When I enquire of Karen Barrett what she likes doing outside work, her answer is somewhat surprising: “I love knocking down walls.”

This, it turns out, is part of a wider interest in property renovation, but her response makes a change from ‘socialising with friends’ or ‘going to the cinema’. Then again, there’s a lot about Barrett that makes her stand out.

The founder and chief executive of Unbiased, the UK’s leading platform connecting people to financial advisers, oversees a business that works with more than 27,000 advisers and manages over £80bn in assets.

In the 15 years since its launch, it’s estimated that Unbiased has helped 10 million people access the right IFA, while also facilitating other crucial services such as mortgage brokerage and accountancy.

I had noticed that advisers were brilliant but often struggled to get their brand in front of the right customers

Pretty impressive for someone who started out with a team of just five and scant knowledge of how to run a business.

As she admits, “Google was definitely my friend in the early days, but you’ve just got to have a go.”

Getting started

As a child, Barrett was “quite good at a number of things”, but she never had a clear idea of what she wanted to pursue as a career.

Graduating from Newcastle University with a degree in economics and marketing, a natural flair for communication and creativity led to a job with Mortgage Express, then part of Lloyds TSB.

“I loved working there,” she claims. “They pioneered products such as buy-to-let, self-cert and buy-and-build mortgages.

“I set up their first internet connection in 1999, which was also my introduction to the internet. At that stage, it was all dial-up, waiting for ages to connect, but I realised you could put brochures, content and information online for people to consume — all quite revolutionary.”

I’d like to see targeted advice become more accessible, especially for those who aren’t served by the market

A move to Abbey National (now Santander) followed, and then onto IFA Promotion, where Barrett stayed for a decade, working her way up to become marketing director. It was this experience, she says, that gave her “a real understanding of the financial advice sector, and the consumer and professional pain points”.

Her experience in different-sized companies also convinced Barrett that she preferred smaller teams and a more autonomous environment.

“Now I run my own business, it’s interesting to see that the seeds were always there. When I was at Mortgage Express, there were only about 150 people and you were allowed to just go ahead and do things. I enjoyed the autonomy.”

A personal journey

However, it wasn’t just a desire for independence that spurred Barrett to set up Unbiased in 2009.

That same year, her second child was born with a heart condition, which led to the family spending several months in hospital.

It’s about generating value for employees and customers, and delivering on your promises

“It was only then I realised that I hadn’t made any financial plans for such an eventuality,” remembers Barrett.

“Despite advising others, I hadn’t taken my own planning to heart. And it made me realise that I needed an adviser who wasn’t just someone my parents had used.

“My son is fine now, but that experience gave me the push to go all in with Unbiased. Once you face something so personal, you think, ‘Why not? I’ll find another job if it doesn’t work out.’ It gave me the confidence to pursue it fully.”

Fulfilling a need

Barrett realised that, for both clients and advisers, there was a gap in the market that her new company could fill.

“Throughout my career, I had noticed that advisers were brilliant but often struggled to get their brand in front of the right customers. And, on the consumer side, people often didn’t realise they needed advice or assumed it wasn’t for them.

As we’ve grown and hired more senior people, having a laser focus on metrics has become crucial

“I recall a research group with these ladies aged 60–70. None of them had taken pension advice, despite having had good careers. They’d taken advice from people like their son’s friend, who was a bank manager, but not from a qualified adviser.

“That experience made it clear there was a place for Unbiased — connecting clients looking for the right adviser with advisers seeking a good, consistent flow of quality enquiries to help plan their business.”

Barrett’s previous roles had also taught her the importance of technology, when building Unbiased. From the start, the firm embraced data-led processes to make the adviser and client experience as efficient as possible.

“That’s where the Unbiased algorithm was born — learning from a few pieces of data to match people with the right adviser.

“Our platform has evolved from there to offer a full conversion tool that tracks client interactions, nudges customers and integrates with CRM systems, providing data insights about successful enquiries.”

