Kellands Meet The Team – Adam Bickell
Chartered Financial Planner Adam Bickell tells us about his career to date, life at Kellands and his top five fantasy board members.
Five words to describe you
Chatty, Focused, Entrepreneurial, Detailed and Honest.
What’s your background, how did you get where you are today?
At 16 I was taken to the Coutts office on the Strand and not knowing what I wanted to do when I grew up - thought this seems ok!
I started working for NatWest in the Marble Arch branch in London advising clients on their lending needs. I progressed until meeting my wife (who lived in Preston at the time) on holiday and so transferred to the Preston NatWest. Following this, I was invited to move into the retail financial advice arm of the bank before gradually moving towards high net worth and private clients. After several years advising for NatWest Private Banking I moved to Coutts (it only took me 12 years!!). Coutts more recently has been going through substantial changes in the way they look after clients and so after many years with the group I took the option for voluntary redundancy, to find a firm that was more closely aligned with the way I believe my clients should be looked after. Having met with over 30 firms, when I did finally meet Kellands it was a perfect fit and I’ve not looked back!
Best advice you’ve been given?
Seek to understand.
The best thing about working at Kellands?
The strength and breadth of the team and the way we approach looking after our clients; we all have areas of expertise which means that clients are effectively being looked after by not just us as individual advisers but the whole team.
Why should people choose Kellands?
We really are a family here and all of us not only have extensive knowledge and experience but we do all genuinely care. We aren’t a “make a sale at all costs” business and it’s becoming harder and harder to find firms that put the clients over the bottom line. We share expertise and are always looking for ways to ensure the best possible outcomes for clients and most importantly make a point of understanding them and “what makes them tick” so we can be there every step of the way.
How do you wind down & what do you do in your spare time?
I have wonderful wife, son and boxer dog and enjoy spending time with them. We love to travel both in the UK and abroad, having recently visited Japan, China, Vietnam and Singapore.
Who would be your top five fantasy board members, dead or alive?
Bill Gates - This man’s tenacity and the way his mind works amazes me.
Elon Musk - Who wouldn’t want the guy who sent his car into space?
Morgan Freeman - What a great Chairman voice, sure to hold the attention of the board!
Indra Nooyi - An amazing CEO and would make sure the rest of the board actually did what they were supposed to be doing.
Barack Obama - Because every board needs a former president and I’m not sure Trump would go down as well!