Citywealth Leaders List, 60 second interview – Alasdair Hills, JM Finn
This week’s 60 seconds Citywealth Leaders List interview is dedicated to Alasdair Hills, Investment Management at JM Finn.
Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.
My role has changed significantly over the years I’ve been at JM Finn in London. I started off by working with the COO and Business Manager, organising and orchestrating the Investment Managers. From there I moved into a half and half role, sitting with various desks to improve their processes and helping with clients. Nowadays I spend a major part of my day dealing with client queries, assisting with the management of portfolios and providing factual information about markets – making sure my clients receive the best service possible.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Cliché alert – no two days at JM Finn are the same. The wonderful thing about the job is that there is always something to do, someone to speak to or something to learn. After arriving in the office for market open, I’ll listen to the update from our Investment Office and catch-up on news from overnight. The day will then involve meeting clients with the senior investment manager, fund managers and companies, running through portfolios and rebalancing where necessary, replying to client queries, and hopefully a quick workout in the gym before lunch “al-desko”.
Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received.
Our most interesting interactions recently have been driven by clients’ tax arrangements with clients increasingly using AI to research their circumstances, but it still has a long way to go. The political landscape has changed materially since Rachael Reeves took charge and our Wealth Planning department have never been busier. Gifting and wealth transfer to the next generation has become more common and starting them on the journey brings with it its own challenges. Splitting family wealth across time-zones, tax jurisdictions and personal requirements sometimes leads to juggling akin to a circus.
What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?
AI is a tool that the world will become steadily more dependent on. This is a hot topic when we catch-up with clients and talking through the complex benefits and fears needs a calm hand on the tiller. Holding a well-diversified portfolio of quality companies which we feel will find the best way through the choppy waters is the cornerstone of our service.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
I am the reigning Citywire pumpkin carving champion!
What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?
The consistent attributes of good leaders I have met, not just in work but in the wider world, have been the ability to listen not just hear, being the example with their actions, and creating a 360-degree feedback culture. Leaders that are always learning, will always be improving.
Who do you most admire and why?
My late mother is who I regularly think of when I need inspiration. She juggled running her own law firm, going forwards and backwards to France, raising her children alongside my father who was also working, and somehow found the energy to keep going when fighting cancer. Her voice rings in my head when I need to take a second to stop, think, take a deep breath, and get going again.
Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?
I was lucky enough to marry my wife in September 2025 and in December we headed off to New Zealand for a month, stopping off for a few days in Sydney. The scenery, the food, the culture and the people meant we seriously contemplated staying. Our campervan, “Claudia Winklevan”, will be missed but means we will have to go back!
If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?
My colleagues might say that I like golf too much – I do talk about it most days. I considered trying to become professional in my early teenage years but quickly learnt that they were on a different level. Working at The Open in 2012 and 2013 and having played with professional golfers who have led The Open, I think I’ll stick to being a fair-weather amateur in the occasional scratch open.
How do you relax after a long day?
My wife and I are avid runners so we will meet outside Bank and run to either Victoria or Battersea Park where we will get a train home. Or if we’re feeling lazy, watching the latest Netflix documentary with some chocolate hobnobs.
If you could recommend one person in the private wealth industry who would it be, and what would you say about them?
Annique Robat at the accountancy firm Dixon Wilson has been a great contact since we met at Citywealth’s Tomorrow Club.
JM Finn’s Citywealth Leaders List profile
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