Tax planning specialist Octopus Investments has appointed Shaun Sandiford to lead its platform distribution business.

Tax planning specialist Octopus Investments has appointed Shaun Sandiford to lead its platform distribution business.

He joins from Axa Wealth and is responsible for building relationships through advisor platforms.

It comes at the same time that Octopus announced a agreement with wealth manager Novia to offer Octopus’s Inheritance Tax Service as part of its wrap.

And it is the first time Octopus’s inheritance tax planning products have been available to UK retail investors via a platform.

Octopus Inheritance Tax Service aims to deliver inheritance tax relief after just two years while allowing investors to keep control of and access to their money through investment in companies that qualify for Business Property Relief - a government relief which helps to encourage investment into smaller companies.

"It is clear that RDR has really focused advisors’ attention on areas where they can add real value for their clients – such as tax planning – and so there is a greater requirement for us to support advisors through allowing their clients access to products and services that can help them meet their planning goals," said Neil Buckland, sales director at Octopus.