The winners of the Future Leaders Awards 2022

Date: 23 Nov 2022

Silvia Ricciardi

Citywealth puts under the spotlight some of the winners of the Future Leaders Awards 2022 who triumphed during the Awards ceremony held at 12 Hay Hill on 16th November.

Learning more about their career journey and experience, Citywealth puts under the spotlight some of the winners of the Future Leaders Awards 2022, investigating if they have adopted new strategies and changed their approach to clients to keep building strong relationships, being the best in the private wealth industry.

Elizabeth Hart (Rathbone Investment Management), Assistant Investment Manager/Private Banker of the Year (0-5 years) – GOLD Award

Elizabeth graduated at the Newcastle University in 2015 with a 2:1 in Economics with Mathematics combined honours degree. Whilst working for a financial planning firm in York, she developed a keen interest in the investment side of the business, so she began applying for graduate roles within discretionary fund management. She joined Rathbones in 2016 starting a rotational scheme from account opening to sales and to research. She joined her team permanently in 2018 assisting three other investment managers. In January 2021 Elizabeth became the primary contact on many of the client relationships and has been reinforcing these connections since then.

Olga Nechita (Vialto Partners), Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate – GOLD Award

[and Outstanding Individual of the Year – BRONZE Award]

Olga qualified as an international and human rights lawyer in the Republic of Moldova. The legal career has taken her to the UK where she cross qualified and trained to become a solicitor and subsequently pursued a career in immigration law. Throughout the years, she worked for large corporations as well as traditional law firms. She now leads the private client and private business immigration team at Vialto Partners, specialising in all aspects of visa and nationality strategic support and complex cross border immigration consultancy projects for individuals and multinational businesses.

Naro Zimmerman (JTC), Trustee of the Year – Director – GOLD Award

Naro has held many different roles, from a trainee administrator up to MD. He is able to understand the full scope of being a trustee, having worked for bank owned but also smaller independent firms and now working for a multi-jurisdictional market leader like JTC, but also thanks to the experience gained approaching different roles.

Thomas Pavey (Vaitilingam Kay), Family Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate – GOLD Award

Thomas graduated with a degree in History in 2007. He then spent a year working in Hong Kong before undertaking his professional exams to qualify as a solicitor. He spent two years working in the legal department of a local authority before qualifying in 2014. Thomas joined specialist boutique practice Vaitilingam Kay as an Associate in 2015. He was promoted to Senior Associate in 2021 and then to Partner in 2022 (after submitting his profile for the Future Leaders category of Family Lawyer of the Year – Senior/Managing Associate). He works exclusively in private family law advising clients on the legal and practical implications of relationship breakdown. This incorporates divorce and related financial proceedings, issues between cohabitees and disputes relating to children. He also advises on nuptial agreements.

Per Wimmer (Wimmer Family Office), Private Investment/Family Office/UHNW Services Individual of the Year – GOLD Award

Per owns and runs his own group of companies (Wimmer Family Office, merchant bank Wimmer Financial, hedge fund Wimmer Horizon, auditing firm Wimmer Accounting). He speaks five languages and has four Master’s degrees from Harvard, College of Europe, Copenhagen, and London and has previously worked for GS, McKinsey, and the European Commission. He is an astronaut, adventurer, entrepreneur, author and private island owner. Per has visited 85 countries, including living with the Indians of the Amazon Forest. He has supported numerous charities over the years and published three books.

In order to become a leader, it is fundamental to adapt and adopt the most suitable approach towards clients, making sure to use the correct tools and implement the right strategies to keep up the good work.

“Given the new layers of complexity in the post pandemic world and confronting the current geopolitical situation, I implemented new strategies to provide end to end services to my clients, one of which is developing new cost-effective immigration delivery models,” states Olga Nechita. “Throughout this year I have been working towards adapting innovative solutions to address the demand for global travel and remote working and consolidating private client services globally within the new Vialto Partners structure, following the spinoff from PwC in May 2022.”

Thomas Pavey analyses his approach to clients specifically talking about dispute resolution: “My approach (and indeed that of the firm) is to encourage our clients to settle their case without resorting to litigation. Court is expensive and uncertain and it is always better to avoid it. Of course, this is not always possible. However, the Court system has now become so backlogged and unfit for purpose (due to the combination of Covid-19 and longer-term cutbacks to funding) that even cases that cannot be settled are not best served by litigating. Increasingly, we and the profession as a whole must guide clients to other forms of dispute resolution, such as arbitration. This was previously the preserve of a small number of largely HNW cases but is now increasingly the norm.”

