Stephen Ford is a finance professional with extensive experience in the industry. He began his career at Bradford & Bingley before leading the Financial Services division at Cumberland Building Society. In 2000, he joined Brewin Dolphin PLC as an Investment Manager and advanced to Executive Director & Head of Wealth, where he transformed the company from a stockbroker to a wealth manager, increasing its market capitalisation from £300 million to £1 billion. After leaving Brewin Dolphin in 2015, he joined the Board of City Asset Management, enhancing its proposition and boosting assets under management by 40% over 2.5 years, enabling the firm to declare its first dividend. In 2019, he joined the Board of W.H. Ireland PLC to lead its wealth management business, which had been operating at a loss of £6 million per annum. Within 24 months, the business became profitable and completed its first remote acquisition during lockdown. After three years, Stephen stepped down to relocate his family to Devon. He also served as Deputy Chairman of Hertfordshire Catering Limited and was a member of the Finance Committee for the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability for six years.