Our people

My team’s role is to ensure our clients’ needs are met by Rathbones’ full range of financial planning and investment management solutions.
We deliver this service by drawing on expert professionals within Rathbones who have extensive experience of supporting clients across a very wide spectrum of requirements. These often vary according to life stage, quantum of wealth, particular areas of interest such as responsible investment and perhaps planning for the future well-being of their families.

We create bespoke solutions to each client’s circumstances, we are advisory driven rather than looking to sell products and put the clients’ needs first rather any internal profit motive.

All of this can be delivered close to our clients’ homes as we can draw on 14 offices across the UK and Jersey ensuring proximity to our local professionals.

James was one of the founding members of the Rathbones Newcastle office when it opened in the city in 2013.  Prior to that he was a Director at UBS Wealth Management. He has 22 years investment industry experience and specialises in the management of private client, trust, offshore and pension fund portfolios.

James graduated in Law from Newcastle University in 1998, holds the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) Diploma and is a Chartered Fellow of the CISI.  James currently sits on the Appeals Committee of St Oswald’s Hospice charity and is a former trustee of the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

Kirstie joined Rathbones in February 2013 to assist in establishing the Newcastle office. Previously she spent over 25 years working for Lloyds Private Banking and Lloyds TSB Independent Financial Advisers. Kirstie is part of the specialist personal injury and Court of Protection team at Rathbones and has advised deputies and trustees in this area for over a decade.

Kirstie qualified as a Chartered Financial Planner in 2007 and became a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society in 2008.  She specialises in the provision of holistic financial planning to high-net-worth individuals.

Andy graduated from Exeter University with a first class honours degree in Chemistry and Law, and subsequently spent three years as a solicitor in the corporate finance team at Freshfields in the early 1990s.

Andy joined Rathbones in June 2014 following his previous role as head of charities at Newton Investment Management. Andy has also worked at Schroder Investment Management and UBS Wealth Management, and during his career has managed investment portfolios for a wide variety of charities and other not-for-profit organisations, as well as individuals, trusts and corporates.

Andy is a visiting lecturer at the Cass Business School (Centre for Charity Effectiveness), and an external member of the Investment Committee of the Dunhill Medical Trust. He is also an Associate Member of the CFA Society of the UK (ASIP) and a Chartered Fellow of the CISI (FCSI). Andy is a keen sportsman with interests in skiing, horses and tennis, whilst enjoying time spent in the garden and with his family.

After graduating from Edinburgh University in 1994 with an MA (Hons) in Geography (2:1), Julian joined Price Waterhouse, now PWC. On qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he then joined Rathbones in 1997. He is now also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

At Rathbones, Julian specialises in the management of charities and private clients and is head of charities in Liverpool. He sits on the Charity Asset Allocation and Stock Selection Committees. In addition, he is Head of the North and sits on the Group Client Committee. He is a trustee of several charities and a regular speaker at charity seminars.

Fiona joined Rathbones in October 2019 following her previous role as a senior investment manager at Anderson Strathern Asset Management. Previous to that, Fiona spent 24 years at Edinburgh Fund Managers and then Aberdeen Asset Management following their acquisition, where she had principal responsibility for managing multi asset mandates for Charity clients.

Fiona is an Associate of the Society of Investment Professionals, and Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment.

She sits as a Trustee of Medical Research Scotland, Trustee of the Stafford Trust and Treasurer/Trustee of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). Fiona is also a member of the Future Asset Steering Committee. Until recently, Fiona was also non-executive director of Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) for over 6 years, stepping down in June of 2020.

Natalie joined Rathbones in 2020 as head of business development, charities, following her previous role as business development manager at Brewin Dolphin. Natalie has also worked at Heartwood Investment Management and specialises in charities, trust and other not-for-profit organisations.

Natalie is a Charted Manager and a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (CISI). She holds a master's degree in Drama and Movement Therapy and achieved the Investment Management Certificate in 2016. She also holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.

Melanie joined Rathbones in 2014 after spending the previous seven years at Jupiter. Prior to that, she was at Baring Asset Management, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell and EY. She gained international experience working for HSBC in Hong Kong, San Francisco and Mumbai. Melanie is a Chartered Accountant, has a degree in Systems and Management from City University, London and is a Chartered Member of the CISI. She is both a trustee and member of the Investment Committee for the Francis C Scott Charitable Trust that commits over £1m a year to areas of deprivation in Cumbria and North Lancashire. Melanie is also a member of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants.

Jake joined Rathbones in 2020.  He spearheads the client development activities across the North of England and the Midlands, delivering discretionary portfolio management services to private clients, charities and trusts. He is also responsible for developing and managing intermediary relationships.

