While many businesses were hunkering down during Covid-19, and hoping to emerge unscathed at the other end, one Yorkshire company was opening a second office in Bradford city centre.
Already well established within the Yorkshire region, Hillcrest Wealth Management, had identified a need for their expertise within one of Hillcrest’s colleagues Luqman Rashid’s home city of Bradford.
Rob Maddison-Joss started Hillcrest Wealth Management in 2016 and was joined by Luqman Rashid 2018, after the two met at a business networking conference at Bradford University, and instantly hit it off. Rob had been in the financial sector for 25 years, and was interested in the growth and vibrancy that Bradford area was demonstrating. Local entrepreneur, Luqman, was at the event representing a local newspaper, when they got talking.
“It was like a divine intervention,” laughs Luqman, when recounting their meeting. “Rob already had established a successful company based in Leeds, and I was born and bred in Bradford, and well known in the local and business communities.
“We talked about how under-represented the financial services sector was in the city, and realised that we could make a difference.
“As an entrepreneur, I was in a great position to make introductions and build relationships to grow the business.”
Rob agrees: “Once we got talking, we could see that Bradford had a vibrant economy, with a very entrepreneurial community. But we felt that there was a lack of good, professional financial planning available to the many businesses in the city.”
Luqman joined the company as Director/Business Development Manager, and they started looking for premises in the city centre, to open a new branch. In 2020, they found the ideal office space in the heart of the city, within the Chamber of Commerce building in Vicar Lane, Little Germany.
Although the company’s main support and admin centre is still located in Leeds, they wanted to ensure that they could run a fully-operational office in Bradford, so they recruited locally to administer their internal IT.
“Our office is in a great area, in a lovely building, and it’s easy for people to find us,” explains Luqman. “Because we are committed to the area, recruiting from Bradford allows us to give opportunities to local people.”
Rob is keenly aware that the past 18 months have made people look more seriously at their long-term goals.
“Covid has made people more aware of their mortality, so it makes sense to have some sound financial planning in place. We can offer quality financial advice to help businesses and individuals in terms of their future financial planning,” he says.
“Wealth management doesn’t mean that you have to have a lot of wealth to start with,” explains Rob. “It’s about establishing where you are now; what you have; where you want to get to. We build relationships so that we can work with people to go on that journey throughout their business and working life, to get them to a stage where they’re achieving their long-term objectives and goals.
“It’s different for everyone, which is why professional expertise is vital. Even the best business people may not really understand how to get the most out of their finances. We are here to help them – Individuals, business owners, corporations.”
Rob admits that, until he was involved in the world of finance, he was ‘bamboozled’ by the jargon and the options available.
“When I went to university in my early 20s, I had a small legacy I wanted to invest. I didn’t understand any of the terms the financial adviser was using, which, I think, is the same for most people.
“Now that I have been in the industry for so many years, it’s the easiest thing in the world to me – but I understand how alien a financial plan must seem to people.
“We want to help people to understand how they can get the most from what they have.”
Rob has a long and successful history within the investment industry, and financed himself through University by trading stocks and shares, whilst he was studying Economics.
He previously worked at Barclays Private Bank, and Investec Wealth & Investment, managing client investments and providing advice. He set up his own business, Hillcrest Wealth Management, in 2016 to provide face-to-face wealth management to individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses.
As an Appointed Representative of St. James’s Place, Hillcrest enjoys not only the support of a leading FTSE100 company, but the advice they give people as a Partner Practice is guaranteed* by St James’s Place.
Rob wants to offer their clients a highly personalised and trusted service, aware that they have far more to offer than just financial advice, it is about being trusted to provide the right advice and the right time, now and for the long-term.
“It is a very personal business and there is a high level of trust between us and our clients. They will come to us for all sorts of conversations. It is my job to support them and to meet their financial planning needs effectively.
“We are in a position to provide information to help them make educated decisions about their financial future. Our responsibility is to have the conversation and empower them so that they have the knowledge to make the right decision.
Luqman believes also that “There are a lot of amazing entrepreneurs in Bradford – people who have set up their own businesses at quite a young age. But they haven’t had the financial advice to get the best out of the wealth they have generated, or how to protect it for the next generation.
“Helping them to achieve their potential, and becoming a trusted adviser is important. Where people have worked hard to establish themselves, they should see the rewards.”
Both Luqman and Rob are invested in the recovery of the region. Part of their business plan and CSR is to offer support going forward. They have made a commitment to the city of Bradford, and want to see successful growth.
Luqman recently hosted an event with the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, to help BAME businesses to access the help of the chamber.
They are also talking about the value of financial education in schools, recognising that financial planning is important at every stage of life.
With Rob’s impressive financial background and Luqman’s substantial network of contacts in the Bradford business world and the community – how can they go wrong?
You can get in touch with Rob or Luqman at Hillcrest Wealth at www.hillcrestwm.co.uk/contact
*St. James’s Place guarantees the suitability of the advice given by members of the St. James’s Place Partnership when recommending any of the wealth management products and services available from companies in the Group, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website at www.sjp.co.uk/products.
Hillcrest Wealth Management is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.
