‘I’ve been here close to 30 years, and, though technology has advanced, the thing that hasn’t changed is our face-to-face contact with clients.’

That’s Graham Neale, he’s a Stockbroking Director at Canaccord Wealth, and, in that opening sentence, he’s set the theme for our interview; Canaccord’s values as a company.

If you haven’t heard of it, Canaccord Wealth is the largest wealth management company on the island but despite the size of its operation, it prides itself on having a friendly, personable ethos. An atmosphere I picked up on when interviewing some of their team.

‘It’s a very personal business, all about confidence and comfort from the client’s perspective,’ Client Services Manager, Alison Johnson adds. ‘It doesn’t matter how efficient your system is, if you don’t have that contact, they don’t feel comfortable and confident with what you’re doing.’

Both Alison and Graham have been with the company in its various forms for close to 3 decades, and have seen it grow while maintaining its company value – prioritising the comfort of the client.

Canaccord resides quietly on Athol Street. Walking in, their offices were warm and welcoming – I was offered a cup of tea at least 4 times. They seem to have found the balance between moving with advancements in finance technology while maintaining authentic care for customers.

‘I strongly suspect most large institutions will utilize automated processing and AI as much as possible,’ Head of Portfolio Management, Stuart Wilson, tells me. ‘Technology will keep growing and improving, but we will always still have that point of contact because when you’re talking large sums of money, people want to speak to a real person.’

It’d be an easy mistake to make in thinking Canaccord Wealth’s business is all about money, but it is people that lie at its heart.

‘The key with our industry is people, you have to have that individual connection,’ Head of Wealth Management, Tom Richards tells me, enthusiastically.

Instead of moving to automated systems to deal with clients from arm’s length, like many big companies, Canaccord uses technological advancement to get closer to their customers.

‘AI has helped develop some of the systems we use. For example, we have one that looks at how often we’re contacting clients, and if a client hasn’t been contacted for a while, it prompts us to get in touch. It’s about remembering that clients do want that personal service and how do we deliver that. We don’t want to fall into the trap of getting too big and losing touch.’

Being adaptive to the client is one of the most effective skills the team at Canaccord Wealth utilises, and combining data gathering technology with the personal touch, employees can work around the needs of the client and what level of service makes them most comfortable.

‘Some clients want a lot of contact, others don’t, we find out the level of service they want and then cater to that,’ Alison tells me.

And it’s a company that doesn’t charge for additional information clients may ask for, Steve Sharples tells me earnestly. He’s Head of Stockbroking.

‘At some other places, you can find ad hoc fees being put in for doing this type of work, but we’re here for the clients so we’re happy to provide information and do what it is they need.’

This level of personable, adaptable service is likely the reason Canaccord gets most of its business from referrals.

‘It’s paramount that we provide the customer service they expect,’ Stuart says. ‘And if you do that, you get referrals. And they’re the best sources of business, because if your friend recommends somebody, there’s a level of trust that’s already partially built.’

And if the friendliness wasn’t enough to draw you in, they’re also taking proactive steps to help the Isle of Man reach its 2050 Net Zero target by controlling their all-round energy usage, and also go to great lengths to give back to the community, donating more than £465,000 to over 200 different charities in the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey over the past two decades.

The only person yet to speak is Alex Toohey. He’s not only an Investment Director at Canaccord Wealth but the creator and director of Two Feathers Productions, so one could say he’s been waiting in the wings. Canaccord not only supports his theatre ambitions but also him, as a person, bringing us back around nicely to the main point being made about Canaccord; it’s a company that cares about people.

‘When you’ve been here this long, you go through different events in your life, some good, some bad, and you can’t help but bring that into the office sometimes. The support that’s always been there from colleagues is not just a corporate relationship. You become friends. You care about each other, and you give each other flexibility. And when that happens, loyalty increases, you feel like you want to give more. It becomes less about coming to work to simply do a job and more about doing the job because you care, not just about the clients, but also about the people that you work with.’