Meet the team – Jonathan Richards

Jonathan Richards, Head of Sales: a man who can navigate the UK via its country pubs and curry houses, on his way to support the mighty Exeter Chiefs!

3 minute read

As a team with all different backgrounds and interesting stories to tell, we thought we’d take the time to let you virtually meet us. As technology develops and 2020 has shown the world has moved to more digital interactions over the face to face, so we thought this may help you put a face to the name. This week we spoke to Jonathon Richards our Head of Sales:

Meet Jonathan Richards, Head of Sales

What was your journey to P1? I was working at a large national company in the Bristol area where I had been working for over ten years. I very randomly received a Linkedin invitation from an ex-professional rugby player for Exeter chiefs, he was working closely with James Priday our CEO and they invited me to come in for an interview. I have been working in sales for over 20 years so have an extensive amount of knowledge and contacts, I have worked with discretionary fund managers and life companies so P1 felt a natural fit to me.

What is it you do for P1? The clue is in the title! I contact and work with financial advisors and professional connections with outsourced discretionary investment solutions, I manage the national distribution of P1’s investment services and fully digital platform. Yes, but what do you do? I’m the face of P1 to many of our clients so make sure they’re happy and see if there are any other ways we can help them if this means catching up over a pint then who am I to judge how work should be done.

What would you see as a success for P1 and yourself? I think P1 has already achieved significant amounts from when it was first created. A huge step for P1 was taking the platform to the market. There’s still a lot more to come for P1 so keep your eyes peeled! As for me, I want to see the continued growth of P1 (doesn’t every Head of Sales of a company) it’s great when we have customers come to us from recommendations of existing clients.

Without sounding like marketing or sales in your case, how would you summarise what P1 is about from your perspective? P1 was created to bring low-cost investment management to the notice of financial advisers, this is for the benefit of their clients with logic and understanding of ethical investing. Aligned with all of that we created the P1 platform which is low cost & paperless. I’ve sounded like sales, haven’t I? Yes

What personal investment, good or bad have you learnt the most from? I made the decision to sacrifice living in the present to actively invest in pension planning for the future. I knew I wanted to do a lot of travelling and make the most of my retirement so this was the sacrifice I was willing to make. Wow, Jonathan, I was not expecting that but very sage words!

If you were stranded on a desert island, which colleague would you hope to be stranded with? I think I would have to choose Ella, we both have a passion for cooking (do I? Or do you mean Exeter Chiefs?) so we’d fill our days scavaging for food and then cooking up a storm in the evening. Jonathan, I think your impression of a desert island is very rosy. We also work very closely with one and other in the office so we know we can tolerate one and other.

What book are you reading right now and what’s a book everyone should read? At present in not reading a book which is very unlike me. However a book I believe everyone should read if called “Chimp Paradox“, the book is an explanation on how to overcome fear and understanding why self-doubt and negative thoughts drive impulsive behaviours. Yes, I heard about this, think Team Sky cycling read it.

Coming from a large national firm to P1 was a leap, what enticed you? I had been working for my previous firm for eleven years and I wanted the change. The idea behind P1 was nothing I’d come across before, I loved the disruptive approach to investment management and the platform entry into the UK’s financial and platform market. Speaking in “Sales” comes naturally to you, doesn’t it? Yes