Head of Affluent & Private Client Advisory

Role Overview

This position carries the mandate to stand up and run a private client practice from the ground up, serving affluent, high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals, family offices and senior executives. The holder owns the commercial result of that unit — setting its direction, building its client base and referral network, and making sure every policy placed is technically defensible and delivered with the discretion these clients expect. Success is measured by durable revenue growth and by the firm's standing as the first call for complex personal risk and wealth-protection needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the unit's commercial performance: set strategy, annual budget, pipeline and revenue forecasts, manage profitability against agreed growth milestones, and drive a target of Kes. 100M in revenue within three years through acquisition, retention, cross-sell and specialist placement work.
• Build differentiated segment propositions: define and manage offers for UHNW, HNW, emerging affluent, family office, multi-cultural and diaspora markets, and executive clients, including business owners and priority affinity groups.
• Originate business personally: lead the acquisition of strategic private client portfolios through board-level contacts, private banking relationships, family office and entrepreneur networks.
• Construct a referral ecosystem: establish structured partnerships with private banks, investment advisers, law and tax firms, real estate developers, luxury asset and prestige motor dealers, and corporate executive networks.
• Coordinate bespoke risk solutions and placement quality: bring together cover for high-value homes, contents, jewellery, fine art and collections, prestige motor, personal liability, cyber and privacy exposure, travel, medical evacuation, kidnap and ransom, and domestic staff — while ensuring insurer selection, policy wording, premium adequacy, reinsurance support and endorsements are compliant, technically sound and defensible.
• Champion the client experience: deliver discreet, high-touch service standards, claims concierge and escalation support, and periodic portfolio reviews that keep relationships intact over time.
• Enforce governance and compliance: apply Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) requirements alongside KYC, AML, sanctions screening, data protection, confidentiality, conflict-of-interest and reputational-risk controls.
• Design and lead the team: shape the operating model, recruit and coach relationship managers, associate relationship managers and service support staff, and embed a high-performance advisory culture, supported by disciplined management information on pipeline conversion, revenue, retention, cross-sell, service SLAs, claims outcomes and partner productivity.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Experience: a minimum of ten years in insurance broking, private banking, wealth management, bancassurance, insurer private-client business or a comparable financial services environment.
• Network and origination record: demonstrable relationships across HNW/UHNW, business-owner, private banking, professional adviser or executive-client markets, with a track record of trusted, relationship-led business development.
• Private client advisory knowledge: a strong grasp of affluent client needs, wealth preservation, lifestyle assets, family office dynamics and confidential relationship management.
• Technical insurance acumen: working knowledge of private client and general insurance, specialty lines, personal liability, cyber and privacy, marine and aviation, fine art and high-value asset protection.
• Negotiation and structuring: able to negotiate bespoke wordings, insurer capacity, pricing, service terms and claims outcomes without creating unacceptable errors and omissions exposure.
• Leadership and matrix working: capable of leading a new business unit while coordinating effectively with Retail, Corporate, Technical, Claims, Operations, Compliance and Specialty teams.
• Executive presence and discretion: credible and composed in front of UHNW clients, chief executives, family offices, banks and professional advisers, exercising sound judgment and strict confidentiality.
• Education and professional qualifications: a bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, insurance, actuarial science or a related field; an MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification is an added advantage; a Diploma in Insurance (ACII/IIK) is required.

Why Join

• A rare build mandate: the chance to establish a private client business rather than inherit one, with authority over its strategy, operating model and team composition.
• Direct exposure to the most demanding client segment in the market, working with family offices, entrepreneurs and senior executives on complex, high-value risk problems.
• A defined growth ambition — Kes. 100M in revenue within three years — giving the role a clear scoreboard and a visible path to impact.
• Cross-functional reach across retail, corporate, technical, claims, operations, compliance and specialty teams, with the standing to shape how the firm serves affluent clients.
• The opportunity to position the organisation as the preferred risk and wealth advisory partner for high net worth and ultra high net worth clients.