We’re a marketplace business, so we have to keep the clients happy while also satisfying our paying customers: the advisers

Crucially, it’s the volume of traffic that has enabled the business to become more precise, creating different journeys for different advice needs. This, in turn, has driven growth — over the past few years, Unbiased has delivered around £20bn in assets under management to its adviser customers, 75% of which is new to the industry.

Learning on the job

For all her success, however, Barrett’s journey hasn’t been an easy one. She emphasises that “resilience is key” when starting and running a business.

“You have to dig deep and keep going. It’s not easy, especially when you’re trying to achieve a lot with limited resources.

“Our business now has about 90–95 people, with specialists in all sorts of fields, from PPC [pay-per-click] to SEO [search engine optimisation]. But, when you’re starting out, you face constant challenges with money, time and people.

I knew I wanted a good business with a strong brand, happy customers and a healthy environment

“Also, you don’t know what you don’t know, so you make decisions based on the data you have at the time, and later you look back and wonder, ‘What was I thinking?’

“You’ll always make mistakes, but hopefully you won’t make the same one twice.”

Although Barrett found herself, at the start, “looking up even the most basic things”, she took inspiration from those around her.

“Networks are really important,” she says. “In general, I’ve found the financial services industry to be a fantastic network of people who are happy to share their knowledge. You learn as you go.

“For example, I remember going on holiday and reading a book called Scaling Up by Verne Harnish. It feels overly structured and staid now, but it inspired me to think about how I could make what we had bigger and bring it to more people.”

I recall a research group with these ladies aged 60–70. None of them had taken pension advice, despite having had good careers

Unbiased raised funds in late 2019 and again in 2022 as the business grew and expanded to the US. This enabled Barrett to hire an experienced chief operating officer, and she describes having someone to bounce ideas off as “invaluable”.

“Initially, I was working alone, which suited me because I’m independent anyway — I don’t need to be constantly checking in with anyone. But it was a real benefit to find people who were happy to pay it forward and to give you a bit of time.”

Important lessons

Even with more support around her and a thriving company, Barrett faces challenges every day, some of which are inherent to Unbiased’s model.

“We’re a marketplace business, so we have to keep the clients happy while also satisfying our paying customers: the advisers,” she points out.

“There’s always a tension between the two. We spend a lot of our marketing budget targeting clients, but our revenue comes from another party entirely.

On the consumer side, people often didn’t realise they needed advice or assumed it wasn’t for them

“It’s all about finding the right balance.”

When I ask her to identify the most important factors in running a business, she highlights three things: people, numbers and usability.

“People first of all, because you can’t do it without people, and you certainly can’t do it alone. I have a team of seven with whom I work closely daily, and we have regular meetings to check in on our KPIs [key performance indicators] and plan ahead.

“One of the things I’m proudest of is that our employees genuinely love working with each other. We’ve got a chief people officer and, if you look on Glassdoor, you’ll see we’re quite transparent. It’s about being one team with one dream.

“Second, the numbers. As we’ve grown and hired more senior people, having a laser focus on metrics has become crucial — whether it’s revenue or growth or Ebitda or whatever. You need to identify those North Star numbers and be on them all the time. And, if you’re wavering off them, how are you getting back on?

When I was at Mortgage Express, there were only about 150 people and you were allowed to just go ahead and do things. I enjoyed the autonomy

“Last, there’s usability and the health of the overall business. Before we secured investment, I didn’t always know exactly what I was aiming for, but I knew I wanted a good business with a strong brand, happy customers and a healthy environment. So, we keep an eye on competitors, but mainly in terms of how close they’re getting to what we’re doing.

“It’s about generating value for employees and customers, and delivering on your promises.”

Forging forward

On the adviser side, Unbiased is working with larger advice businesses and has partnered with brands such as Canaccord, M&G and PensionBee, to help advisers adapt to the increasing demands for efficiency and growth.

“We’ve seen a lot of private-equity investment and consolidation in the market,” says Barrett. “That’s definitely focused advisers’ minds on getting consistent streams of new business so they can grow at a regular rate.

