Novia Financial founder and platform entrepreneur Bill Vasilieff has died suddenly at the age of 68.

He died peacefully yesterday surrounded by his family. It's believed he had suffered a stroke.

Mr Vasilieff was an innovator and pioneer in the financial services sector whose impact and influence was widespread. 

He was known for his work ethic which spanned many decades across multiple industries.

He founded Novia Financial in 2008 and became chief executive before stepping back in 2021. He was also chairman of Novia Global and this year he came out of retirement to become chairman of the UK arm of Swedish wealth manager Söderberg & Partners.

A proud Scotsman, Mr Vasilieff was also a lifelong Bath Rugby supporter and raised a considerable amount of money over the years for the Bath Rugby Foundation. 

His impact and loss will be deeply felt in many different spheres, his family said in a statement. While he was an industry legend, his true passion and drive was for his family whom he always put first.

He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Bill's family have requested privacy but anyone can send condolences, memories or any written tributes to share to long-term colleague This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

In a statement Wealthtime said: "We're devastated to hear of the passing of Bill Vasilieff, the founder of Novia Financial. Bill paved the way for the platforms of today and put his heart and soul into building Novia. We know he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time."

Multrees Investor Services: "Very sad to hear of the passing of Bill Vasilieff. Bill was a valued member of the Multrees Non Executive Team and his contributions to the business helped shape who we are today. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends." 

Details of a memorial service will follow in due course and will be added here.

• Editor's Comment: The death of Bill Vasilieff will leave an immense loss, both with his family and with his colleagues at wealth adviser Soderberg & Partners. He was a platform pioneer over several decades, spotting before many others the potential trajectory of platforms. One of his great achievements was to found platform Novia Financial which he sold to private equity a few years back. Bill could be charming and forthright in the same sentence. A man of strong opinions who was always polite and reasoned. A true gentleman of the industry. He was passionate about business and it was no surprise he was lured out of retirement to help major Swedish financial adviser Söderberg & Partners build a new empire in the UK. He loved the cut and thrust of business and building company value. Bill was both respected and admired among his peers and his departure from this world at the relatively young age of 68 will leave many mourning the loss of a unique individual who helped to accelerate the growth of the UK platform sector.