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The team

Our clients frequently have complex financial arrangements so our staff to client ratio is high. We take a team approach to the development of financial solutions and enjoy creating long-term client and professional relationships. Meet our team:

Kevin is passionate about building strong long-term relationships with our clients and is justly proud of KMD’s excellent reputation. Solutions orientated, he is a lateral thinker and enjoys encouraging clients to review and reflect on their relationship with money and pre-conceived thoughts about what they ‘ought to do’. Highly qualified holding the Chartered Financial Planner qualification, he is a regular speaker at industry conferences.

As a member of the Investment Committee, he serves as a client champion, challenging decisions to make sure the investment propositions are relevant and practical.

He is married with three children and, although no longer competing in ultra-distance triathlon events and Double-Ironman challenges, he still retains his interest in all things sporting including mountaineering, motor biking and playing cricket.

Kevin Deamer

APFS

Senior Adviser
Chartered Financial Planner
Managing Director & Founder

Claire has worked in the finance industry for over 30 years. Her initial introduction came via a small IFA in North London. That led to a 10 year stint during which time she gained wide ranging experience and honed her client relationship skills. She then moved to an Actuaries & Consultants as senior administrator, later becoming an Assistant Consultant with an investment management firm. She joined KMD in 2012.

Methodical and process driven, in her role as Administration Manager, Claire is dedicated to providing the best possible experience for clients and derives great satisfaction from supporting them on their KMD journey.

She is married and very happy that her children share her voracious reading habits. At weekends she can be found curled up on the sofa with a good book or wandering around local book shops with her daughter.

Claire Naughton

Administration Manager

Colin has been advising private clients for over 20 years is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, holds the Chartered and Certified Financial Planner qualifications and the STEP Certificate for Financial Services – Trusts and Estate Planning. He is passionate about delivering well thought through advice and exceptional service to clients.

He has previously worked for a prestigious London-based advice firm and also headed up the Anglia region for the Wealth advisory arm of a large national accountancy practice.

Colin joined KMD in 2018 after a lengthy period of research to find a firm that shared his passion for delivering comprehensive and personalised wealth management to help clients achieve their goals.

He has a Degree in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Offshore Engineering and prior to becoming a Financial Planner, travelled the world working as a drilling engineer in the oil and gas industry. Colin finds his technical engineering background helpful when evaluating complex client scenarios.

Colin is married with two children and when not at work, enjoys family holidays, walking their cocker spaniel and attempting to improve his golf handicap.

Colin Gibson

B.Eng, MSc, FPFS

Senior Adviser
Chartered Financial Planner
STEP Affiliate

Dean has been researching investments and managing multi-asset portfolios for private clients, trusts and charities for nearly 20 years. Since graduating in 2005 with a degree in mathematics, he has put his skills in the ‘science of investing’ to full use interpreting inter-market trends to design efficient investment strategies. Dean leads our Investment Team and chairs the Investment Committee.

Prior to joining KMD in 2013, Dean was the architect for another wealth manager’s investment proposition. He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and was recognised globally for his achievement in portfolio construction theory in 2017, winning the CISI examination award.

Away from the office, Dean enjoys spending time with his young family and when not teaching his son the rudiments of DIY with a toy toolset, he can be found using the real thing as a keen DIY enthusiast. Currently training for his first half marathon, he is also a swimmer and squash player.

Dean Aitchison

BSc (Hons), IMC, FCSI, MIMA

Head of Investment Advice
Chartered Wealth Manager
Chartered Mathematician

Ellie joined KMD in 2015 and her role as Operations Co-ordinator involves working closely with our Operations Director to ensure that our day-to-day business runs smoothly. Her wider KMD experience – working as a member of a team providing excellent service to clients, together with her understanding of what happens behind the scenes from an IT perspective – means she is able to influence and support operational improvements at the firm’s various locations.

She started her career in the retail sector and the skills she learned, including how to deliver fantastic customer care, proved to be valuable when she decided to change direction and join KMD. She holds a Pitman’s Diploma in office skills and the Certificate in Regulated Financial Services Operations.

Ellie enjoys taking long walks with her partner and their French bulldog, keeping fit and extreme activities such as sky diving.

