Söderberg & Partners Wealth Management, the fast growing Scandinavian firm building a presence in the UK, has recruited Paul Boston as its new chairman following the death of former chairman Bill Vasilieff last year.

Mr Boston has worked in the wealth management and advice sectors for many years and was a founding partner of Novia Financial and Copia Capital Management.

He is currently director at HT Money, which provides advised investment solutions to clients with small portfolios, and is also a director at management consultancy Wychfield Associates.

He takes over from industry platform veteran Bill Vasilieff, who died unexpectedly last November at the age of 68. It is believed he had suffered a stroke. Mr Vasilieff was also a founder of Novia.

Nordic wealth manager Söderberg & Partners has been steadily building a business in the UK and has taken minority stakes in many UK Financial Planning and advice businesses.

In the last year, the group has taken stakes in Bath-based advisory firm Fidelius, Tunbridge Wells advice firm Courtney Havers, Chartered IFA practice Bespoke-Advice, Bigmore Associates, and Clear Financial Advice. 

Söderberg & Partners’ chief executive Nick Raine said: “The loss of Bill Vasilieff leaves big shoes to fill. I am delighted that long term colleague and industry stalwart Paul Boston will be taking on the mantel having stepped up from non-exec director. We look forward to leveraging his experience and knowledge as we continue to take our business forward.”

Mr Boston, who will be a non-executive chairman, said: “I am delighted to be taking on this role at such an important time for the business although I clearly wish it had been a result of different circumstances.

“It has been fascinating to watch the pace at which Söderberg & Partners’ have made their mark on the UK advice marketplace with lots more to come  For me it stands out from the pack by making the adviser absolutely core, not the necessary evil to distribute the core. I am really looking forward to supporting the company’s management team with its future plans.”

Söderberg & Partners was founded in Sweden in 2004 and is one of the biggest wealth management and insurance firms in the Nordic region and the Netherlands. It has more than 4,800 employees and £70bn in Assets under Management and Assets under Advice. It has offices in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain and the United Kingdom.