Three years since it listed on the London Stock Exchange, inaugural eprivateclient Excellence Awards' winner JTC Group is continuing to grow and evolve.

Sticking with its aim of being “shapers not followers”, the 2021 eprivateclient Top Trust Company is not willing to sit still.

Iain Johns, group head of private client services at the firm, told eprivateclient that JTC is aiming to at least double its business in the next five years.

It plans to do this through organic growth, a disciplined approach to acquisitions and launching new services to meet client needs.

The firm has recently completed a £65.9 million fundraise. “It’s a vote of confidence in our strategy and potential”, Mr Johns - who was named as a 2021 eprivateclient 50 Most Influential - said.

On the private client side, the firm is in early stage talks with a number of opportunities. There are also multiple acquisitions being looked at on the institutional side. “It’s an ongoing journey. You just have to keep growing,” Mr Johns explained.

Part of this comes from being a publically listed company. “There has been more pressure since the IPO. We’re more visible for sure.”

As a listed company, you have to have a story to tell, Mr Johns explained, otherwise fund managers and individuals may be reluctant to invest in you.

“You have to be able to demonstrate your growth and be aware that every move will be analysed. This can be time consuming for the management team, who spend significant time responding to queries and communicating with shareholders. But we are definitely seeing the benefits of being listed and our clients like the stability it provides. “

Mr Johns noted that while growth through acquisition is a priority, JTC is careful about what it acquires. They don’t buy for the sake of it and it has to be the right fit – which includes being the right cultural fit.  

Mr Johns is optimistic about the future for JTC.

“The wealthy will always need our services.”

He has seen an increase in demand from clients during the pandemic, at least in part due to the rise in wealth the very rich have experienced in the past 12-18 months.

This increase in wealth for the very rich has not been good news for everyone. Mr Johns said clients are “very aware” of wealth inequality and the majority want to make a positive difference.

“The ESG agenda is huge. It’s definitely something we lead with in client conversations.”

Mr Johns acknowledged that JTC wasn’t first to the party with an ESG offering, but he thinks they’ll catch up “very quickly”, and they have some exciting plans that will set JTC’s offering apart from others.

The firm’s acquisition of INDOS, which completed this month, should help with this, as INDOS specialises in ESG services as well as independent fund oversight.

It’s not just clients that want to be involved. JTC is also encouraging employees to help with its ESG initiatives.

“People want to be involved. I shouldn’t have been surprised by how many people volunteered, but it did surprise me a bit,” Mr Johns said. 

This “buy in” from employees perhaps reflects that every staff member is also a shareholder in the business, making them more invested in the firm’s future.

JTC also prides itself on doing things differently to other fiduciary services providers.

“We’re not just an administrator. We take delivering excellent client service as an absolute baseline. You have to be accessible, you have to be competitive on fees, and you have to deliver value for money. They are not differentiators for us, they are the core”.

Mr Johns believes JTC’s technology offering is one area that sets the firm apart from its competitors.

JTC has developed its own economic substance testing tool. Clients appreciate this, as economic substance is a big concern for many operating in the offshore world now.

In addition its app – Edge – allows clients to have “their life in one place” and gives peace of mind that their affairs are organised. Clients can store as many documents as they like in the app’s document store, as well as viewing their whole portfolio whenever they like.

Currently Edge is only available to JTC Private Office clients, but it will be offered to all private clients shortly.

“Our aim is to make it an experience rather than a service,” Mr Johns explained.

The next step for Edge? To “supercharge it”.