Citywealth Leaders List, 60 second interview – Nicholas Brandram, HSBC

Date: 25 Mar 2026

Karen Jones

This week’s 60 seconds Citywealth Leaders List interview is dedicated to Nicholas Brandram, Director at HSBC.

Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.

I’m a senior relationship manager at HSBC Private Bank where I advise the Bank’s top tier of UHNW clients, with a particular focus on entrepreneurs.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My day is one half looking after clients and typically talking about investing or lending, and the other half is acquiring new clients, collaborating with introducers and pitching to new families.

I usually bicycle into our office in Mayfair from my home in West London. And then from there, can either stay at my desk, go to Canary Wharf or the City, or get on a train or go to the airport. My first meeting is ideally over breakfast and I’m ideally home for bath time. I’m a co-parenting single father with a 3 year old for which HSBC allows an incredible degree of flexibility.

Tell us about some recent, interesting client instructions/requests you have received.

A much sought after prospect we’d been trying to get in front of for years eventually gave us an ask: open accounts and provide a very large multi-million pound unsecured facility within an incredibly tight timeline. Which we managed to do!

What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?

Noise and time. Our clients at their institutional size are largely all multi-banked. Before you even get to their advisors, like everyone, they’re bombarded by the news, podcasts, media, all blaring global events and opinions. Disseminating what to react to and how to react is the biggest challenge.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

Being invited to a party at Buckingham Palace after I came back from Afghanistan. My first career was in the military.

What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?

Compassion, adaptability, resilience and humility – the best leaders serve. The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst’s motto is, “Serve To Lead”.

Who do you most admire and why?

My mother! She raised three children as a single parent and is the busiest person I know. I’ve never met someone with greater moral integrity and courage, as well as resilience and stamina. She can make herself an expert in any field and her physical endurance is unparalleled. She’d outmarch the SAS and do it in high heels.

Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?

I’ve just got back from skiing in Switzerland.

If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?

In another dimension, I’m a very famous, controversial, profoundly influential artist.

How do you relax after a long day?

Gardening, opera and Frederick Forsyth novels.

Nicholas Brandram’s Citywealth Leaders List profile

HSBC Private Bank’s Citywealth Leaders List profile

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