The eprivateclient 50 Most Influential is the definitive rankings of the key players in the UK and offshore private client practitioner sector.

To showcase the achievements of those listed this year and to get to know them a bit better, eprivateclient has begun publishing a series of Q&As with our 2021 50 Most Influentials.

This week we spoke with James Hender from accounting and advisory firm Saffery Champness. James specialises in advising high net worth clients in the financial services sector including senior bankers, hedge fund managers and private equity specialists. He worked at two of the Big Four accountancy firms before joining Smith & Williamson as a director in 2003 and Saffery Champness in 2012.

What have been your proudest personal/team achievements this year?

The way in which the Saffery Champness teams have pulled together to continue delivering excellent client service, despite the challenges of the pandemic and the new working arrangements it has thrown at us.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to have confidence in your abilities and judgement. The more you believe in yourself, the more clients will believe and trust in you.

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

I get a huge amount of satisfaction seeing members of the team develop and fulfil their potential. There is nothing more pleasing than helping people you have known for years progress through the ranks to manager and then up to partnership level, and building trusted client relationships along the way. 

What challenges do you see your firm/clients facing in the next 12 months?

Now that we have got fully used to the practicalities of flexible working, including seamlessly at home, the bigger challenge is almost to recreate the wider benefits of the office working environment and experience so that we can keep the glue in place between our teams and our clients. Culture and relationship building is certainly enhanced by proximity and while the experience of the last year will lead to many positive long-term changes in working practices, it will be important to strike an effective balance and not lose that important human touch.

What does being named a 50 Most Influential mean to you?

I feel greatly honoured to be thought about in this way, but it is mainly a tribute to the team that we have at Saffery Champness which delivers the excellent service to our clients which is the foundation of our reputation in the market and amongst our friends and colleagues in the wider professional community.

What is the favourite part of your job?

It really comes down to getting to know and understand the clients deeply and meaningfully by speaking to them every day – particularly, for instance, the large-scale family meetings that we have the honour of advising at and at which we provide guidance on some of the most complex and challenging situations individuals, their families and their business interests can face.

What made you choose to focus on private client work?

For many years I had a desire to be of service to wealthy families to help them to achieve their long term financial goals. However wealthy the individual or family, they are first and foremost people, with their own hopes, fears and predilections and they face a complex web of issues which private client advisers need to be able to manage – ranging from the highly personal and sensitive to the commercially strategic. No other area of the profession, in my opinion, provides that breadth of challenge, opportunity and fulfilment.

What book/luxury item would you want with you on a desert island?

If I was on a desert island, I would bring a luxury yacht so that I can explore the full coastline (but not to escape, as that would be defeating the question!).

If you were not in (and it is not) your current role, what would be your dream job?

As someone who studied the Classics – and the road from Tacitus to tax is a winding one - I would like to do something that involves travelling around Greece, Italy and the classical world leading educational tours.

What’s your favourite hobbies/passions/interests outside of work?

I particularly enjoy any outdoor activities and exercise with my family. This tends to be sailing, tennis or cycling in the summer, then running or skiing in the winter.

What one piece of advice has benefited you the most in your career?

Look after your clients, and look after your people.