Foster Denovo Talks

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we meet Hayley Mills, Client Experience Team Leader, who joined the business just under 2 years ago and has already become a central part of adviser support, staff development and innovation across the firm. 

Hayley shares her career story, from starting work at fourteen, to moving through financial services, to discovering her love of developing people. She talks about her passion for staff progression, her role in acquisitions and the huge impact of Evie, the AI note taker she has helped train and implement across the business. 

Hayley explains how automation is freeing advisers to focus fully on clients, how client feedback is improving the way we work and why she finds helping people thrive the most rewarding part of her role. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• Hayley’s early career and route into financial services 
• How she discovered her passion for people and progression 
• The move into IFA support, client relationships and paraplanning 
• Why culture and belonging drew her to Foster Denovo 
• Her role in acquisitions and adviser support 
• How Evie, the AI note taker, is transforming adviser efficiency  
• How structured client feedback is helping the business improve and grow  
• Why staff development and team culture matter so deeply to her 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we speak with Paul Hurley, Director of Compliance at Foster Denovo. Paul’s career spans an extraordinary journey: thirteen years in the military, over a decade as a financial adviser and a further two decades shaping the compliance function that underpins the business today. 

Paul talks candidly about how he unexpectedly moved into compliance, how the landscape has changed from rule-based regulation to today’s outcome-based model, and why vulnerability and consumer protection are now central to every decision advisers make. 

He also explains why small firms struggle with regulatory change, the realities of acquisitions from a compliance perspective and what the future may hold for the industry, from crypto products to greater scrutiny of ongoing reviews. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• Paul’s journey from military service to financial services 
• Why he took a pay cut to move into compliance 
• How regulation evolved from rigid rule books to principle based, outcome driven supervision 
• Why consumer duty marks the biggest shift in a decade 
• What vulnerability really means and why it affects far more clients than advisers often think  
• How acquisitions challenge smaller firms’ regulatory processes 
• Why the government is pushing the FCA to focus on growth in the coming years  
• Paul’s view on what’s next for regulation, including crypto 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we sit down with Matthew Mitten, Director of Secondsight, the employee benefits division of Foster Denovo. With nearly thirty years in financial services, Matthew shares the journey from his early days chasing a sales job in London to building one of the most respected employee benefits teams in the industry. 

Matthew talks openly about the origins of Secondsight, the values that have held the business together over two decades, the challenges of practice buyouts and how the most recent acquisition has shaped a stronger, more aligned future across corporate benefits and private wealth. 

He also lifts the lid on what’s coming next: integration across advice propositions, the future of health and protection and why relationships will always cut through in a competitive market. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• Matthew’s route into financial services 
• The moment he realised corporate advice could genuinely change people’s lives  
• The creation and evolution of Secondsight 
• How shared values became the foundation for growth and acquisition integration  
• What practice buyouts really felt like 
• Supporting teams through change 
• Why lateral integration across advice is creating opportunity for clients and colleagues alike  
• What excites Matthew most about the future of health, protection and employee benefits 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we meet Leigh Cook, Partnership Practice Manager in Newcastle, who brings more than thirty years of experience acquired during her time at Wade Financial 

Leigh takes us through her career journey, from working in a small attic office to becoming the person who helped hold the Wade Financial acquisition together. She talks about the intense due diligence process, the challenges of outdated systems, and how she balanced running the office while preparing it for sale. 

Now, eighteen months after joining Foster Denovo, Leigh shares how her role has transformed. She talks about the support she now has, the career paths her team can finally see, and how the culture shift has changed day to day life for the better. 

🎧 In this episode: 
• What it feels like to go through an acquisition from the inside 
• The pressure and responsibility of managing due diligence 
• The shift from small firm life to a national organisation 
• How her role has changed since joining Foster Denovo 
• What integration really looks like for teams and clients 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we meet Daniel Thomas, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Project Lead at Foster Denovo. 

