The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 44: Aug/Sept 2019 | Page 16

10 MINUTES WITH... JONATHAN KNEE FINANCIAL ADVISER AT McKenzie & Co. Financial Consultants Trowbridge-born Jonathan Knee has Wiltshire in his blood. He grew up on Widbrook Farm in Bradford on Avon (now the Widbrook Grange) and went to St. Johns and St. Augustine’s Schools in Trowbridge. He is the great-great-grandson of Henry Knee, the founder of Knees Home & Electrical - celebrating 140 years in business this year. Jonathan is the latest recruit at McKenzie & Co. Financial Consultants, recently joining the firm as Financial Adviser. He has previously worked in the city for financial giants such as Legal & General and MetLife, as well as working for Bath’s Novia Financial. Jonathan has board level experience, having worked for his family business as group director, and he was also a non-executive director of the British Independent Retailers Association. We met Jonathan to talk finance, retail and why he is so proud to call Wiltshire home. HOW DID YOU GET INTO FINANCE? My first role in financial services was as a temp working at Legal & General in the City of London, next door to Mansion House, on their offshore PEP helpdesk. It was a great job and I benefited from some fantastic management around me who gave me some amazing opportunities, that I grabbed with both hands and they taught me so much. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE? I have a wide and varied client base that is growing rapidly, covering both private and corporate clients. I have a passion for working with people, helping them plan for the future that they desire whilst ensuring that adequate protection and planning is in place should life throw the odd curveball (which it inevitably will in one way or 16 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019 another!). Being a financial adviser is a huge responsibility and one that I enjoy immensely. HOW CAN YOU HELP BUSINESSES AND THEIR OWNERS? By helping them better understand and prepare business risks, pensions, employee benefits, share incentive schemes and corporate investments. I provide my corporate clients and their employees, with a significant amount of support in areas that they might not have the time or expertise to fully prepare for. It helps having had personal experience working across multiple business sectors and being able to understand first- hand how precious a business owner’s time and resources are. WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST LEARNING IN BUSINESS? That the most obvious detail is often the thing we miss, everyone is trying to be so clever in business that it’s the simple things that can be forgotten. It’s so important to constantly review the principles and foundations of your business, to ensure that they are sound and evolve over time. WITH YOUR EXPERTISE IN INDEPENDENT RETAIL, WHAT TOP TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE LOCAL RETAILERS? Keep your retail message simple, become an expert within your area of expertise – don’t overstretch your retail proposition as it will inevitably be lost on your customers. Invest in your staff, reward them and treat them with respect. They are central to your business succeeding of failing and will often be the barometer by which your customers rate you and your business. TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT ST. AUGUSTINE’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE I am currently an Academy Governor and Chair of Premises Committee. It is an active and demanding role providing input to the headteacher and his senior team who run the school. I try to get involved as much as possible, covering everything from judging Young Musician of the Year, to holding mock interviews for Careers Day and being an assessor for the schools Duke of Edinburgh program to name but a few! I HEAR YOU ARE ALSO A MENTOR? Yes, I’m a business mentor for SETsquared Partnership in Bath. I work with young people to help them improve their business planning. The SETsquared partnership is the enterprise collaboration between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey. We support high tech start-up companies, providing student enterprise and enabling academics to maximise the impact of their research. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT WILTSHIRE? Wiltshire is such a beautiful county, it sits in a great location with London, Bristol, Birmingham and the South Coast all within a couple of hours commute. I love the villages dotted about and regularly visit the various farmers markets, local events and Stourhead among other beautiful local destinations. HOW DO YOU RELAX? My favorite hobby is swimming, I was a member of Bradford on Avon ASC from 1982 onwards and more recently started swimming with Bath Dolphins ASC. I still compete in the odd competition when time allows. My wife and I enjoy days out with our son, Stanley, we recently bought annual passes to Longleat which we are really enjoying. My family are all around the area, stretching from Shepton Mallett to Trowbridge so we often get to spend time with them too. Email Jonathan at: [email protected] or call 01225 300281 To find out more about McKenzie & Co. Financial Consultants visit: www.mckenzieandco.co.uk and sign up to their financial E-briefing by clicking on the sign-up section.