Google was definitely my friend in the early days, but you’ve just got to have a go

“This has led them to our platform, where they can plan what type of customer they want to onboard and with what regularity, then support their efficiencies and pro-growth targets. That’s really driving business for us.”

For Barrett, making this process ever more granular is the key goal. The platform, she says, is “very much a vertically integrated funnel, and those integrations are getting stronger all the time”.

She adds: “The vision would be to have one view of a customer, their likelihood to convert, and an understanding of the length and level of investment.

“So, looking at the data, what will we have delivered to them in five or 10 years?”

It’s clear that the success of Unbiased owes a lot to this attention to detail. But what about the 92% of people who don’t receive any financial advice at present?

“There’s clearly room for growth,” agrees Barrett.

“I’d like to see targeted advice become more accessible, especially for those who aren’t served by the market.”

When I tell her that becoming a parent last year made me think more profoundly about my financial future, she seizes on this.

Despite advising others, I hadn’t taken my own financial planning to heart

“We see people like you a lot — those who suddenly become more responsible when they become parents. They need life assurance, a bigger mortgage or savings.

“We love creating journeys for them on our website, guiding them through typical life events.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about connectivity.”

On that reassuring note, we shake hands and I head back out to the London streets.

If our conversation is anything to go by, “knocking down walls” is more than just a hobby for Barrett.

This article featured in the November 2024 edition of Money Marketing. 

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After clinching the election, Donald Trump’s next task will be staffing the top ranks of his cabinet.

In his first term, Trump surrounded himself with business titans, Wall Street executives and former generals — many of whom did not have previous government experience and ended up departing under contentious circumstances.

Trump is again poised to tap unconventional picks, eschewing Washington insiders. The challenge, however, will be identifying individuals who will remain loyal and support even his most unorthodox proposals — such as mass deportations of immigrants — while also winning Senate confirmation with what is only a knife-edge majority for Republicans.

Here are some of the top contenders who will serve in Trump’s administration:

Key people / loyalists

Elon Musk

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk became the loudest cheerleader for Trump. In the final stretch of the campaign, the Tesla and X chief executive went as far as doling out $1mn payments to registered voters in swing states who signed his petition backing free speech and the right to bear arms.

Trump has already designated Musk as head of a new efficiency commission “tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms”.

Other top loyalists to Trump include Howard Lutnick, head of Wall Street behemoth Cantor Fitzgerald, who serves as co-chair of Trump’s presidential transition team. A registered Republican who has also donated to Democrats including Hillary Clinton, he will play a decisive role in staffing the administration.

Mike Johnson, the top Republican in the House of Representatives who ingratiated himself to Trump by supporting his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, could also play a key role. So too could Vivek Ramaswamy, who once sought the Republican presidential nomination — unless he decides to run for JD Vance’s Senate seat in Ohio instead.

Trump’s second term could also include former adviser Stephen Miller and former strategist Steve Bannon, who was just released from federal prison, resuming influential posts in the administration.

Chief of staff

Susie Wiles

Susie Wiles, who served as Trump’s de facto campaign manager, is a top contender for one of the most important positions in the White House. The 67-year-old grandmother from Florida has worked as a party operative for more than four decades, helping to elect Republicans at every level of politics. She has been dubbed “one of the most consequential people in American politics right now”, in a Politico report.

Other people in contention for the post include Brooke Rollins, a conservative lawyer who served as Trump’s domestic policy adviser in the final year of his first term, as well as former senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.

Kevin McCarthy, who became the first House Speaker to be voted out because of opposition from hardline conservatives in the party, has also been floated as a potential pick.

Treasury and economy

Scott Bessent

The top economic job could be a toss-up between two hedge-fund titans, Scott Bessent, who runs Key Square Capital Management and billionaire John Paulson. Both have backed Trump’s plans for tariffs on imports but have framed them as an important negotiating tool that could be watered down if concessions are extracted from other countries.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Bessent expressed his support for a strong US dollar, which has been the country’s long-standing policy, saying Trump “stands by the US as a reserve currency”.

