Operational Restructure for a Growing Wealth Firm
Sector: Financial Advice & Wealth Management
Role: Strategic Advisor & Operational Lead
Service Areas: Operations · People & Process · Organisational Design · Leadership Support · Systems Implementation
The Challenge
A growing wealth management firm had reached a point where its operational structure was no longer supporting the pace or complexity of the business. Responsibilities were unclear, workloads were uneven, and senior leadership were frequently dragged into day-to-day issues rather than focusing on strategy, clients, or growth opportunities.
Alongside the operational pressures, the founder was carrying a heavy personal workload - balancing leadership with the demands of running a business that had outgrown its original structure. The lack of space to think, plan, or step back meant important decisions were being delayed, and the business wasn’t operating in a way that supported either sustainable growth or the founder’s wellbeing.
A more resilient structure, clearer expectations, and a way for leadership to regain control were urgently needed.
Our Approach
The engagement began with a detailed review of how the business was operating day to day, focusing on where complexity, friction, and overload had built up as the firm grew.
This included:
Conducting a detailed operational review covering workflow stages, client delivery processes, communication lines, and team responsibilities
Reviewing how technology was being used across the business, including identifying systems that required refinement, reconfiguration, replacement, or further staff training
Mapping roles across the business to identify gaps, overlaps, and high-friction areas creating bottlenecks and unnecessary reliance on senior leadership
This phase created a clear picture of where the business had outgrown its original structure, and where leadership time was being absorbed by issues that should not have required founder involvement.
Based on the findings, a new operating structure was designed to give the founder clearer oversight and the team clearer accountability.
This involved:
Designing a new organisational structure and updated role profiles aligned to how the business needed to operate now, not how it had started
Supporting the founder through complex and sensitive decisions, including organisational restructuring and navigating difficult conversations
Working alongside external legal support to ensure clarity, fairness, and minimal disruption during change
Alongside the structural work, significant emphasis was placed on supporting the founder personally – helping him build the confidence and headspace needed to make decisions that had previously felt too heavy or complex to tackle alone.
This was a critical turning point in the engagement.
With the structure agreed, focus shifted to implementation and long-term sustainability.
This included:
Constructing detailed role profiles and supporting the recruitment of key strategic hires, including the design of structured interview questions and joint candidate interviews
Creating frameworks for workload planning, delegation, and process accountability
Introducing structured operational and leadership rhythms to help the founder stay on top of priorities without being pulled into tactical noise
Developing SOP guidance to standardise repeatable tasks and reduce operational risk
Providing ongoing leadership coaching focused on prioritisation, boundaries, confidence, and decision-making under pressure
Streamlining the use of technology across compliance, operations, and communication to reduce manual effort and free up leadership capacity
This ensured the changes were not just implemented, but embedded in a way that gave the business resilience and control going forward.
The Outcome
Following the restructure and implementation phase, the business moved into a far more stable and scalable operating position.
The outcome included:
A clearer, more scalable operating model with well-defined roles and accountability
Leadership freed from constant firefighting, creating time and space to plan, prioritise, and drive the business forward
Increased confidence in navigating difficult decisions and structural change
Stronger role clarity across the team, reducing duplicated effort and improving performance
A more resilient operational rhythm, giving the founder greater control and stability day to day
More efficient workflows supported by better use of technology
Better alignment between long-term strategic goals and day-to-day delivery
Noticeable increases in capacity, allowing leadership to focus on revenue-generating and growth-related work
“Your direct and honest communication alongside industry experience gave us the confidence to make the changes we needed. It was great that you were happy to get stuck in and support us with the changes rather than simply advise us.”
Managing Director (anonymous)