Ellie Gough

Operations Co-ordinator

Hannah started her career in a pharmacy, but her desire to learn and enjoyment in dealing with customers led to her deciding to change direction. She then joined a financial services firm in 2013 where she gained experience across different roles.

Attracted by our team-based approach to managing clients’ needs and focus on delivering the best possible service, she joined KMD in 2018. Hannah is now a member of our Technical team and holds the Personal Finance Society’s Diploma in Financial Planning. As a highly organised person with excellent administrative skills and increasing technical knowledge, she supports our Chartered Financial Planners to ensure the smooth delivery of service to our clients.

Hannah and her husband share their home with Reggie the cat and enjoy trying new restaurants with friends. Very active, she takes long walks, enjoys the gym and has developed a love of playing badminton.

Hannah Ward

DipPFS

Technical Assistant

Kim joined KMD in 2019 and comes from the banking world. She spent 20 years with the Lloyds Banking Group working in various divisions and locations including London, Halifax and Cardiff. Prior to joining us she was PA to the Regional Director and based in Bishop’s Stortford.

Highly organised and with a genuine passion for client service, Kim provides telephone callers and visitors with a warm and professional welcome to the firm. Her years of experience at senior level and management skills are also utilised in her role as Kevin Deamer’s PA.

Originally from South Wales, she is married with two daughters. Very active, she enjoys wild water swimming, going to the gym and running with her dog.

Kim Speller

Reception Manager &
PA to Managing Director

With the unique distinction of having worked with Kevin for over 20 years, Lois started her career in finance in 1989. Initially working for stockbrokers in Bristol, she later moved into independent financial advice and qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

That background, combined with her ability to see the bigger picture while also identifying potential operational efficiencies, has made her a valuable asset to Kevin and KMD over the years. Today, her continued commitment to improving the client experience and supporting our Chartered Financial Planners is demonstrated daily in her role as Client Manager and her commitment to gaining more financial qualifications.

Out of working hours, she is busy with three children but finds time to enjoy yoga, music and reading.

Lois Frost

DipPFS

Client Manager

Neal is responsible for our secure, protected management systems and has designed a number of our administrative and presentation tools. Prior to joined KMD in 2011, he spent 11 years working in web design, tech support and as a Test Analyst at a financial software company.

A former professional guitarist, he spent 10 years travelling the world with well-known musical theatre productions and played lead guitar with 80s New Wave singer-songwriter Hazel O’Connor’s band.

Married with an adult daughter, he still plays local gigs and is also a keen scuba diver.

Neal Talamas

IT Support Manager

Olly’s career commenced at an energy trading firm before he changed direction becoming a private client investment manager at NW Brown. Over time, his focus shifted towards running the business and in 2011 he was appointed to the board of the operating company and then its parent company three years later. By now Chief Operating Officer, he took up the reins as CEO in 2017.

The firm grew into a £1bn AUM business and he led its integration into Brown Shipley. In 2022 he moved on to continue focusing on what he loves. He summarises that as: ‘helping great companies with great cultures build their proposition and deliver what they do with real operational efficiency’.

Subsequently becoming a Director of Green & Purple, which specialises in virtual CFO and finance teams, he joined KMD as a Director in 2023. Olly loves KMD’s vision of bringing long-term financial clarity to clients and is focused on the continued development and roll out of our wealth management service in Cambridge and the eastern region. A Chartered Fellow of the CISI, he holds the Securities Institute Diploma.

Married with four children, who he spends much of his time ferrying around, he is a keen tennis player and skier, an armchair fan of most other sports and an avid listener to an ever-widening range of podcasts.

Olly Phillips

Chartered FCSI

Director

Helen joined KMD in 2021 bringing with her 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry. Formerly an Adviser with the wealth management arm of a law firm, she holds the Personal Finance Society’s Diploma in Financial Planning and is undertaking the lengthy study necessary to achieve Chartered status.

Her day-to-day focus is on ensuring that she has a good understanding of clients’ circumstances and goals while utilising her technical competence and experience to provide them with the best possible service.

Married with three children, a playful Lowchen puppy and two guinea pigs, she enjoys spending time with her young family. To keep active, she likes running and cycling and meditates to relax, preferably by the sea.

