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Meet the team

Based across the region of Wessex, we provide wealth and investment services to private clients, trustees, pension funds and their advisers across the UK.

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Meet the Raymond James, Wessex team

Paul Whitehead FCSI
Senior Investment Manager, Branch Principal
Benjamin Smith
Chartered Financial Planner
Andy Welch
Chartered Financial Planner
Duncan Ratley
Consultant
Martin Glover
Consultant
Andrew Margrie
Operations and Portfolio Manager
Sarah Ward
Client Administrator
Emma Wilson
Client Administrator
Aniko Meli
Executive Assistant

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Paul Whitehead

Senior Investment Manager, Branch Principal

Paul Whitehead is the Branch Principal of Raymond James, Wessex and a Chartered Fellow of the CISI as well as holding the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning. Paul oversees a professional team that provides a leading wealth management service to private clients and families across the UK. This includes both financial planning and investment management services depending on client requirements and supported by a knowledgeable and highly experienced team. 

Having joined Raymond James in 2021 after 12 years at Brewin Dolphin, Paul takes great pleasure in building relationships across generations with his clients and providing them with a truly personal service. He established the Cheltenham Spa branch which has recently merged with Raymond James Exeter to form Raymond James, Wessex.

Paul enjoys meeting with our clients regularly whether that is at a client’s home or in the office to ensure we have a full understanding of their needs and objectives which will inevitably change over time. He also has a keen interest and passion for investing and markets which are ever changing and create both challenges and opportunities.  

Outside of work Paul has a young family with whom he enjoys ‘relaxing’!

Benjamin Smith

Chartered Financial Planner

Ben is a Chartered Financial Planner and Wealth Manager, as well as an Associate of the Personal Finance Society and a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute. With over a decade of experience in wealth management, Ben has worked across a diverse range of financial institutions—from major global firms to boutique advisory practices—gaining deep expertise in both investment strategy and holistic financial planning.

Ben began his finance career as an Investment Analyst, where he specialised in researching and constructing bespoke investment portfolios. Over time, he transitioned into client-facing roles, combining his analytical background with a passion for helping individuals, families and professional trustees navigate complex financial decisions.

Today, Ben provides tailored financial planning and wealth management services to clients across the South of England, as well as nationally. He is committed to building long-term, trusted relationships and delivering advice that is both strategic and personal. As a Discretionary Investment Manager and a member of the firm’s Investment Management Committee, Ben plays a key role in shaping investment strategy while ensuring it aligns with each client’s unique goals.

Throughout his career, Ben has supported clients through significant life transitions—such as retirement, inheritance, divorce, career changes and the loss of loved ones—helping them simplify complexity and create financial plans that offer clarity, confidence, and peace of mind. He specialises in helping clients sustainably enjoy the rewards of their hard work.

Outside of his professional life, Ben is a devoted husband, father of two daughters, and housemate to a dog who’s turned laziness into an art form. He enjoys family time and has a wide range of interests, including music, theatre, film, cooking, gardening, and Formula 1.

Andy Welch

Chartered Financial Planner

As a Chartered Financial Planner, Andy has been working in Financial Services for over 30 years, most of which have been with large accountancy firms.

Joining the team in 2020 provided Andy with the perfect opportunity to continue providing exceptional financial planning advice to his existing and new clients.

During his career he has had the pleasure of dealing with a wide range of planning scenarios, helping clients to achieve their life objectives. In order to make this happen, Andy invests heavily in the relationships he has with his clients, creating the trust that is required to talk about the most important things in their lives.

Through this process, he creates a financial plan which allows the client to visualise the future better, helping them to do more of what they want to do and less of what they don’t, in a cost-effective, tax-efficient and risk-managed manner.

In particular, over the last 10 years, Andy has developed a specialism in dealing with divorce scenarios, which he finds particularly rewarding as people in these circumstances really appreciate having someone they can trust to navigate the complex financial situations that can occur.

Duncan Ratley

Consultant

Duncan now works two days a week as a Chartered Financial Planner pending his full retirement later in the year, having set the Exeter branch up in 2013 with Clive Down. Duncan has been in the financial services profession for over 40 years and is currently supporting the transition of the branch to the new branch principal Paul Whitehead.

Martin Glover

Consultant

Martin has been advising clients for over 25 years and joined Raymond James in January 2016 having known Duncan, Andrew and Clive for many years.

He is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, a Chartered Financial Planner and a fully qualified Discretionary Investment Manager and sits on the branch investment committee.

His industry experience and professional qualifications allow him to act as a valuable sounding board for the business and his clients alike.

Andrew Margrie

Operations and Portfolio Manager

Andrew has worked in the industry for 25 years following graduating with a Business Studies degree from the University of Hertfordshire. He holds the Certificate in Discretionary Investment Management, and the Level 4 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning from the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Andrew has a strong compliance background having worked in the compliance department for a large asset management company in Exeter, and also from spending three years as a self-employed Compliance consultant.

Andrew moved to a client-facing paraplanning role in 2010, and has grown to thrive on interacting with, and building relationships with clients ensuring that the on-going service we deliver continues to meet the high standards our clients expect.

Following his recent authorisation as an Investment Manager he has now moved into a new role working with Paul on the management of our client portfolios. This involves monitoring portfolio performance, research and analysis of financial instruments and markets to ensure our portfolios continue to deliver as our clients expect.

Andrew now also meets clients to understand their financial situations, objectives and risk tolerance to develop and discuss and advise on investment strategies required to meet their objectives.

Sarah Ward

Client Administrator

Sarah has worked in the financial services industry for nearly 20 years. She has a strong background in administration within the Pension Industry and Discretionary Investment Management sector, having previously worked for an Employee Benefit Solutions company. She holds a Diploma in Pension Calculations as well as a Certificate in Investment Operations (Level 3) from The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment. Sarah is currently working towards The CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning. 

Sarah moved to a client-facing administrator role with Raymond James in 2023, and has enjoyed interacting and building relationships with clients, ensuring the service we deliver continues to meet the high standards our clients deserve and expect.

Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, who certainly keep her busy! Most evenings and weekends, she can be found on the sidelines of a rugby, football, or cricket pitch—proudly embracing her role as chief cheerleader for her family’s sporting endeavours. When she’s not supporting from the stands, Sarah loves socialising with friends and family or attending her weekly Marimba class. 

Emma Wilson

Client Administrator

Emma plays a key role in delivering the highest standard of client service, working in close partnership with the advisory team and wider support team.

With a career in financial services that began at Halifax, Emma brings a wealth of experience across banking, insurance, pensions, and investments, having worked with several leading financial institutions.  Throughout her career, Emma has remained committed to placing clients at the heart of everything she does, upholding the values of integrity, care, and professionalism. She holds the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and is dedicated to ongoing professional development.

Outside of work, Emma enjoys a busy family life with her two children and family dog and finds balance through creative pursuits such as floristry and pottery.

Aniko Meli

Executive Assistant

Aniko began her career in card fraud investigations at an investment bank, a role she secured following her dissertation research within the department. Her early experience opened the door to a range of positions across brokerages and investment banks in the City of London. These roles included responsibilities such as international travel for investor roadshows, as well as client onboarding in both Know Your Customer (KYC) and client mapping functions for electronic trading platforms.

After taking an extended break to focus on her family, Aniko has returned to the financial services industry and now supports Paul Whitehead at Raymond James. She is dedicated to delivering high quality administrative support and exceptional client service.