Q1 Wealth Talent Overview
I have been recruiting into the wealth management sector for more than 16 years now, and I can’t recall a busier start to a year than the opening quarter of 2026. The pace of activity has been noticeable, with meaningful hiring and promotion activity continuing across the wealth management, investment management and private banking businesses.
Established private banks and wealth managers are competing intensely for experienced front office candidates, with hires spanning mid, senior and executive level appointments.
The wave of consolidation sweeping across the UK wealth management sector is still very much the single biggest driver behind the industry-wide hiring spree.
UK wealth management M&A reached a record £20 billion in 20251 and deal activity has barely paused through the first three months of 2026, with Nuveen acquiring Schroders in a £9.9 billion deal, and NatWest paying £2.7 billion to takeover Evelyn Partners.
M&A presents experienced candidates with a natural inflexion point to assess their career trajectories and consider their options. Deals create movement, and movement creates opportunity.
From my experience, the impact of an acquisition on industry hiring ripples out for months beyond the deal announcement date, and my team fully expects that Q1 deals will continue to influence hiring patterns through the rest of 2026 and beyond.
Transformational deals frequently bring leadership evolution, which drives senior level recruitment. Following Close Brothers Asset Management’s sale to Oaktree in 2025, for example, newly rebranded TrinityBridge has recently drafted in Tom Miller, previously with RBC Brewin Dolphin, as Head of Bespoke Investment Management.
Senior-level recruitment and promotions aren’t only a feature in M&A contexts. Brooks Macdonald, for example, announced the hire of Will Hobbs as its Chief Investment Officer from Barclays Private Bank alongside the internal promotion of Pippa Lyons to Head of Portfolio Management.
If we take a step back from the consolidation and senior hire activity, there is also sustained interest (as ever) in hiring relationship-led professionals who can bring experience, credibility and most importantly transferable client assets. This is a traditional way to accelerate non-organic growth for wealth managers and private banks and remains as relevant today as ever.
Candidates with financial planning capabilities are also highly sought after. Firms want to build out holistic wealth management propositions that combine investment management expertise (which also remains a busy area for hiring) with financial planning credibility that allows organisations to take the conversation with clients beyond just the investment portfolio.
As the market heads into 2026, the themes that shaped Q1 activity (consolidation, leadership change and demand for front-office talent) are expected to continue driving movement through the rest of the year. I don’t see Q1 as a one-off spike. These hiring trends still have a long way to run.
If you are a candidate, this is a great time to step back and examine your options. Demand for talent is high, opportunities are emerging, and conversations are worth having.
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