Vikki
Venerus

WHO I HELP

Everyone within the Wealth team.

HOW I HELP

Recruitment. People Training and Development. Operations. Compliance.

“My passion is people.”

Vikki Venerus is Head of Risk and Compliance for Wealth. She has been a part of the company since day one, when she joined as an Administrator. So has seen it blossom from nothing, into the successful business it is today.

Based in Aberdeen, Vikki oversees the day-to-day operations, while taking responsibility for compliance – a crucial task in such a highly regulated sector. But undoubtedly the part that she enjoys the most, is growing and developing the team – a role which takes in recruitment, training, mentoring, coaching and wellbeing. She’s dedicated to bringing on the next generation of financial planners – and it looks like nothing will stop her.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

“Culture is always at the front of my mind, especially when I’m recruiting. I see plenty of people who are really interested in numbers, analysis and the tax side of what we do. But that’s not enough. In a job like this, you also have to be a people person.”

Yes, the numbers are important. But I always think the most important factor is how that helps clients – because ultimately that’s our end goal. Building relationships, delivering sound financial advice and giving clients peace of mind. That’s what it’s really all about.”

SUPPORTING THE TEAM

“Whatever my team need, I’m there for them – whether that’s guidance, support, direction or empowerment. I don’t expect them to check in with me on everything – they can just get on with the job themselves. But I’ve put strong systems and controls in place to make sure that nothing falls through the net.

Having said that, I always make sure I check in with my team. Just to make sure they’re ok. Wellbeing is so important, if we don’t get that right, there’s no way we can do a good job for our clients. And it’s really important to me that everyone feels like they have a voice. Because in a team, everyone’s views are important.”

EMBRACING THE FUTURE

“A big challenge in our industry has always been the technology side. Getting tech speaking to tech. But compared to a lot of other financial planning firms I think we’re very progressive. In fact, you could say we’re early adopters. If there’s anything coming down the track, we’re always open to finding out more, especially if it will lead to more efficient ways of working. Anything that makes our clients’ journey a little bit smoother, like being paperless or using tools like MS Teams or DocuSign, is worthwhile.”

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

“I came into the business as an administrator many years ago. But soon I wanted to know the ‘Why’. Why was I doing what I was being asked to do? That’s what drove me to study, do my exams and became a qualified Chartered Financial Planner. Now my mission is to give that opportunity to other people.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing people grow and progress. In fact, nearly everyone on my team is studying for one qualification or another. Being able to bring good people through from your own talent pool and see the future open up for them is just incredible.”