Two minutes with… Kevin Russell, Proposition Director, SEI Wealth Platform
Following the launch of ‘Level Up: Business Growth, Platforms and You’, a report on behalf of SEI by platform consultancy the lang cat, we put Kevin Russell, Proposition Director at SEI Wealth Platform, under the spotlight…
You recently teamed up with the lang cat to launch a report on the adviser- platform relationship. What is this about and what are you looking to achieve?
We teamed up to highlight that advisers looking to enable growth and improve control over their client value proposition have options beyond those offered by retail platforms. In fact retail platforms may be inhibiting their development. The lang cat challenged our thinking, brought their own ideas and experience into the mix and also shared insights from discussions with a number of advisers to add to the paper/follow-up discussion.
What is keeping advisers awake at night when they think of platform selection?
How they can free up time to focus on growing their business and delighting customers with good service.
How do you see the advice landscape changing as technology continues to evolve?
Technology will enable clients to interact with advice in new, innovative ways and allow advisers to develop their service offerings, whilst also addressing cost and control challenges.
If you could give one piece of financial advice to a teenage version of yourself, what would it be?
Do the things you love, but understand the value and cost of things.
If you could change one thing about the financial services industry, what would it be?
Simplify the products and tax treatment so consumers have a chance of understanding what they are buying and how it can help them achieve their objectives. There’s a lot of confusion out there which in turn creates inertia.
What would you do if you were Prime Minister for a day?
Stop politicians tinkering with stuff they don’t understand.
What is your biggest pet peeve, or makes you angry?
I don’t like clutter or waste.
Now, tell us a little about your life outside of work, do you have any hobbies?
I like to keep fit by cycling and going to the gym, I also love nice food and wine with loved ones and friends.
What is the one column or website that you read every day?
I am a bit of a flitter when it comes to reading stuff and I tend to jump through news and research based on the alerts and prompts that I get from various sources. It helps keep me abreast of what’s going on.
What would you do if you received a windfall of £10,000?
A nice week away in the sun with my wife, we don’t get the chance to spend enough time together just relaxing and enjoying each others company.
You can download the full report here.