Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
My business Overstory Finance operated from 2021 to 2024 with a view to helping financial advisers and their clients embrace sustainable investment and financial planning. From the UK and the Netherlands, connections have been built, groups convened, advisers trained and client-centred services created while markets experienced their short term frothiness and reacted to all that is bad in the world. Those of us who see the value, opportunity and potential of the adviser role as more than delivering maximum growth, have stayed the course and done all that we can to advocate a resilient financial system and future for all stakeholders. I currently work part time in Compliance and advice standards in Financial Planning and continue my role as what a friend recently called "the only true financial activist". I am relieved to say there are a few more than one. I believe that sustainable finance is feel-good finance, finance for all and finance for the future. It must also be finance that is fit for purpose. Get it right and this rapidly evolving area of investment will add value to client relationships, to our profession and to the wider world. For me, no area of finance has ever seemed more vocational than sustainable investment and financial planning. My work has continued with the FCA ASG group and the PFS Sustainable Finance group and involvement in the curation and delivery of the Goodstock conference has not seemed like work at all! I also act as a writer, spokesperson and conduit for those who seek a financial services system that serves the environment and society that we need to unpin our wealth and wellbeing. From 2018 to 2021, I worked on the research, design, launch, compliance and marketing of Cornerstone Asset Management's sustainable investment proposition and coached and supervised the advice team in their client conversations. I networked with several commercial and community sustainability groups and explored the gaps between what the industry talks about and what the consumer is seeking. Qualified to Chartered level, I am a Fellow of the PFS and have the CFA Certificate in ESG, have won the Paraplanner of the Year Award three times and was nominated as a finalist in the Professional Adviser Women in Finance Award (ESG) 2021 and 2023.
Working on the development of policy proposals and convening discussion on the same
Creating themes, content, connections and impact for the Goodstock conference and vision.
Project management, compliance, file-checking, training and development, client communications.