Sometimes no major changes are necessary, as it happened to Elizabeth Hart and her team, who have been relying, among other tools, on their client app: “Our approach towards our clients remains unchanged and we keep the lines of communication with them open at all times. Adding to this is our app, MyRathbones, which is a great way for our clients to have a safe and secure view of their investments in one easily accessible place.”

Naro Zimmerman believes that knowing your clients is key: “I have moved jurisdictions from the UAE to the Caribbean so the approach and client base is slightly different, but it all comes down to knowing your clients.”

A multi-investment strategy has helped Per Wimmer collect positive returns for his clients: “During a time of great uncertainty (Covid-19, economic distress, political uncertainty, Russia-Ukraine War), my companies have persevered, managing to transmit confidence among my clients and my staff, overall aiming to maintain a professional and positive stand at the industry level. We managed to generate positive returns for our investors due to our multi-investment strategy, complemented by a dynamic process for in-depth due diligence, de-risking, and downside protection. The flexible investment committee worked alongside the CIO, CEO, and research team to adopt a new strategy that could resist and gain from a volatile and uncertain economy.

As ESG is an integral part of WFO, both in its quest for fund allocation and in its in-house operation and mindset, many benefits and reassurances were given to staff despite the market turmoil. The long-lasting trust built with a wide range of worldwide clients allows my companies to provide them with the best service they need to keep growing their capital distinctly, as well as promoting a solid mentality, flexibility, and support to allow in-house employees, clients, and associates to excel.”

“There are a lot of qualified and hard-working individuals in the industry, so it is quite an honour to have been shortlisted for the Future Leaders Awards 2022 and I am absolutely delighted to have won Gold in my category,” says Elizabeth. “I am fortunate enough to have a supportive team, who are always available to share their pearls of wisdom and ready to encourage me to develop professionally.”

Naro comments this year’s achievement, which was not the first one gained at the Citywealth Awards. “It’s fantastic to be recognised again amongst my peers. JTC have always been keen supporters of Citywealth and I have personally received recognition over a sustained period which continues to bring me satisfaction on a job well done.”

Thomas states: “It is extremely humbling to have been nominated and have won, especially considering the quality of the other nominees.”

“Having won an award for the work I love doing is a great feeling. Such an accomplishment greatly motivates me to continue with my work,” comments Olga.

Per shares: “I feel honoured and privileged to have won Gold for Private Investment/Family Office/UHNW Services Individual of the Year at the Future Leaders Awards 2022. Strong sense of pride to have been selected among the world’s top talents in the Wealth Management Sector. I am enthusiast of being one of the global leaders who excel in business but also make an important contribution to society and the environment.”

… always keep in mind that ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’. It takes time to home in your craft so be patient and try to do the right and eventually you will achieve success. I have always enjoyed meeting new people and part of the joy of my role is spending time with a wide variety of individuals. The clients we look after have all led such interesting lives, it is a pleasure to spend time with them and help them with their financial needs.

Elizabeth Hart, Rathbone Investment Management

… find a good mentor and soak up their advice. Experience is invaluable in any industry so if you can benefit from someone else’s years of work then absolutely do it. We work in an industry that is all about people, both client side and industry side, so ensuring that you learn more about the individual is absolutely key to success. Also, do not dwell on the past, learn from it and move on, it’s very cliche but it has served me well so far.

Naro Zimmerman, JTC

… keep focused and work towards your goals, revising your plans ever so often. The skills that have immensely helped me in my career include being true to myself, confident in my own abilities, resilient and flexible.

Olga Nechita, Vialto Partners

… work hard as ultimately there is no replacement for commitment, perseverance, hard work and a sense of humour!

Thomas Pavey, Vaitilingam Kay

…

• Think out of the box: allow yourself to be inspired
• Follow your heart and passion: have purpose, have fun, be authentic
• Focus on execution
• Be conscious about time allocation
• Rely on teamwork: the sum of the parts is greater than the individual parts alone
• Take calculated risks: assess the risks-rewards ratio. Apply sustainable solutions respecting the environment and scarce resources
• Inspire others

Per Wimmer, Wimmer Family Office