At 28, leading a 90-person team, I've realised that being the youngest person in the room offers unique advantages. What drives me is the certainty that technology is no longer optional. It's the engine of a new era in wealth management. I see our generation as the one that must re-architect how value is delivered in this industry. Being both young and tech-native means my instinct is always to think first about tech solutions - to look for ways to automate processes that traditional firms still handle manually. 

This perspective is crucial when serving next-generation clients who expect digital-first experiences, even in something as traditional as wealth management. Sometimes being young enough to see things differently, and tech-savvy enough to reimagine how they should work, is exactly what a traditional industry needs.

But this comes with a caveat: you need to be absolutely sure about your knowledge. You have to demonstrate trust and expertise even more clearly than established players, particularly when you yourself are coming from a different industry. 

The wealth management industry is built on relationships that span decades, regulatory frameworks that take years to master, and client expectations shaped by generations of tradition. In this world, trust is the currency; it's not just another product. When clients are entrusting you with their most sensitive financial data and their life's wealth, there's no room for uncertainty or inexperience. 

What I’ve come to realise is that success in wealth management doesn’t come down to age -  it comes down to whether you can master and embody the principles that the industry truly respects. If you're a young founder trying to earn credibility in traditional finance, here’s what actually moves the needle:

First, turn your age into your biggest advantage

The trick is to approach the industry with genuine respect and humility. When speaking with experienced professionals, I made it a priority to listen first, ask thoughtful questions, and truly understand their challenges before suggesting how we might help. These conversations were invaluable learning opportunities that helped us build trust, demonstrate our understanding of their real pain points, and prove we had the expertise and network to deliver.

This didn't come without challenges. Different sectors had different expectations and requirements. When we first started Flanks six years ago, the family office sector was particularly demanding - they often felt we were still too early to fully handle their level of complexity. We knew we had to build credibility in this market and focused on doing so through proven clients and tangible results.

Second, build for crisis from day one, not when crisis comes

When you're starting a business, you shouldn't just focus on growth - you need to build something that can survive tough times. Crises will come, whether it's next year or in ten. If you want your company to last, resilience has to be part of the foundation from day one.

Creating Flanks during COVID taught me something most companies learn the hard way: resilience isn’t something you add later - it has to be built into your foundation. We developed two pitches from day one to fit the mood of the market. One for when clients are feeling optimistic (investment in growth) or pessimistic (cost-cutting and risk management).

Third, master the fundamentals that traditional finance expects

Focus early on building strong reference clients - even if they’re not highly profitable at first. In traditional finance, credibility is often built through association: banks are far more likely to trust you if they know others in their ecosystem already do.

Our first clients became our greatest advocates. They did more than just use our solution - they helped us build it, providing feedback that shaped our product into something that truly addressed the industry's needs. These early partnerships were invaluable, not just for the revenue, but for the credibility they provided. 

When we approached new prospects, having established clients vouch for our capabilities and results carried far more weight than any pitch deck ever could. The power of recommendations is particularly pronounced in wealth management - even more so than in other industries - because this is an inherently confidential sector where clients are entrusting firms with their most sensitive financial data, family wealth, and personal information. One satisfied client opening doors to their network is worth more than dozens of cold outreach attempts, as trust becomes the ultimate currency when dealing with high-net-worth individuals who demand absolute discretion and proven track records.

The future of wealth management 

Tradition shouldn't be a barrier to innovation. In fact, understanding how things have always worked is what allowed us to build something that fits - and improves - the system from within.

But here's what's driving change: both the clients and the advisors in wealth management are evolving. Whilst this isn't exclusive to younger generations, new clients are arriving with fundamentally different expectations - they want control and optionality, the ability to access a broad range of financial products and make decisions digitally. But when it comes to complex topics like tax optimisation or succession planning, they still look for trusted institutions and human expertise. As a close friend of mine, who happens to be an entrepreneur, put it: "I want the ease and access of a neo-broker, but I also want the peace of mind that comes with working with a brand I trust - one I know will still be here in 10 years".

I believe that the majority of independent wealth management firms - those not backed by major banks - will face real struggles in the next decade. They're still doing manual tasks that new generations expect to be automated. The survivors will be those who combine deep human relationships with data efficiency, offering both the digital experience clients demand and the expertise they need for life's most complex financial decisions.

What I've learned at 28 is simple: don’t focus on just being the youngest person in the room. Instead, try to redefine what that room looks like. Don't disrupt for the sake of it, yes, but try to build something that is inclusive, data-driven, and built for the next generation of clients.

I do this while still respecting what this industry has built over decades, I follow the rules that exist for good reasons, and value the relationships and trust that are its foundation. But I'm also building something fundamentally different - taking the deep expertise that's been locked away in exclusive institutions and making it accessible to everyone. Increasing the pool of people who get to benefit from world-class wealth management. And sometimes, being young enough to believe that's possible is exactly what an old industry needs to become what it should be.