New chair for JM Finn as Sussman retires

Steven Sussman has retired from his position of chairman at wealth manager JM Finn following a 26-year career at the firm.

He served as chairman since 2020 following stepping down as CEO.

Mr Sussman joined the wealth manager in 1997 as managing partner.

He has been replaced by Luc Bertrand, the former CEO of Ackermans & van Haaren, the parent company of Delen Private Bank, which acquired JM Finn in 2011. 

Mr Bertrand has been a member of the board since September 2011 and has also previously served on the board of investment manager Schroders.

The change of chair is just one of a number of changes to the board.

Jan Suykens and Jens Van Nieuwenborgh have both stepped down from the board.

Louise Hall, Christope Maters and Vincent Camerlynck have all joined the board as non-executive directors.

Ms Hall has spent her entire 30 year career within the UK private client and wealth management industry. She has held a number of roles at Investec Wealth & Investment including head of charities and head of London investment management and most recently, as a member of the UK board.

Mr Camerlynck is an experienced independent non-executive director, whose current mandates include Capfi Delen Asset Management. Previously he has held executive positions at Petercam in New York, HSBC in London and Goldman Sachs in London and Paris. He joined BNP Paribas Asset Management in 2005 and held several senior roles including CEO and chairman of BNPP AM UK and CEO APAC.

Mr Maters joined Ackermans & van Haaren as an investment director in May 2023, having previously worked at Bain & Company, Qatar National Bank and Quintet Private Bank.

Hugo Bedford, CEO of JM Finn, said: “Steven has helped steer the firm through a key period of its evolution and we thank him for his calm and methodical approach. In particular he brought to the firm a focus on corporate governance enabling the business to grow even through difficult markets. We are extremely grateful for all that he has done for the business over many years.”

JM Finn has over 100 investment professionals and funds under management and administration of £10.6 billion on behalf of over 18,500 clients. The firm is headquartered in London and has four regional offices around the country in Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, York and Winchester.