People Moves

Old Mutual Wealth Appoints Head Of Financial Advisor School

Amisha Mehta Deputy Editor London 10 June 2016

Old Mutual Wealth Appoints Head Of Financial Advisor School

The UK wealth manager has appointed new leadership for the not-for-profit school, which aims to support the next generation of financial advisors.

Old Mutual Wealth has appointed Darren Smith as head of the Financial Adviser School.

Smith, who has 23 years' experience in financial services, joined UK financial advisor network Intrinsic in 2013, a year before it was acquired by Old Mutual Wealth. His responsibilities have included the acquisition and transition of Sesame’s wealth advisors in 2015. 

The advisor school was acquired by Old Mutual Wealth in February this year. It was previously owned by Intrinsic, which bought it from Sesame Bankhall Group last year.

With a capacity for over 100 students per year, the school supports those looking to obtain level 4 financial planning qualifications. It focuses on helping students develop the soft skills required to build long-term relationships with clients as well as the business skills for a career in the industry. The programme runs over a nine to 10 month period.

“The Financial Adviser School is a big investment from Old Mutual Wealth and a real demonstration of our commitment to supporting high quality, professional face-to-face advice,” said Old Mutual Wealth’s chief distribution officer, Richard Freeman.

“We are delighted that Darren has accepted the role as head of the Financial Adviser School, having managed the acquisition and transition of the school over the last nine months. His experience and enthusiasm will ensure the school achieves its aim of developing the next generation of financial advisors.”

Old Mutual Wealth will seek opportunities to act as a training partner to firms offering apprenticeship schemes for financial planners, it added.

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