How UBS supports the Thames Valley and Solent corporate finance communities

Many of the winners applauded at The Business Magazine’s annual deals awards are highly successful entrepreneurs. While business owners have a laser-like focus on their company’s growth, they also need to keep an eye on personal wealth accumulation, especially if their thoughts turn to selling up. And when it comes to exits, managing your wealth is all about timing, says UBS.

Supporting dealmakers

As the headline sponsor of both the Thames Valley Deals Awards and the Solent Deals Awards, UBS demonstrates its commitment not only to high net worth individuals across the area, but also to the network of professional advisers who support them.

Kate Richardson (pictured, left) is a Client Advisor at UBS Global Wealth Management in the UK for the Thames Valley, South, South West and Wales. She explained how UBS gives a personal touch: “We offer a bespoke service and take a holistic view for clients, their families and future generations. Our wealth management guidance is available at every stage of their wealth creation journey.”

UBS advises wealth creators to consider pre-planning their wealth strategy before they sell their business and putting in place a long-term, post-exit wealth management plan. The key areas UBS works with clients include:

• Managing investments
• Lending
• Wealth planning advice
• Philanthropy
• Family advisory

Richardson said:

“Our role is to help clients think about the lifestyles they want, and the investment returns they need to achieve them."

As the world’s largest wealth manager with over $2.5 trillion of invested assets, UBS provides access to investments usually available only to institutional investors, such as private equity and hedge funds.

Sarah Allatt (pictured, right), Head of Wealth Planning at UBS, said: “Our buying power gives more clients access to non-traditional asset classes that we offer. That means clients can build highly diversified investment portfolios by including asset classes, such a private equity and foreign exchange trading.”

Time to talk

The timing of private wealth management advice is everything when exiting a business. “Ideally, we like to work with business owners two or three years before they sell, so they can focus on personal financial goals as well as the long-term objectives for their company and family. Long-term relationships are not uncommon at UBS," said Richardson.

Many of Richardson’s clients have been with her for 10 years and it’s usual for client relationships at UBS to span four decades.

One requirement where wealth creators value UBS’s expertise is in helping them to achieve their philanthropic ambitions. UBS has a 120-strong Social Impact and Philanthropy team that advises clients on all aspects of charitable giving, is able to create bespoke charitable plans and establish a Donor Advised Foundation free of charge to pursue philanthropy plans tax efficiently.

UBS also actively encourages informal networking, where business owners preparing an exit can swap notes with people who have already gone through the experience. In addition, the firm’s Industry Leader Network brings entrepreneurs together globally, while its ‘next generation’ wealth management events assist with the education and support of young adults from families of clients.

Collaborative approach

Often, the scope of wealth management conversations includes discussing the need for up-to-date wills, powers of attorney, tax structures and making judicious inheritance plans and preparing pre-nuptial arrangements.

It is here that UBS’s relationships with other professional service providers come into their own, bringing together experts in each field to create an outcome. “We build a trusted team around clients, where everyone can sit around the table at the same time and find the best solution for the client,” said Richardson.

Allatt added:

“By taking a holistic approach that puts clients at the centre of a group of trusted expert advisers, we can see more easily if there are any gaps in our collective advice.”

The Thames Valley and Solent dealmaking community is very much tuned into this way of thinking, Richardson believes: “It’s a vibrant and supportive community dedicated to working collaboratively and at UBS, we want to make sure that local businesses and our clients are supported in the best possible way.”

Whether you’re looking for trusted advisors to guide a sale or succession conversation, or to connect with peers who have already walked the path, please contact kate.richardson@ubs.com for more information.