Tom Richards is Head of Wealth Management at Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management in the Isle of Man. He took over the role in April 2023 and speaks about his experience to date – and opportunities for the future. 

Tom Richards is no stranger to stressful jobs. But after 5 years as a pilot flying in the RAF, followed by a 15-year career in wealth management, he’s fitted into his role as Head of Wealth Management at Canaccord Genuity Isle of Man just perfectly. 

A little over a year into the job and he has nothing but praise for both his team and their clients for the way they’ve adapted to the change in leadership. Now he’s looking at ways he can build on the long-standing successful growth of the office, while making his own mark.

 ‘I want us to continue improving on everything we do’, he said.

‘The Isle of Man is our home, where our team and a lot of our clients are based.  Our plan is to continue on-island activities looking after our local client relationships, while building our support for our offices further afield.  There’s an exciting future ahead’. 

And unlike many professions where frequent job changes and promotions are often applauded as a sign of ambition, the long-term stability of Canaccord’s Isle of Man team is, Tom believes, part of its success. 

‘We’re proud of the fact we have people here who’ve spent the last 30 years with this business and its predecessors on the island. Over that time, they’ve developed their careers, moved to more senior positions, built their client base and local relationships as well as contributing to the ethos of the business. Having a mix of very senior, experienced individuals and relatively new starters who are just beginning their Canaccord journey is a really nice position for us to be in.’ 

Finding that balanced workplace is, Tom believes, helped by recruiting locally wherever and whenever possible. It also helps with succession planning for the business. He’s adamant Canaccord should reflect the local environment and that’s only possible by recruiting local people whose talent, expertise and enthusiasm constantly refresh the business.  During his first year heading the team, Tom says Canaccord’s reputation as a great employer meant he found no shortage of local talent to fill vacancies and grow the office. 

‘There are many things that make Canaccord an employer of choice’, he says.

‘As well as the strength and depth of our expertise across the team, we have many wonderful clients, our investment processes and systems are unbeatable, as is the way we report back to our clients from our state-of-the-art office.  On a small island it can sometimes be difficult to find exactly the right person for a particular role; so we may need a bit of lateral thinking to bring people into the business who have what we consider to be the right attitude and skill set.   

Tom continues ‘I am very happy in the Isle of Man: we are a very friendly and welcoming island; the scenery is beautiful and there’s a great sense of community. It’s also important to remember there is a world outside and it helps to get off the island on a regular basis. Luckily, we have clients all over the world so there are plenty of opportunities for us to visit them and also to find new clients to look after. The Isle of Man is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family but there’s a big, international world out there for us as well.’

And that passion for both his home island and his role at Canaccord means Tom Richards’ track record as a high-flyer in whatever career he chooses to follow, will continue for many years to come. 

If you would like to know more about Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management’s investment management and stockbroking services in the Isle of Man, email [email protected].