Kevin Hassett

Among the names most frequently floated to be chair of the Federal Reserve, a position that will become vacant when Jay Powell’s term ends in May 2026, is Kevin Hassett, who served as chair of Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers during his first term.

Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor now at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, has also been touted as a possible candidate for the job.

Trump has said presidents should have more of a say in monetary policy decisions, in a sign that the Fed’s long-standing independence could come under pressure.

On trade policy, a key pillar of Trump’s platform, Robert Lighthizer and Peter Navarro, who both held trade-related positions in Trump’s first administration, have emerged as some of the biggest proponents of tariffs.

Trump has floated imposing universal tariffs of up to 20 per cent on all imports coming into the US, with another 60 per cent levy imposed on Chinese imports.

Foreign policy / defence

Ric Grenell

A fierce Trump defender who has made no secret of his desire to be his secretary of state, Ric Grenell was US ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in the former president’s administration.

Trump has referred to Grenell, who is known for his frequent tussles with the media, as his “envoy”, and he acted as a de facto shadow secretary of state while Biden was in office, meeting with far-right leaders from Central America, eastern Europe and beyond.

Other contenders for secretary of state include Republican senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, along with Trump’s former national security adviser, Robert O’Brien. Another Trump loyalist, Kash Patel, has been floated as a possible national security adviser.

Tom Cotton

Trump previously considered Arkansas senator Tom Cotton to be his defence secretary and he is seen as a contender again. A former army infantry officer and Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, he is a staunch Trump supporter.

Mike Waltz

Other top picks for the post include Florida congressman Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret who has advised Trump on national security and is seen as an important foreign policy voice in the party, as well as former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former veterans affairs secretary Robert Wilkie.

Other top jobs

Robert F Kennedy JR

One-time campaign rival Robert F Kennedy Jr appears poised to clinch a key role in shaping public health policy in Trump’s administration. An anti-vaccine activist, Kennedy has suggested common immunisations, as well as fluoridated water, could be under scrutiny, along with the Affordable Care Act — or Obamacare — which provides health insurance to 45mn Americans.

RENTERS have admitted they rarely consider bill costs before moving – leaving 76 per cent shocked and stung by fees.

A poll of 2,000 tenants found 54 per cent rushed through the process to move in as soon as possible, prioritising location over the heating and energy costs.

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But now 46 per cent feel they have no control over their bills, leaving 34 per cent cutting back elsewhere to afford them and 17 per cent feeling helpless at home.

And 24 per cent have even considered moving elsewhere due to the costs getting out of control.

Prior to picking up the keys, 51 per cent didn’t get much or any information from the landlord about how much they would likely have to pay for these essentials.

What’s more, 21 per cent are contractually prohibited from changing their energy supplier, with nearly half not realising this when they signed their lease.

This has left 36 per cent taking matters into their own hands by carrying out tasks to make their property more energy efficient – despite potentially breaking their tenancy agreements.

Paul White, commercial director at DIY store B&Q, which commissioned the research, said: “The research shows tenants are taking matters into their own hands, trying to improve energy efficiency in their homes – even when rental agreements typically limit what they’re allowed to change.

“Of those looking to make small but effective changes, there are a few low-cost solutions that are unlikely to breach rental agreements.

“Adding radiator reflectors to direct heat back into the room and using heavy curtains can help keep in warmth.

“These minor adjustments can make a real difference and provide renters some control over their energy costs, even if their property isn’t perfectly insulated.”

Of those who have made energy improvements around their rented home, 42 per cent have bled the radiators, and 39 per cent have installed draught seals around doors and windows.

A quarter (25 per cent) have insulated pipes and 23 per cent went as far as insulating the loft.

Half (53 per cent) of renters surveyed wanted to make these changes to stop energy bills spiralling out of control, and 44 per cent wanted to address issues with heating and cooling certain areas of the home.

But for 35 per cent, their DIY was driven by an eagerness to reduce their environmental impact.

