MEET THE TEAM: REBECCA JACKSON

Compliance consultant, Rebecca Jackson, has literally been there, seen it and bought the t-shirt!

In this month’s meet the team blog she talks about how she’s forged a career in financial services, whilst satisfying a wanderlust that’s taken her across the world.

Starting out

Like nearly everyone else in the financial services industry, my career began in a bank. I was 18 and had decided it was time to get a ‘proper job.’ In my young, innocent mind this meant applying to financial institutions and estate agencies!

I joined Lloyds TSB (as it was then) and stayed there for three and a half years, moving from cashier to personal banker. I opted not to go to university and bought a house when I was still very young with my now husband. After all this early adulting, we decided to take the gap year we had missed, so I handed in my notice and we packed our bags, travelling mostly around Eastern Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Our trip came to a slightly abrupt end when a Chilian volcano erupted. It grounded all flights across the Pacific for weeks and stopped us flying from New Zealand to South America to continue our travels.

Career take off

After returning to the UK, I secured a job at a large wealth management firm, where I spent another three and a half years as a financial services administrator, supporting a number of financial advisers.

It transpired we hadn’t completely scratched the itch for travel, so we again headed for Australia, where we spent just over a year living and working. Sadly, my step-dad fell ill and subsequently passed away, so we had to return to the UK unexpectedly.

I threw myself back into work and sticking with what I knew, joined a medium-sized independent financial advice practice. This time, I really hit my stride – I loved the people, the job and the environment. I joined as an administrator, but within six months had taken on the role of client service manager. A year later, I had been made operations manager.

It was a really exciting and challenging time and I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the advisers, helping to support clients, whilst mentoring the administration and paraplanning teams.

Even though the role really suited me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my husband and I had unfinished business with the rest of the world, having cut our previous adventures short. So, we decided to embark on one final trip of a lifetime. We spent three months travelling around Europe in a VW camper van, before flying out to central and southern America for an incredible 15 months. In all, we have travelled through 67 countries together.

Landing the perfect role

Returning to the UK broke but happy, I looked for my next career move and came across an advert for a compliance associate at B-Compliant. Something about it caught my eye – it was a bit quirky and screamed ‘we are human’ – making it stand out from the corporate pitches you see so often.

I had been involved in compliance in my operations role and it seemed a great opportunity to build on my existing knowledge and skill set, whilst adding another string to my bow.

It’s just over a year now since I joined the team and having completed my diploma in financial planning, I’ve now been promoted to compliance consultant.

I really enjoy the close relationship we forge with clients, learning more about the ins and outs of their businesses so we can offer tailored advice. It’s been a pleasure getting to know the firms and individuals behind them and seeing how we add real value to the service they offer.

The time I spent working within an IFA practice means I understand how it works on the ground, the practicalities and the challenges advisers and internal teams face when supporting clients. This is turning out to be a huge bonus when I’m helping firms implement or apply the FCA rules and guidance.

If you would like to know more about B-Compliant’s wide range of services, or discuss how our support could benefit your firm, don’t hesitate to contact us on (0161) 521 8641 or email: info@b-compliant.co.uk