Welcome back to Inside IFP – the series where I sit down with members of our team over a coffee and chat about their career journey. This week, I caught up with Lewis, one of our Chartered Financial Planners. After spending almost a decade building a successful career in compliance, Lewis made the decision to take on a completely new challenge and transition into advising. We chatted about what inspired the change, how IFP supported him through it, and why sometimes the best career move isn’t changing company – it’s changing direction.
Lew, let’s dive straight in. This year you transitioned from Compliance Manager to Advising. How does it feel?
It’s been a rollercoaster because it’s been such a big change, but having the support team around me has made it feel so seamless. I’ve had a continuation of working, thanks to the training plan that Ellie put in place. I feel lucky that I’ve had the support of all the Directors, but especially Josh and Anj, to make the change happen.
And what does a typical week look like for you now compared to before?
I was very much office-based in compliance and not very client-facing. Now, my role is completely different. I get to meet with clients, hear their stories and I have the opportunity to directly change lives for the better. It’s nice to be more involved in the positive side of financial planning.
I also get to collaborate with different parts of our team a lot more now, and I feel like I get more job satisfaction. You go to work to earn a living, but if you can do that whilst helping people along the way, then you get a different sense of purposefulness.
Job satisfaction is so important! But going back a bit, how did you first end up at IFP?
My dad found an article in the Hull Daily mail! I went to Uni because I didn’t have a certain career path that I wanted to pursue, so it seemed like the right thing to do. But then when I left Uni, I still didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do.
I ended up working in recruitment which wasn’t for me, but luckily my dad still read the newspaper and spotted the job advert. So, I kind of fell into finance, but I think that’s what happens to most people!
Yeah, I fell into my job here too. You built a successful career in compliance, what made you fancy a change?
It was for myself, really. After spending 9 years in compliance, it became a little taxing. So, I decided I wanted to make a change for myself and pursue something that’ll interest me. I wanted the satisfaction and reward of helping other people, and I wanted to channel my experience into a different route.
Was there a specific moment where you thought “I want to be an Adviser”?
I was in a 1-1 with Anj and we were having a really honest chat about my career. She was being very transparent in what route she saw me going down, and what development I would need to do in order to achieve that. And I think that framed it for me and put into perspective that my career path was one that I didn’t want to pursue long-term. I’m very thankful she was so open with me, because without that conversation I wouldn’t have thought about what my career looked like, and I doubt I would’ve made a change.
I think it speaks volumes to how good IFP is that I would rather do something different here, than go somewhere else.
100%, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else either! Was it difficult to leave a role you’d become so experienced in?
Yeah, because of the fear of the unknown. You get very settled in a role and it gets comfortable. So it was nerve-wracking going into something new, but I think most people thrive when they’re put under a bit of pressure. I think there is a limit to how much you can develop and grow when you’re doing the same thing over and over again. You need to feel uncomfortable and do things that you’re not 100% confident that you’ll succeed in, because I think you surprise yourself once you start doing it.
I think it’s admirable that you’ve made a change. How did IFP react when you told them you wanted a career change?
I think it was a bit of a shock and I imagine it definitely threw a spanner in the works, but once a plan was in place, everyone was completely on board, and Anj has been very supportive. All the directors and Advisers have been really supportive too.
What support have you had throughout the transition?
I had a transition period of 2-3 months at the start of the year, doing compliance still whilst dabbling into advising. I got to see how advisers work on a day-to-day basis and get into the nitty-gritty, as well as beginning to develop some soft skills. Ellie put together a training plan that was all documented on a spreadsheet, so it was clear what steps I needed to take and ensured everything was covered. So I had a gradual build-up, then from April I made the move and got to put all of my effort into my training plan.
Josh has been a mentor over the past 3 or 4 months, too. But I’ve had feedback from all of the Advisers and a chance to see them all working. Everyone has different styles and it’s really good to see which style is right for me, or merge elements of everyone to create my own style.
It’s been very structured!
What has surprised you most about becoming an Adviser?
It’s weird because I was Chartered whilst working in compliance and I thought I knew what I was on about, but then I got into an Adviser role and realised that 50% of my knowledge was parked somewhere in the back of my head! I think it’s because unless you see it, you don’t really need to touch upon it, but when you’re speaking to a client, anything can come up. So, I spent a lot of time refreshing my knowledge during my transition period. It was really nice to remember everything I had learnt when I was doing my exams.
The other thing is time management. I have to manage my day a lot differently now because there are more teams to work with, whether that’s Client Services, Paraplanners, the other Advisers or our clients. You’re spread out a lot more!
I can imagine you feel somewhat like you’re starting again. What are you most excited about in the coming years?
Yeah, it’s crazy. I feel like I’ve started anew, but building on what I’ve already done. It’s almost like the world is your oyster when you start again. I’m excited to build my own client bank, hopefully become a great Adviser and feel really confident in what I do. I plan to do some more learning too because there are so many different opportunities and angles to go down.
It’s just good to know that you’ve got a whole new opportunity and that you’ve got support as well. I think no matter who you are, every single person wants you to do well, so I know everyone will support me.
You’ve worked at IFP for almost 10 years now, what’s kept you here?
It’s hard to put your finger on it, but I think we’ve just got it so good here. I had two jobs before I came here and they just don’t compare – there were no staff benefits, no nice office to come to. But here, we have good pay, a good culture and socialising outside of work. The benefits package is mental. We do the basics, then we do more – and then we do even more on top of that!
If someone was thinking about joining IFP, what would you tell them?
Just do it! If you want to go somewhere where the staff actually care about each other, have a magnitude of different benefits and the support to progress your own career, then there’s no better place in Hull, or maybe even the wider area, to do it.
What kind of person do you think thrives here?
Dedicated and honest with themselves and others, but someone who communicates their honesty in the right way. Having the ability to sit down and say ‘these are my thoughts and I want them to be considered’; I think they’re the people who excel, because everything is considered. I know anybody could go to the Directors and share their ideas. Just look at the stuff that has come from the promise mailbox!
Thanks, Lew. It’s been great hearing about your story and the exciting new chapter you’ve started. But before we finish, I have to ask you my quick-fire questions!
Quick-fire close:
Describe IFP in 3 words or less – absolutely bloody brilliant!
Tea or coffee? Tea.
Office or remote? Office.
Early start or late finish? Early start.
Quick lunch or long lunch? Quick.
Smarter or more casual style? Casual.
Lew’s story is a great reminder that careers aren’t always linear, and that with the right support, it’s never too late to try something new. If you’re looking for a business that invests in its people, supports career development and encourages you to grow in the direction that’s right for you, take a look at our Careers page.
Thanks for joining us for another coffee and chat! We’ll see you next time for another edition of Inside IFP.
