Wealth manager Chris Reah has been appointed managing director of south west Chartered Financial Planners Francis Clark Financial Planning.

He previously worked at NatWest Stockbrokers, Coutts and Arbuthnot Latham.

The business has also recently recruited two new Financial Planners - Olya Edwards in Exeter and Kate Stephen and Chris Revill in Truro.

Mr Reah said: “What’s exciting for me about joining FCFP is we have a great mix of loyal colleagues who have grown with the business and a cadre of more recent joiners, which shows we’re attracting talent and have an appetite to develop people.”

Hailing from Somerset and married with two children, Mr Reah is a family-oriented sports fanatic, with a passion for the Exeter Chiefs and Somerset cricket. He has raised £50,000 for charities in the south west, most recently running this year’s London Marathon in aid of Children’s Hospice South West.

He said his role at Francis Clark will be to set the culture, lead the team and allow people to flourish, “because that’s when they deliver the best service to clients.”

He said he wants the firm to “be the most admired financial adviser, both by clients for helping them achieve their ambitions and by colleagues who are proud to work here.”

Francis Clark Financial Planning is wholly owned by chartered accountants and business advisers PKF Francis Clark, and has a team of around 70 people, including 17 Financial Planners.

Based in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Taunton, Torquay and Truro, FCFP’s teams provide bespoke services including investment, retirement and inheritance tax planning, personal and business protection, employee benefits and workplace pensions.

Mr Reah also becomes a partner in PKF Francis Clark.

Nick Gooch, chairman of FCFP and partner at PKF Francis Clark, said: “Chris was the outstanding candidate to lead the next phase of development for Francis Clark Financial Planning, thanks to his superb leadership qualities and track record of bringing teams along with him on the journey.”