In this first article of a three-part series of exclusive interviews with IFA Magazine, Pam Sutherland, Founder of Truestar Talent discusses how she and her team can help IFAs find the right role in the industry, or help business owners hire new talent, or even IFAs sell their business and exit/retire from their advice firms seamlessly.
Founded in 2015, Truestar Talent spans the UK from Scotland to Cornwall. Specialising in both advisory recruitment and IFA business acquisition, this team is one of the largest and most effective in the UK, with an enviable industry-high average success rate of 90%. Their holistic approach, listening to and delving into the needs of people, means that they ensure high-quality introductions which match the needs of everyone involved.
However, Pam Sutherland, a well-respected and major player in the space, believes that merely placing people in companies, is an understatement of what Truestar achieves.
The true aim is to create a positive impact on the lives of everyone involved in each introduction, be that for an Advisory, Management, C-Suite or Support role. Pam and her team truly believe that relationship development is fundamental in creating the in-depth bond this team has with IFAs and with companies. This comes from taking the time to understand people, so that Truestar Talent can truly enable them to achieve their goals.
She said: “Truestar Talent came about through a passion to do the right thing. What’s really important to us is finding the right homes for people, whether this is an IFA looking for a new role, or an IFA who is looking to sell on their client bank and move onto retirement. It is paramount to us, that no matter what, we create a really great cultural fit, where people are happy for the long-term and thrive.
“From the very beginning, the passion was about making sure it’s a long-term happy home for people. That underpins absolutely everything that we do here. In 2015, we launched Truestar Talent, from that I was very lucky to win an award in 2019, and then in the height of the pandemic in 2020, I was delighted that we could then progress to becoming a national recruitment and acquisition company.
“A lot of people that I have personally known for about 20 years all came together and they said can we work with you because we believe in what you do. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength. Everything that we have built is through referral.
“Being ethical is so important to us. It is not about making a placement and it is not about selling an IFA business. It is about making sure that someone’s life has changed in a very positive way. That is the driving force behind everything that we do.” We are very fair in our approach and actively support diversity and inclusion.
Pam’s passion for Truestar Talent and the success that it has achieved must be recognised however, as Founder she gives full credit of Truestar’s success to the team she has built around her.
She said: “We are blessed with a fabulous team that have all known each other for the best part of two decades, the average experience in the team is 35+ years, both in financial services and financial services recruitment which is highly unusual.
“You would usually get a couple of people like that, but you don’t tend to find entire teams with this level of industry experience. It means that we have a large network of people who trust us: advisory specialists who are not actively moving and clients with roles that might not be advertised, as well as ones that are. In some cases, due to our nurtured client relationships, we can sometimes encourage the creation of roles for exceptional people.
“What makes it really interesting working here, is that we share best practice, we talk through what is going on in the market and projected changes. Everyone here has a strong moral compass and being authentic and honest is a keystone to Truestar Talent.
“With us, team is everything and having the ability to be able to bounce ideas off each other is what allows us to achieve the levels that we do. I am proud to work with every team member of Truestar Talent, as we genuinely work together. Each person in this team is a knowledgeable and safe pair of hands and we are people you can trust to work with you in an ethical and holistic way.”
The combination of vast coverage and depth of experience allows Pam and her team to strive for the best outcomes and thus achieve their aim of creating a positive impact on the lives, careers and business success of all the people they work with.
Truestar Talent offers an exceptional service to those wealth advisory people considering the right career move, companies looking for new talent and IFAs looking to sell their businesses. Pam and her team put the people they work with at the heart of everything they do and ultimately that produces the best outcomes for all involved.
About Truestar Legacy
Having known each other for around 20 years, we work collaboratively as colleagues, sharing best practice. With decades of industry experience, we have long-lasting, meaningful relationships with international companies, national growing companies and niche IFA businesses who offer something different. We have been around a long time and people trust our recommendations. Importantly, we treat you how we would like to be treated ourselves and by really listening and working closely with you, we deliver extensive financial services experience.
To find out more visit: www.truestartalent.co.uk/meet-the-team/ and for IFAs selling their business visit: www.truestarlegacy.co.uk/why-us
