Wealth management firm Isio has appointed Dan Thomas to be its new CEO from 1 September.
He joins after having spent a year working as an adviser to private equity houses, including helping to co-create the go-to-market strategy for PE-backed AI-driven advice firm Unity Advisory.
Other previous roles include 16 years in leadership roles at KPMG where he was most recently head of markets and a member of the executive committee.
Mr Thomas succeeds Andrew Coles who was a core member of the team responsible for spinning the firm out of KPMG and establishing the Isio brand. Mr Coles is stepping back from full-time work and described his time at Isio as, “easily the highlight of my business career”.
Chris Woodhouse, chairman of Isio, said Mr Thomas will be taking the reigns at a time of substantial growth for the firm.
He said: “Dan is an outstanding appointment for Isio, combining deep professional services leadership experience with strong commercial instincts, significant private equity exposure and a modern perspective on how technology and AI will reshape advisory businesses over the coming decade.
“The board believes Isio has substantial growth opportunities ahead, bringing broader client offerings to the market and Dan is well placed to lead the business through this next phase.”
Mr Thomas added: “The convergence of changing client expectations, technology and long-term structural shifts across pensions, employee benefits, wealth & investment management presents a significant opportunity. What attracted me most was the strength of the platform already built, alongside the opportunity to help lead the business into its next phase of growth.”
Last month Isio announced its acquisition of AI-driven fintech Collidr.
Isio said the acquisition will increase Isio’s capabilities in the wealth space. The wealth manager offers investment management via its Model Portfolio Service (MPS) and discretionary fund management (managed accounts service) for family offices.
Isio employs over 1,400 people across 10 UK offices.