Acted as the subject matter expert and lead tester for an AI transcription proof of concept, the results of which led to the implementation of the system across the firm.

Stepping up to cover a more senior colleague, I conducted 3rd party supplier due diligence, taking ownership of the approximately 250 contracted suppliers and assessing them from an infosec perspective. I also reviewed ESG and GDPR implications, as well as aligning the suppliers against the supplier management risk framework.As part of this, I interacted with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders to collaboratively complete supplier questionaries. I was an active member of investigations into 4th and 5th parties who may have been the victim of supply chain compromises. The recent MOVEit case being an example where a quick assessment of our supply chain was undertaken to assess the potential impact and response required by the firm. Furthermore, I formed an integral part of Cyber Essentials, CQUEST and ISO27001 assessments for the firm.

Bath, England, United Kingdom

I inherited a set of approximately 240 clients to advise, manage and build an ongoing relationship with. My key achievements were:➢ Completed annual reviews for my clients, safely transferring over £15 million of AUM to a new investment platform. ➢ Employed technical knowledge to difficult cases, including Power of Attorneys, charities, recently bereaved individuals and dealing pro-actively with clients complaints.➢ Developed my client facing skills, incorporating cash-flow modelling software (Voyant) into meetings to enhance client outcomes.➢ Guided many of my clients through the difficult market conditions experienced in March 2020

Bath, United Kingdom

I was a key member of a small team of Paraplanners working closely with a financial adviser to provide holistic financial planning advice to variety of new and existing clients. My primary role involved reviewing existing clients portfolios, maintaining a review diary and composing financial reports on a variety of planning requirements. Additionally, I worked closely with the head of investments to create and maintain bespoke investment portfolios for the firm's clients. Key Competencies Developed -Acquired further experience writing reports for all aspects of financial advice.-Gained additional practice with Aegon/Cofunds, Ascentric and Scottish Widows platforms.-Developed more technical skills including creating cash-flow analysis to compliment reports.-Calculated and provided commentary on lifetime, carry forward and tapered allowance issues.-Improved technical knowledge of financial products including VCTs, DB schemes and SSASs.-Refined my communication skills, both written and verbal through client engagement.-Consolidated my knowledge by completing the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.

Bristol, United Kingdom

I was employed as a Paraplanner for Affinity Financial Awareness, an IFA based in Bristol. This multifaceted role consisted primarily of writing financial reports, carrying out product based research and producing relevant quotes for several financial advisers. In addition, I was responsible for assisting in teaching new employees internal systems and reviewing their work. Affinity Financial Awareness was recently purchased by the Wealth at Work group. Key Competencies Developed -Experience of Old Mutual Wealth, Cofunds and Fidelity Platforms-Versed in FE analytics, Iress exchange and OM Profiler research tools-Liased with various internal parties to facilitate production of financial reports-Consolidated my knowledge by completing R02 & R03 examinations

London, United Kingdom

I worked at this independent financial management firm, primarily prospecting for new business. I also assisted in some paraplanning activities, an area that I particularly enjoyed. Whilst at this firm I also studied and successfully passed the CII R01 examination.

York, United Kingdom

As part of the Territorial Army, we regularly trained on weekends in leadership and team building activities. This role involved both physical challenges and the direct leadership of junior soldiers, teaching and leading within a military context. I have gained valuable experience from this job, learning how to operate within a large organisation, functioning under time constraints, as well as the vital importance of working in a team to complete objectives.

Ba, Management, 2:1

Modules in Corporate Social Responsibility, Industrial Relations, DHR and Strategy

3 A Levels, 1 As, 10 Gcses

A levels in History, Mathematics and Economics; AS level in Geography; 10 GCSE's including Mathematics and English.