This week as part of our regular UP CLOSE WITH in Teddington feature, we caught up with Katie Lovatt from local financial planning firm Holland Hahn & Wills.

Born locally, Katie studied an MA in French and German at The University of Edinburgh and lived in Paris and Germany before moving back to the area, joining Holland Hahn & Wills in 2018 as Head of Marketing and Operations.

The mother-of-two speaks Spanish, and frequent family holidays to Spain make this her favourite language. When not ferrying children around, Katie enjoys going to the Ballet, cooking, playing netball, and of course spending time with her husband and family.

You may have seen Katie's informative blog posts on our site, which discuss and explain some of the key concepts in financial planning. Watch out for more in April!

Teddington Nub News: Hi Katie. Let's start with a simple one - How did you get into your chosen career and why?

Katie: "A language degree offers many opportunities, but to be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do after I left university. I started working for a Technology focused investment bank who had a fledgling German business – exciting, innovative…and ultimately a victim of the tech bubble. I realised I had a talent for organising events, people and communicating clearly to a variety of people. I am quite good at "getting stuff done" and can sift through the noise."

What is your area of expertise/business specialty?

Katie: "After completing an honours degree in French & German at The University of Edinburgh, I stumbled across a future in finance, which has been my career ever since. I spent over 15 years of my career at a US based asset management firm, running a wide range of operations, from building up their advisory business, running conferences, establishing an internship program to growing a European team – where my languages came in useful! As many will know, the work / life balance shifts over time, so I now work for a Financial Planning firm in Kingston."

Tell us a bit about your business?

Katie: "Holland Hahn & Wills Financial Planning has been helping people to retire for over 30 years! Located by Kingston Bridge, we work with people to align their life goals with their financial plans. We provide sage advice, providing clients with peace of mind and the time to focus on the things they really enjoy, rather than worrying about their financial affairs. My particular role is to run the marketing and operations side of the business, allowing the advisers to spend time helping clients."

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Katie: "Holland Hahn & Wills has a fantastic culture. We have interesting, loyal clients, and much of our business comes from referrals or word of mouth. I love the personal relationships we have with our clients, listening to their stories and encouraging them to embrace new projects on retirement. I enjoy working in the community, collaborating with local lawyers, HR professionals and the Chamber of Commerce. The power of the community means we have a strong offering for people on their doorstep."

What have been the high, and low, points of your career to date? 

Katie: "Finance is still a male dominated industry, and I have had to fight hard to get my voice heard. Juggling a family with a demanding job in the city was definitely a stressful part of my career – as it is for many others. I was the only female senior VP with a family, running to pick up children rather than going for work drinks.

"I didn't realise quite how detrimental it was to my career path, my mental health and my confidence. At Holland Hahn & Wills family comes first for us all which is a refreshing change and creates a positive working environment. It's an ethos which our clients value too. Ironically the pandemic has provided many opportunities for change. We already had a hybrid work culture, but have fully embraced the online world from conferences to training, from digital marketing to study group meetings, expanding our network and client base."

Katie: "We have a very personal approach to financial planning. We keep our clients away from expensive, complex investment 'fads', rather we have a logical, academic approach to investing which does not rely on market timing, or the need for a crystal ball to predict what the markets are going to do. This approach allows us to focus on what the client needs, their goals, limitations, aspirations and worries. We then build a financial plan tailored to their specific needs and requirements."

What makes your business stand out? 

Katie: "We have a very personal approach to financial planning. We keep our clients away from expensive, complex investment 'fads', rather we have a logical, academic approach to investing which does not rely on market timing, or the need for a crystal ball to predict what the markets are going to do. This approach allows us to focus on what the client needs, their goals, limitations, aspirations and worries. We then build a financial plan tailored to their specific needs and requirements."

Is there a secret to your success? 

Katie: "I have very good ideas! And because I'm very organised, dedicated and a good communicator I can get them put into action!" 

What do your clients value most about your services? 

Katie: "We take away the financial burden, the worry and the complexity. Our role is to provide peace of mind and clarity, allowing our clients to get on with enjoying and living their lives. We do what we love so they can do what they love!" 

What are your methods for gaining new business throughout the next 6 months?

Katie: "We are very grateful for referrals from clients, recommendations from word of mouth too. Equally we have established good connections with local law firms, so often if they are handling a divorce for example, they might need some financial input which is where we can add value. We are also contributing articles to a few local publications, giving people food for thought about their financial futures." 

What has been your best business decision in the last 5 years? 

Katie: "Our best business decision was to give everyone the ability to be able to work from home. When the pandemic struck, our business was largely all set up to continue." 

What can you offer clients that competitors can't? 

Katie: "Our clients describe us as part of the family. They trust us to always do the right thing. We understand what's important to them – family, sailing, charity work – whatever it is, we will work to make their financial plan do the best for them. We are very transparent with our fees, educate people regarding their money and remove the jargon and complexity. It's simply better thinking!"

Holland Hahn & Wills is a sponsor of Teddington Nub News.

Their community-minded sponsorship means we can publish our local, high-quality journalism without intrusive adverts or clickbait, thank you.