Daniel joined the business in 2021 as a PA, unsure of where his career was heading. Fast forward three years, and he’s now a central figure in our mergers and acquisitions team, supporting every stage of the firm’s growth journey. 

He shares how his role evolved from admin support to project leadership, why he thrives on being at the centre of complex projects, and how Foster Denovo’s culture helped him build a role that truly fits his strengths. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• How Daniel moved from PA to Project Lead in just a few years 
• The importance of curiosity, organisation and continuous learning 
• What it’s really like working in the M&A team 
• Why you don’t need a finance background to succeed at Foster Denovo 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we speak with Jamie Smith, Senior Partner at Foster Denovo. 
Jamie shares his journey from starting out as a self-employed adviser to becoming an employed Senior Partner, a less common route in financial advice. 

He talks about why he made the move, how the employed model has supported his growth, and why trust and relationships are still at the heart of what he does every day. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• What it is really like moving from self-employed to employed adviser 
• How Foster Denovo supports advisers to grow and succeed 
• Why advice is built on people, not products 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, hosted by Darren Laverty, we sit down with Joanne Bunn, Head of Client Operations at Secondsight, to explore how a career can evolve when you follow your strengths, stay curious and lean into change. 

Jo reflects on her 14-year journey with the business from her first role in marketing to leading the client operations team through growth, change and a large acquisition. She shares how she made that pivot, what helped her succeed in operations, and why understanding people has always been her secret strength. 

We also discuss how the business doubled in size through the acquisition of Punter Southall Aspire and how Jo played a central role in making that transition smooth, structured and culture-first. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• How Joanne moved from marketing into operations 
• Advice for people wanting to pivot their careers internally 
• Leading through a major acquisition 
• The power of values and culture in operational change 
• What has kept her at Secondsight for over a decade 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, Chris Thomas, Head of Investment Management, joins Helena and Nikos to unpack what his role involves and why the investment function exists to serve advisers and their clients, not the other way around. 

Chris breaks down the four core pillars of his work: adviser development, proposition design, the investment committee, and leading the internal team. But this is not a technical episode. It is about helping advisers feel more confident in how they talk about investment and making sure every product has a purpose. 

He also talks about where innovation fits in, how disagreement can drive progress, and what makes a good investment conversation in the first place. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• What investment management means at Foster Denovo 
• Why adviser development is at the heart of the role 
• How proposition ideas are tested, challenged and built 
• Using collaboration (and sometimes disagreement) to create better outcomes 
• What advisers need most from investment conversations 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we speak with Marnel Stafford, Senior Partner, about the power of specialisation and how her lived experience shaped a career focused on supporting women through complex life stages. 

Marnel works with clients navigating divorce, menopause, and major financial transitions. She shares how she built trust in this space, the types of conversations that matter most, and why women deserve advice that reflects both their challenges and their goals. 

She also talks about building a multi-generational practice with her junior adviser, and how she’s helping families prepare for the upcoming great wealth transfer. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• Finding a niche in women’s financial planning 
• Supporting clients through divorce and menopause 
• Creating space for women to ask the right questions 
• Building a two-adviser model across generations 
• Tackling the gender wealth gap and intergenerational advice 

In this episode of Foster Denovo Talks, we speak with Neal Shepherd, Senior Partner at Foster Denovo, who reflects on more than 25 years with the business. 

Neal talks us through the early days, joining the firm that would eventually become Foster Denovo, and how his role evolved over the years. From sales manager to private wealth adviser to employee benefits specialist, he shares the pivotal decisions that shaped his path. 

He also opens up about his recent practice buyout, the advice that helped him make that move, and why it has given him the freedom to focus on what matters most to him now. 

🎧 In this episode: 

• Neal’s early career and transition into Foster Denovo 
• Moving from private wealth to employee benefits 
• What changed (and what stayed the same) over 25 years 
• Reflections on team culture, longevity and leadership 
• His successful practice buyout and future plans