Adrian Grace

Adrian Grace spent ten years as the boss of insurer Aegon’s Edinburgh-based UK operation and took up the role of 7IM chair in September last year.

Mr Grace’s experience working in Edinburgh for some 20 years will come to the fore given the investment firm’s expansion in Scotland, which was accelerated by the acquisition of TCAM in 2018.

The Edinburgh-based discretionary asset manager was spun out of Scottish law firm Turcan Connell via a management buyout in 2015, The Scotsman reports.

As well as an office in Edinburgh, 7IM has a technology hub in Leith. The headcount across the two location stands at about 70 and Mr Grace revealed he was keen to see the numbers swell further.

Mr Grace said: “We would like to grow the Edinburgh operation. All the functions are in growth mode. There is a need for advice and there aren’t enough financial advisors to go around.”

He added: “As a firm we are hoping to do £20bn of assets under management this year, which will be a significant step up from about £18bn last year.”

7IM said it was committed to providing tailored investment management and financial planning services to private clients across Scotland. Since the TCAM deal, the firm has bolstered its presence with the acquisition of Partners Wealth Management.