Nearly three years ago, I interviewed Heather for my podcast. Her Future Bright, and left completely inspired by NextWealth’s insight, innovation, and impact.

A year later, I attended NextWealth Live and was blown away by the quality of the content and the depth of future-focused thinking. The energy and vision I encountered there stayed with me.

Since then, I’ve regularly turned to NextWealth’s reports to inform discovery work and shape strategy in my roles.

My connection to financial advice goes even deeper. I’ve been around it for as long as I can remember;  my dad is a financial planner, and I saw early on the value financial advice brings to people’s lives. That personal connection shaped my path. I started my career in admin at Quilter, moved into paraplanning, and then became a financial planner. Along the way, I earned my Chartered qualifications and deepened my passion for the transformative power of financial advice and its potential to reach and support even more people.

That passion led me to spend a year at Money Means, where I explored how technology could help expand access to financial advice. From there, I moved into a product role at Wealth Wizards, working closely with engineers and designers to take digital financial guidance and advice solutions from concept to implementation. I gained experience across the entire tech journey while still rooted in client needs and financial expertise.

By the time I reconnected with Heather about an opportunity at NextWealth, I had a unique combination of advice experience and technical know-how, and I was looking for a place where I could bring both together. My new role at NextWealth feels like the perfect fit.

Just a few weeks in, and I’m already energised by the work and the vision. I’m leading our adviser tech research and heading up the AI Lab – two areas I’m incredibly passionate about. If you’re interested in adviser tech, AI, or the future of financial advice, I’d love to connect.

Chanelle Pattinson, Associate Research Director at NextWealth