The Team
The partners - John King and Amanda Laurence - are a highly skilled management team with combined relevant experience of over 50-years across private wealth, technology, entrepreneurship, strategy and finance.
Partners:
John King
25-years experience in property and business finance, private wealth, banking and financial services including managing large scale institutional transactions. With an initial career based in the IT industry went on to financial services and property before setting up the Company.
Previously Managing Director of Barclays Mortgages, General Insurance and Life and Pensions for Barclays Bank, where he managed and extended the £20bn book of business. He also managed the mortgage integration of the strategic £5.4bn acquisition of Woolwich PLC, before going on to manage part of Barclays Wealth.
Prior to that he worked for American Express, on a new business venture in the UK, as Director of Personal Financial Planning, as well as for national Independent Financial Advisor, Towry Law, as director of Marketing and Operations.
His financial services career followed 10 years working in the IT industry. He still retains a keen interest in technology and has worked on systems to assist in city congestion charging.
He was previously a founding director of the Credit Card Awards (2005 – 2009) - the "Oscars" of the UK and Irish payment card industry.
Involved in many local charities mainly focused around the homeless and underprivileged: Non-Executive Director NACRO Housing, Client Services and Audit Committees, The Passage and the Cardinal Hume Centre. Awarded the KMCO by the Sacred Military Order of St George.
Amanda Laurence
16-years as strategist and business developer delivering profitable, innovative solutions as an adviser to private clients and senior decision makers within international companies. Former Director Strategy and Global Head of Real Estate at Clifford Chance - co-developed global strategy including generating growth in commercial real estate finance, given debt restrictions in certain jurisdictions - and MVNO advisor to Boots Board Director.
Skilled in generating growth or investment opportunities; advised global market leader with £1bn value at risk, pre Lehman’s collapse, on impact of unwinding of complex debt positions; reputational risk assessment for an £11bn global buy-out company analysing market entry into a more perceived risky sector. Developed strategic business model to execute deals in a South Africa/London venture.
Commenced career as a graduate with Accenture working on analysis of new businesses for acquisition and deal development.
Acted in a volunteer role as part of the Development Board for the new University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre. Volunteers at after school code club - with US non-profit code.org.
Educated at Said Business School – University of Oxford (Executive Programme) and a BSc (Hons) Business at Manchester Metropolitan University.