Headlines:
- A huge amount of Merger and Acquisition activity in the sector
Key Challenges:
- There is a conflict of interest between the wall of Private Equity money that is flooding the market. Their short-term investment horizon (3-5 years) conflict with a client’s long-term investment horizon (often 30 years plus)
- To have good succession planning we need more new blood in the adviser industry but the traditional routes of entry no longer exists. The industry as a whole should invest in new recruitment strategies
Conclusion and Solutions:
- The key to a happy exit is to plan early. Don’t leave things until the last minute, it will restrict your options
- Good succession planning should be reviewed at least once per annum and don’t dismiss the opportunity of current staff/advisers acquiring the business from you. Prices are very competitive so that’s not always possible. However, Chris Budd’s book, “The Eternal Business” is worth a read. It focuses on how Employee Ownership Trusts can be used to transition the business to staff and is worth considering as an option)
- Good succession planning means giving staff some security about the future
Experts:
John Chapman - Orion Consultancy Ltd, Keith Hare - Benchmark
Facilitator:
Roderic Rennison - Rennsion Consulting Ltd, Roderic Rennison - Rennsion Consulting Ltd
