Leading pensions expert Neil MacGillivray, head of technical support at adviser platform and SIPP provider Nucleus, is to retire before the end of the year.

He has spent 25 years with Nucleus and now parent firm James Hay.

In August 2021, James Hay Partnership acquired Nucleus Financial Group plc and combined both to create the Nucleus Group.

Since this date there have been a number of senior exits from the combined platform businesses, including former founder and CEO David Ferguson, chief customer officer Barry Neilson, and both chief financial officers Stuart Geard of Nucleus Financial and Gavin Howard, CFO of James Hay.

Six non-executive directors of the platform also stood down in August 2021: Tracey Dunley-Owen, Margaret Hassall, John Levin, Jonathan Polin, Angus Samuels and Alfio Tagliabue.

Nucleus says that while some senior people have left it has expanded headcount overall by 20% this year and recruited a number of senior executives including: Laura Green (commercial delivery director), Craig Metcalf (strategic account director), Justin Tovey (chief risk officer), Laura Barnes (director of business development) and Mark Hastings (group finance director). 

Mr MacGillivray joined James Hay in 1998 after 17 years with the Royal Bank of Scotland where he worked in the bank’s private trust and taxation department.

He has become the platform’s go-to-provider of insight and commentary on tax, trusts and pensions issues.

Alex Kovach, chief commercial officer at Nucleus said: “On behalf of everyone at Nucleus I would like to thank Neil for his contribution over a long and successful career with the group.

“His technical knowledge on pensions, tax and trusts is formidable and he is highly regarded by advisers providing insight and expertise to help them deliver better outcomes for their customers, and ultimately help make retirement more rewarding. He leaves with our very best wishes for a very long and happy retirement.”

Mr MacGillivray added “After a twenty-five-year career working for James Hay and latterly Nucleus, and with the grand old age of sixty fast approaching, I have decided it is time to retire and focus on the next chapter of my life.

“There has been a lot of major changes in financial services over this time such as RDR, Pensions Simplification, Pensions Freedoms and of late Consumer Duty.  It has been a privilege to have been able to deploy our insight to help advisers navigate these and understand the implications for them and their clients.”

Earlier this month the £242m merger of platform Nucleus and SIPP and SSAS provider Curtis Banks has received regulatory approval after the conclusion of a review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). 

Nucleus says the deal will create an £80bn adviser platform group. The two companies will continue to operate separately for the time being, but Curtis Banks will eventually be rebranded under the Nucleus banner.