People: Sedulo Wealth; Savills; Audience Collective; and more

Sedulo Wealth, an independent financial advisory brand which sits underneath the Sedulo Group, has appointed Ashley McCartney as Independent Financial Adviser in Leeds.

The appointment follows the launch of Sedulo Wealth as a standalone brand under the group at the end of 2023, with Sedulo Wealth also revealing that its funds under management have broken the £270m barrier.

McCartney has worked in financial advice for almost 20 years, having previously worked at Armstrong Watson, The Private Office and Towry Law (now Evelyn Partners).

His appointment is Sedulo Wealth’s latest financial adviser-level recruit, meaning the firm now has qualified experts across the country in each of its home cities of Leeds, Manchester, London and Liverpool.

McCartney said: “Financial advice in the UK has evolved from its historical notion of growth and percentages into life planning and being an integral part of that process with clients.

“Sedulo is a company that gives in spades, not just in its professional services but also what it does for the wider community.

“I am excited to be a part of such a forward-thinking company. It’s amazing to see what has been in a relatively short space of time, which is testament to the people around me.

“The opportunity to be a part of this journey is something I couldn’t have turned down.”

Jon Fisher, head of wealth management, added: “Ashley’s arrival is another key milestone for us, which comes right off the back of Sedulo Wealth being launched as its own standalone brand under the Sedulo Group.

“This new appointment cements our position as a truly national firm, with advisers in every city.

“For us, this is the end of a three-year plan to restructure and reposition the wealth planning offering at Sedulo.

“During this time, a number of senior appointments and enhancements to our service offering has resulted in a three-fold increase in client numbers and a 650% increase in assets under management.”

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Savills has confirmed two new heads of its northern rural professional team.

The six-strong team will be spearheaded by Sam Greaves and Jennifer Dixon who have over 17 years’ experience in the rural sector between them.

York-based Greaves joined Savills in 2014 after graduating from the University of Reading with a degree in Real Estate.

He started his career in the firm’s estate management team, before joining the Rural Professional team in 2019.

He is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and a fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

Graves is one of a handful of surveyors who has passed the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) advance certificates in trust and estates.

As a RICS Registered Valuer, he is an experienced valuer involved with the valuation of estates, farms, land and residential property. He also prepares reports for expert witness and dispute resolution proceedings.

Dixon, who is based in the Savills Carlisle office, qualified as a Chartered Rural Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer in 2014, has over nine years’ experience in all aspects of rural professional work.

She was brought up on a mixed livestock and arable farm in northern Cumbria, where she maintains an active role.

She obtained an undergraduate degree in Geology at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a Masters from the Royal Agricultural University.

The newly formed team spans the north of England. It will be made up of Anna Thompson, Laura Oxtoby, Clara Levitt and Dan Matthews, in addition to Dixon and Greaves.

Collectively, the team will provide expert advice for rural and residential properties on valuation matters, landlord and tenant, litigation support, compulsory purchase orders, expert witness and Agricultural Mortgage Corporation funding.

They will cover all aspects of rural valuation and consultancy work across Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire.

David Goodson, head of the rural and projects division at Savills in the North of England, said: “The formation of this new team comes at a time when landowners are likely to need more advice than ever before.

“Jennifer and Sam bring valuable experience and knowledge of the north of England which will benefit both our team and our clients.

“Spanning large parts of the north of England, the team is well equipped to provide expert advice for both rural and residential properties, working closely with other teams within the business to ensure a fully rounded service for our clients where required.”

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Leeds-based, independent marketing services group, Audience Collective has made a series of senior changes to strengthen and grow its leadership team.

Rob Wescott joined Audience Collective as group managing director from McCann Worldgroup last year.

He has since been promoted to group CEO. Wescott, alongside the leadership team, will focus on organic growth, new product launches and M&A to further bolster the group’s insight and delivery capability.

Joining him is Verity Brown, who has been appointed as group MD following her role as managing director at The Specialist Works.

With a vast knowledge of the media landscape and big brand experience, she will oversee and drive the group’s media provision – a key growth area which includes four specialist agencies.

She will also lead on market opportunities for consumer media, focusing on new commercial approaches to ensure better outcomes for clients.

Group growth director at Audience Collective, Steve Henry, said: “Rob’s creative and marketing background coupled with Verity’s media knowledge are a force to be reckoned with.

“They are a dynamic duo and we look forward to working with them and supporting their vision and creative ideas and execution for Audience Collective and our clients.”

Wescott said: “Verity, myself and the wider leadership team at Audience Collective each bring our own skillsets to the table. We are all aligned in our way of thinking and our approach to running a business, which is crucial to a successful leadership team.”

Brown said: “Joining Audience Collective ticked all the boxes and working alongside Rob was a key draw for me.

“His experience, capability, integrity and commerciality are exceptional – the trajectory for Audience Collective is exciting and I am delighted to be part of it.

“Alongside this, I am looking forward to bringing together highly specialist teams to deliver a very clear and exciting vision.”

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Yorkshire-based net zero partner, Flotilla, is continuing to accelerate growth and enhance its Client Services offering with the appointment of Sandra Tully.

As engagement manager, she will be responsible for lead generation, brand awareness and client engagement.

This includes content creation, speaker management, planning, co-ordinating, and executing a varied calendar of events.

An experienced, client-focused account director, Tully brings over 10 years of success in marketing and production campaign execution, seminar and event management to the role.

She said: “I’m very much looking forward to embracing this new stage in my career alongside the team at Flotilla.

“The chance to put my existing experience to work enabling organisations to do good for people and the planet is a privilege.”

She will work with Francesca Woodward, marketing director, in support of the company’s marketing and client engagement activities.

Woodward said: “Sandra’s track record for nurturing strong relationships with stakeholders and identifying opportunities for growth within client accounts made her the ideal candidate for this new position within the business.

“We’re excited to start working with Sandra, putting her valuable skills to use cultivating even stronger bonds with our current clients, as well as growing Flotilla even further.

“I have no doubt Sandra will be an invaluable resource in amplifying Flotilla’s voice and presence across the ESG space and beyond.”