Smith & Williamson appoints Grant Hotson as Group Financial Director

Grant Hotson joins Smith & Williamson as Group Financial Director, stepping over from Alexus Consulting. In addition, Hotson takes a seat on the firm’s main Board as well as on the Board of its financial services related subsidiaries, and is based in London.

Prior to joining Smith & Williamson, Grant Hotson was a Director at management consultancy Alexus Consulting for just over a year. Hotson was previously the Chief Financial Officer at Ignis Asset Management and a member of its executive team (for two years from 2012) before the company was acquired by Standard Life Investments in 2014. Earlier roles include Head of Finance at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership for a year, Head of Finance and Business Partnering for Scottish Widows, and Finance Business Partner and Customer Retention at Prudential Assurance. Earlier in his career, Hotson worked at PwC as an Audit Senior Manager, having joined the Big Four firm in 1998.

Hotson holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the Edinburgh Napier University and is a chartered accountant. Hotson is a Trustee of ENABLE Scotland.

Hotson has been appointed as Smith & Williamson’s Group Financial Director, and, additionally, takes a seat on the firm’s main Board and on the Boards of the firm’s subsidiaries related to tax and business services and the investment management and banking divisions. Hotson succeeds Jeremy Boadle, who retires from the firm after more than 30 years of service – Boadle held a number of increasingly senior roles over his tenure, including 11 years on the Board.

Hotson says that he is “delighted” about taking on this “exciting and diverse role at Smith & Williamson.” He adds, “The particular spread of financial advisory services which the firm offers across investment management, accountancy and tax make Smith & Williamson a unique business. I will be working across the firm and this will ensure an exciting and fascinating role.”

Welcoming Hotson to the firm, Kevin Stopps, co-Chief Executive of Smith & Williamson, says that the firm is “delighted” with the addition of Hotson as Group Finance Director, adding, “we very much look forward to working with him. He brings a wealth of commercial experience in financial management with a background that includes both accountancy and asset management firms.”

Two months ago Smith & Williamson bolstered its London team with Russell Cook, who works as a Director in the Corporate Finance team.