Nigel Green – The Game Changing deVere CEO
Nigel Green, founder and CEO of deVere Group, leads one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations with over 80,000 high-net-worth, expat and international investor clients in more than 100 countries worldwide and over US$10 billion under advice and management.
Yet, despite its size, deVere embodies its founding principles which are to employ the best people and provide a truly personal service to its clients – a way of working that Mr Green has stayed true to since the company was founded.
From humble beginnings, Mr Green has become an international figure, driving a global company forward from one office to well over 70 in just 14 years.
What makes his story even more remarkable is that deVere didn’t become part of a corporate conglomerate nor did it sell out to the highest bidder when the world’s financial markets were at their lowest ebb.
deVere started life in 2002 with a single office in Hong Kong. Before that Mr Green, a serial entrepreneur, had followed his father into the financial sector as an independent financial advisor in the UK. A fortuitous connection led him to a period in Bermuda where he discovered a huge potential for a new kind of financial service for offshore clients.
He quickly understood that international clients operating away from home needed a more holistic financial service offering, one that was multi-faceted and that took in the particular regional and country variations in tax law, legislation and regulations.
Instinctive and equipped with a sharp, intelligent mind, Mr Green also realised that the service would have to be personal and for that to be achieved it would be imperative that the company needed to be present wherever the clients lived and worked.
It was a winning formula and with his unique drive and determination, Mr Green embarked on a programme of expansion that continues at a pace today.
He fully understands that high-net-worth and mass affluent clients are not interested in low-grade, robotic financial solutions and instead want technology-driven service and product support that is specific to their personal requirements.
As an expat himself, Mr Green also understands the needs of those working and living away from home, especially those who may be transient between different countries throughout the duration of their working lives and into retirement.
Using these insights, he established a business model that has not only led to deVere’s industry leading status, but has proven sustainable through that growth to continue to drive the company forward.
It goes without saying that, now with over 80,000 clients, the deVere’s CEO read the market right. “I saw a huge potential and grabbed it”, says Mr Green.
The South China Morning Post’s Group Director, Group Marketing & Events, Michael Chu, says of Mr Green, “He's an iconic individual. He has a very strong, very sharp personality. I think more than anything else, Hong Kong is known for being a city that never says no; for being a city that never sleeps; and for being a city that can transform a mere idea into something miraculous. I think Mr Green's personal story of how he transformed a small company into a multinational company, really embodies that spirit.”
“His work ethic, his passion and his energy really is the DNA of deVere,” says Beverley Yeomans, deVere’s Chief Operating Officer.
Mr Green is a visionary entrepreneur with a unique self-drive to be the best and to do the best for deVere’s staff and their clients. To him, daily business life is about finding new opportunities, overcoming fears and striding forward across borders to meet client need wherever that may be.
And as the man himself puts it, “Our journey has only just begun.”