Jake started his career in finance at Lombard Street Research before moving into the private client investment world with Border Asset Management in Cumbria.  He joined Rathbones after 7 years working for Aberdeen Standard Capital (formerly Standard Life Wealth) following the acquisition of Newton Investment Management's private client arm in 2013.  

Jake is a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

Joanna joined Rathbones in 2021 as client development director for Scotland. She has responsibility for delivering the wide range of Rathbones services including portfolio management, financial planning, trusts and international services to our clients. Prior to joining Rathbones, Joanna was previously an investment director for Investec Wealth & Investment in their Guernsey and Edinburgh offices, where she managed assets on behalf of high net worth private clients, trusts, family offices and complex structures both offshore and internationally.

Joanna began her career as a lawyer before moving into private equity in 2014. She has an LLB law degree from the University of Aberdeen and the Professional Legal Practice Diploma from the University of Edinburgh.

Joanna is a Chartered Wealth Manager and is Level 7 qualified with the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments.  

Matthew joined Rathbones in 2021 to spearhead the client development activities across the South and South West of England. He has responsibility for delivering the wide range of Rathbones services to our clients and is leading the development and management of intermediary relationships across the region.

Matthew started his career in the British Army, before joining Reuters Ltd in London and then Asia. Whilst in Asia, Matthew moved into banking, working for Credit Agricole and subsequently BNP Paribas Equities and Derivatives, returning to London with BNPP. He went on to build an ETF business at Rabobank, before joining Credit Suisse Private Banking in London, where he led the business development team. 

Oliver joined the Private Office of Rathbones in 2019 as a client director. His main priority is to help families, entrepreneurs, senior corporate executives and professionals manage all aspects of their wealth.

Prior to joining Rathbones, Oliver was a private wealth advisor at Goldman Sachs where his responsibility was both to bring in new business and to manage the investments of UHNW clients.

Oliver started his career in the Royal Navy and after numerous operational deployments, he had the privilege of being the first Navigating Officer of the Navy’s newest Destroyer, HMS Defender.

Matthew joined Rathbones in 2014, having previously worked closely with Rathbones for a number of years as a partner, with Julian Whately, of Rooper & Whately solicitors.  Matthew qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and has extensive experience of advising clients in relation to their Wills, probates, powers of attorney and trusts.  Matthew also advises clients, including a number of landed estates, on succession planning and the proper mitigation of inheritance tax and capital gains tax. 

Where appropriate, Matthew has taken on fiduciary roles for clients and their families – whether as an executor, attorney or trustee – and aims to carry out these roles responsibly and with sensitivity to the needs of the client’s circumstances, as required.

Christopher is a solicitor specialising in agricultural and residential property. He is also a qualified Chartered Surveyor and has extensive practical experience of the sale, purchase and management issues arising out of the ownership of residential property and landed estates for both private and institutional landowners. Prior to joining Rathbones, Christopher was a partner in Thrings solicitors and at Lee & Pembertons.

In addition to sales and purchases, Christopher also deals with secured lending, leases, easements, covenants, sporting rights, first registrations of title and other associated matters for both the rural and residential markets. In particular he deals with complex sales and purchases involving overage provisions, options, conditional contracts and exchanges of land.

Alexandra joined Rathbones in 2017, having previously been a senior associate in the Private Client team at Wedlake Bell LLP. Alexandra qualified as a solicitor in 2007, having trained at Mills & Reeve LLP.

Alexandra specialises in UK and offshore tax and trusts and is particularly experienced in: advising on and implementing tax-efficient strategies for both UK and non-UK domiciliaries; advising in relation to onshore and offshore trusts; trust drafting; succession planning including drafting complex wills; administering estates (including cross-border estates); and capacity issues / OPG applications.

She has experience of advising entrepreneurial clients, trustees and landed estates.   

Alexandra is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Kerry qualified as a solicitor in 2013, having trained with a Surrey based Legal 500 Firm of solicitors, and joined Rathbones in 2014. She advises on Wills and estate planning, powers of attorney, probate and estate administration as well as trust matters.

Kerry is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

John joined Rathbones in 2010, having previously worked in both law and accountancy firms. He primarily deals with the taxation and administration of trusts (in some cases as one of the trustees) and also prepares personal tax returns.

John is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Jonathan is managing director of Rathbones Investment Management International. He manages a range of private client, trust and charity portfolios and for the past seven years has been included in the Citywealth Honours List, which recognises professionals in the private wealth management industry who have ‘technical expertise, trusted status, integrity and reputation’. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the Jersey International Business School. Jonathan has 34 years’ private client management experience, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment and chairs the company’s Investment Committee. He joined Rathbones Investment Management International in January 2006.