Helen Prosser

DipPFS

Financial Adviser

Prior to joining KMD at the beginning 2021, Stuart had already accrued 35 years’ experience in financial services and held management positions in organisations ranging from banks and insurers to third party administrators.

In his role as Operations Director, Stuart is responsible for overseeing and developing the general functions of the firm. This includes leading on the implementation of initiatives to enhance our Processes and Procedures, heading Compliance and regulatory requirements, Finance and IT as well as championing our Core Values. He is continually looking for ways to improve the KMD experience for clients and support the team in their personal and Professional Development.

Stuart holds an MBA from Cranfield University and in his spare time is on the board of a local Community Land Trust. Married with two daughters, he enjoys watching motorsport, football and cricket and can occasionally be found riding his mountain bike or running around the country lanes of north-west Essex.

Stuart Ward

MBA

Operations Director

Alex started his career in accountancy and that strong foundation in financial analysis has proved invaluable during his 15 years’ experience in financial planning where he has held operational, technical and client-facing roles. Prior to joining KMD at the beginning of 2022 he worked for a private bank in Cambridge.

In accordance with our team approach to client management, Alex’s role can involve both leading on client planning and working alongside a Senior Adviser where specific client challenges would benefit from his additional expertise.

Being a passionate advocate of the importance of personalised advice, he particularly enjoys working with clients to help them determine their goals in life, producing comprehensive advice and presenting this in an accessible way.

A keen spectator and active participant in all kinds of sport, Alex enjoys cycling, tennis and skiing and is a competitive fencer taking part in regional championships and team events. He and his wife have a young daughter and love the outdoors and exploring nature trails.

Alex Vitali

BA(Hons), APFS

Chartered Financial Planner

Prior to joining us in 2022, Megan had worked in financial services for several years, holding positions in Melbourne, London and Bishop’s Stortford. Presently studying for financial qualifications, she is committed to developing her career with KMD and is focused on delivering the highest possible levels of client service.

As an Administration Manager she is responsible for supporting the Advisers, building positive client relationships, managing their administration and developing rapport with third party product providers to help guide the efficient processing of KMD client work.

An enthusiastic member of our team, she ably demonstrates her ability to multi-task and takes all challenges in her stride.

Megan and her boyfriend are focused on keeping fit and are regulars at the gym. She particularly enjoys boxing classes, running and long walks and when she has the time, photography.

Megan Moody

Administration Manager

Having joined KMD in 2008, Annette is one of our two longest serving members of the team. As the firm was then relatively small in comparison to her previous employer – London-based BP Finance – it proved to be something of an adjustment, but she quickly appreciated and enjoyed the team approach.

Prior to joining BP, where her responsibilities included various accounting services, payroll and systems projects, she worked for a firm of Accountants, which meant she arrived at KMD with a wealth of experience.

In her long-standing role as Accounts Administrator, Annette oversees day-to-day financial management and enjoys working with figures and analysing data and is very focused on the detail and making sure we hit timelines.

A local resident, she has two children – both of whom are married – and three grandchildren who keep her busy in her spare time. She also enjoys Pilates, reading and gardening.

Annette Mitchell

Accounts Administrator

Teri joined KMD in the Spring of 2023 and has a career background spanning both financial services and the legal profession. 

Over the years she has found many similarities between the two fields as both are focused on client care and place considerable importance on compliance, regulation and CPD. As a result, her natural ability to identify operational efficiencies and demonstrate excellent attention to detail have stood her in good stead.

She started her career with a brief stint in financial services in the City before joining a large Corporate law firm, later moving to a more local position in Family Law where she remained until starting a family. Once her children went to school, she resumed her career as a part-time junior administrator in an IFA in Chelmsford and worked her way up to a senior role within the administration team.

As our Client Data Support Manager, Teri is responsible for overseeing the integrity of much of the client data on our CRM system.  Ensuring we record a wide array of information is an essential aspect of our client service delivery activities and she therefore works very closely with the wider administration and support team.

Teri has two teenage children and two step-children so life is never quiet. She also enjoys going to the gym and loves travelling so is always on the lookout for bargain holidays.

Teri Clarke

Client Data Support Manager

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