SuccessionDec 15 2023

Succession CEO exits after five years

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Succession CEO exits after five years
Roger Marsden will take over from James Stevenson as CEO of Succession Wealth. (Pexels/Pixabay)

Succession Wealth’s chief executive officer James Stevenson has stepped down from the role after almost five years.

Stevenson took over as CEO of Succession Wealth in January 2018 and subsequently oversaw the sale to Aviva in March last year.

Roger Marsden will take over from Stevenson who is retiring from the business to pursue interests outside the financial services industry.

Stevenson said: “Being part of helping build Succession Wealth and seeing it go from strength to strength over the last nine years has been a tremendous privilege and I am very proud of everything our colleagues have achieved. 

“With Succession Wealth now settled in its new home with Aviva, I feel now is the time to focus on new things. I look forward to seeing the business continue to grow and build under Roger's leadership, offering our clients a range of valued advice services."

Marsden has been with Aviva since 2001 and during his career has held senior roles in retail wealth and the retirement business. 

Prior to Aviva, he worked at Barclays Capital and Deloitte where he qualified as a chartered accountant.

Michele Golunska, managing director of wealth and advice at Aviva, said: “We have ambitious growth plans for our advice business and I am confident that Roger will lead our strong team in Succession Wealth to continue to drive the business forward. 

“I also want to thank James for the fantastic job he has done in growing Succession Wealth and then overseeing the integration with Aviva over the last 18 months. I wish him the best as he takes an exciting new direction.”

Aviva bought the national IFA in a deal worth up to £385mn and at the time, the firm said the deal “significantly enhances” its presence in the wealth market.

Speaking to FTAdviser earlier this year, Succession Wealth’s founder Paul Morrish said its deal with Aviva has seen more IFA firms approach him directly.

He said in 2022, the firm was close to hitting £3bn in assets under administration which he said was down to there being a lot of opportunity and firms available to them. 

“If we did the same again next year, that'd be great.”

sonia.rach@ft.com

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