“We want to get the message out there that we are here to handhold clients through the transitions of moving abroad because solid foundations need to be put in place if someone decides to relocate. It's about getting appropriate bespoke information to them that can add real value to their circumstances.
“We live in a society where we've got information at our fingertips, whether it be through social media or the news but what clients are really missing is this filtration process to enable them to actually tailor the information to their specific circumstances and for globally mobile clients, that's more important than ever,” she added.
Responsibility of entire industry to change perception
Lecomber said while there was a huge responsibility on international firms to work to change the negative perception associated with them, the entire industry had a responsibility to change it for the good of clients.
She said: “The best outcome for us is to better our clients lives through financial planning and my hope is to be able to get to a stage where we can do it on a global scale and through collaboration with UK advisers we can take clients on that journey together whether it be expatriation or repatriation.
“The only way that we can do that is to work together proactively to be transparent about how we can assist clients and to make sure that a client has a strong team around them across the different jurisdictions they're in and to adhere to the standards that we always have done in the UK.”
Lecomber added there needed to be a shift in UK adviser’s perception to view working with international firms as an opportunity to provide better outcomes for their clients rather than focusing on the negative perceptions that existed because the international advice landscape in the region is changing for the better.
“I’m optimistic and speaking to people across the industry and in the UK, there is definitely more of an open-mindedness about the fact the world is shifting and clients are becoming more globally mobile and firms like us need to bang the drum and spread the message that we can cater for them because we are different and we are trying really hard to turn the tide in the UAE.”
alina.khan@ft.com
