Meet The Team: Stuart Lyall

Tell us about your role…

As a Client Relationship Manager (CRM), my role is to build, support and maintain the relationship between First Wealth and our clients. The job role is varied but is primarily centred around ensuring the financial plan the Financial Planner and Technical Analyst (TA) have recommended is put into place and working well.

The CRMs at First Wealth all have different attributes, which makes the team work effectively. However, three common qualities I think we all share are teamwork, the ability to communicate, and to task switch effectively.

Teamwork – Being a team player and understanding your role and how it enables others is key.

Communication – As a Client Relationship Manager you must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with clients and the wider team.

Task switching – No day is the same and priorities often change, so being able to adapt is key.

I am also a member of the Shadow Board. This is a panel of team members who meet regularly and discuss what is going well at First Wealth and where we could improve as a team. Any issues raised are then briefed back to the management team so they can highlight any areas for change. Being part of the Shadow Board has been great way to add value to the wider team and understand the bigger picture.

What is your long-term goal?

When ready, I would like to move into the TA role. I have been learning some basic TA tasks and enjoy the analytical nature of the job role and understanding what investment has been recommended to a client and why and how it benefits them and their long-term goals.

Having passed my level 4 qualification last summer, I will be starting my level 6 qualification shortly, which I am looking forward to getting stuck into. So now, moving into a TA role and becoming Chartered are my goals.

What are you passionate about?

Getting better at what I do and learning. There is always room for improvement or a different way to do something, so being open minded and willing to learn is important to me. And if I do not understand something, having the humility to ask someone for help.

Pursuing excellence. Working hard and doing everything we can to assist our clients and other members of the team. This is a thread that runs throughout First Wealth and is one of the key drivers of success.

Advice for people entering the profession?

Work hard, understand what you want to do and plan for how you are going to get there.

I would recommend starting the level 4 qualification before you enter the profession. This shows initiative and that you are taking ownership of your career. Additionally, it will help you hit the ground running when you do start your new role.

Also, you need to be authentic and ensure your values align with the job role and company you are applying to work for.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy being outside and active. During lockdown this has mainly involved taking my youngest son to the park and walking the dog lots, I think I have the fittest pug in Hampshire! I also have quite a bit of home gym equipment which has been a great investment over the past 12 months.

I am really looking forward to getting back to the beach when lockdown is over, especially as I have two older children who live in Cornwall and we love spending our days by the sea.

Tell us something about you that not many people know…

I love Brazilian Jiujitsu. I started 2 years ago to keep fit and to try and get over claustrophobia. It is impossible to explain how challenging and enjoyable it is at the same time without doing it, so I thoroughly recommend giving it a go!

Last words? Favourite quote? Book recommendations?

Attributes by Rich Diviney is a great book. It explains how attributes are more important than skills and how to understand and use your attributes and the attributes of those around you to achieve more as a team.

Last words? Stop thinking about it and do it, life is too short.

Stuart Lyall is now a Technical Analyst.

This document is marketing material for a retail audience and does not constitute advice or recommendations. Past performance is not a guide to future performance and may not be repeated. The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested.