BRI Wealth Management completes acquisition of West Midlands Wealth Management

BRI Wealth Management has completed the acquisition of financial advisory firm West Midlands Wealth Management (WMWM), adding around £50m in client assets.

The acquisition brings BRI’s assets under management (AUM) to approximately £800m, a record high for the Coventry-based wealth management firm.

WMWM was founded by Ian Gough in 2015 and provides independent financial advice across investment management, retirement planning, and estate preservation.

Gough has worked in financial services since 1987, becoming an independent adviser in 1997 and holding senior management roles, including branch manager at Towry Law where he advised clients on lifetime financial planning, investments, taxation and trusts, retirement planning and the needs of company directors.

BRI’s acquisition of WMWM follows its purchase of Gloucestershire-based advisory firm FutureFocus Advisory Limited, which added a further £40m in client assets.

It has also strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Toni Meadows as head of investments, who previously worked at Omnis Investments, The Private Office, and Towry.

"I have great admiration for the value and service that Ian has provided to his clients over the years,” said BRI Wealth Management chief executive, Dan Boardman-Weston.

“This acquisition underlines our commitment to offering a client-first alternative to private equity-driven consolidation. I also want to thank Dan Bisby and James Farrell at Schofield Sweeney for their continued advice and expertise. I’m grateful also to Dan Campanale at Chapters Capital for introducing us to Ian.

"Our ambition is not to be the largest wealth manager, but to be the leading one in our region, built on continuity, trust and long-term relationships, while delivering high-quality advice in a supportive and professional environment."

Gough added: "Today marks an important milestone for both WMWM and our clients. I am proud to have guided the firm to this stage, and it has been a pleasure getting to know Dan and his wider team.

“BRI’s client-centric culture, strong team and tailored advice offering align closely with the way we have always worked.

“I am confident this partnership will provide our clients with access to even greater expertise and resources to support their long-term financial planning.”

Boardman-Weston said BRI was seeing record levels of enquiries and client inflows amid greater demand for advice, and the firm was “confident about the years ahead”.

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