Bristol-based Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) is the UK’s largest direct-to-investor investment and savings service. The company employs over 1,700 people and has around 1,500,000 clients.
HL is a fantastic example of the opportunity for financial and professional services to grow in the West of England. Established in 1981, the organisation has grown from humble beginnings to one of the shining stars of our region, reaching the FTSE top 50.
Bristol is known for its professional services sector, and Bristol and Bath were also recently recognised in the Kalifa Review of Fintech as one of the Top 10 leading Fintech Clusters in the UK.
Pre COVID-19 the Government estimated over 30,000 UK Fintech jobs and 1,600 new businesses would come from the sector by 2030.
Chris Hill, CEO, is clear on why Bristol has been such a great place to grow the business. “The city has two fantastic universities providing a constant supply of talent, armed with the skills that modern businesses need to succeed and remain competitive. The launch of the University of Bristol and University of the West of England’s FinTech MSCs will attract more talent to the city.”
HL’s vision is centred on using technology to help innovate, develop and deliver services that clients want and will add value to their businesses and personal investments.
Over the next few years, HL will continue to evolve its core systems architecture. COVID-19 has seen many businesses bring forward their digital strategies, and HL are no different. They have found that solutions that improve services for their clients and colleagues are vital. They are working to create a completely open ecosystem that leverages technology and investment through third parties. This will allow HL to move faster when it comes to delivering services and experiences to clients across multiple channels. The open platform will also enable the firm to integrate with third-party services, their tools and their data.
Chris said: “I see the value of working in partnership with other organisations to bring wider social benefits. I’ve been delighted that HL has been able to provide some of our colleagues to help support the regional recovery work.”
HL has worked closely with Invest Bristol & Bath, the inward investment arm of the West of England Combined Authority, over recent years to successfully promote and attract investment to the region. They have been involved in the growth of Fintech West, which aims to champion the Fintech and Financial Services industry within the region and have supported the FinTech Ecosystem report produced by Whitecap Consulting in December 2019.
David Henderson, Head of Transformation at HL and Advisory Board Member for Fintech West: “We’re delighted to support the Invest Bristol & Bath team as they play a key role in highlighting and promoting the FinTech sector in Bristol on a national and international level. We’re proud of our local heritage and we’re keen to support initiatives that improve the future of the region for all concerned.”
“I see the value of working in partnership with other organisations to bring wider social benefits. I’ve been delighted that HL has been able to provide some of our colleagues to help support the regional recovery work.”
To find out more about locating your Business & Professional Services business in our region, please get in touch with our Invest Bristol & Bath team