The research, conducted via OnePoll, also found that there’s more renters can do to protect themselves before moving into new homes.

In fact, 69 per cent aren’t likely to check the age of appliances, while 67 per cent doubt they will inspect for draughts.

And 63 per cent are even unlikely to check the EPC rating of the next potential property.

Paul White from B&Q added: “Renters and homeowners alike can feel that they are unable to take control of their household bills.

“We have plenty of energy efficiency solutions, from thermostatic controls to draught excluders, which can help make it easier for customers to control and reduce their energy use, and to keep their bills from becoming overwhelming.

“As a first port of call, I’d recommend visiting our Energy Savings hub at diy.com for free tips and advice.

“Here, people can also take advantage of our free Energy Saving Service, offering personalised advice on the steps they can take to improve the energy efficiency of their home.”

Since the Financial Conduct Authority moved to a portfolio supervision model, this portfolio strategy letter has emerged as the most relevant communication for our sector.

While the Business Plan is still essential reading, the portfolio strategy letter gives more sector-specific insight, including what the FCA’s priorities are and, crucially, what its expectations are of advice firms.

It’s great to read that the regulator is looking to increase its industry engagement with an acknowledgement of the insights this can bring. At the same time, it is important all firms are on top of the FCA’s communications.

There will be no excuses if the FCA subsequently finds issues within the retirement income advice or control framework

Although only three pages long, there is a wealth of information contained within the hyperlinks to keep us all busy. Here are some of the key headlines and actions firms should be taking:

1. Retirement income advice

Since 2019, when the FCA announced its second quality of advice review would focus on retirement income, it has been clear this is a major area of emphasis. Since then, the FCA has completed and released the findings of its thematic review of retirement income advice.

Leading with this subject again indicates it was not satisfied with the overall findings from its review.

Consolidators should review their business plans, strategy documents, policies and procedures

With the Dear CEO letter that accompanied the findings of the thematic review, chief executives were written to three times in under two years about the importance of their firms ensuring retirement income leads to good customer outcomes. There will be no excuses if the FCA subsequently finds issues within the retirement income advice or control framework.

Having clearly set out its findings and expectations in relation to areas such as know-your-customer information, risk profiling and cashflow modelling, it is essential firms can demonstrate they have gone through the FCA’s report and can confirm what action they have taken to satisfy themselves that their customers are receiving good outcomes.

2. Ongoing advice services ­­­

Our sector has been discussing ongoing advice reviews all year. In fact, this focus almost overshadowed the findings from the FCA’s thematic review of retirement income advice in March.

While we await the findings from the FCA’s thematic review of ongoing advice later this year, there is still more firms should be doing. This includes reviewing their fair value statements to ensure they demonstrate their service provides value for clients.

CEOs were written to three times in under two years about the importance of their firms ensuring retirement income leads to good customer outcomes

It’s also important to review your ongoing advice policy to ensure it clearly confirms the services clients will receive, the disengagement process and the process for paying refunds where services are not delivered in accordance with the client agreement.

Firms should also ensure they monitor their ongoing advice service appropriately. Historically, business assurance has focussed on new business but, with the vast majority of clients receiving ongoing advice, this needs to be a key focus of business assurance going forward.

3. Much-anticipated consolidation review

Consolidation has been a key feature of our sector for many years. Given the FCA’s last thematic review was in 2017, it is no surprise to read it is planning thematic work in this area.

With the vast majority of clients receiving ongoing advice, this needs to be a key focus of business assurance going forward

Consolidators should review their business plans, strategy documents, policies and procedures, including integration plans and management information, in advance of the thematic review. It is important to be able to demonstrate clients are receiving clear communication and good outcomes.

The FCA has explicitly stated firms should undertake adequate due diligence on client books. With its key priority of reducing and preventing serious consumer harm, it is important firms can demonstrate the work they have undertaken where the due diligence on the client bank and more general due diligence identifies concerns.

David Boyhan is technical director at TCC