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Lowes Financial Management hires Alan Watson as CTO

Newcastle-based Independent Financial Adviser’s, Lowes Financial Management has appointed Alan Watson to the position of Chief Technology Officer.

Alan has a strong background in business, customer engagement and significant experience in leading IT Projects. His extensive experience working in IT across different types of business in the North East makes him a great asset to Lowes where he previously worked as an analyst programmer from 2000 to 2005.

Prior to re-joining Lowes, Alan was Head of IT at Wirecard Solutions for nearly 3 years. He has also worked as a lead software developer at Home Group, a product line manager (CRM) at Newcastle Building Society and for FTSE 100 company Sage.

Lowes Financial Management has always put strong IT systems at the heart of their strategy and were joint founders of the Newcastle company FAIRS Plc which launched the first computerised administration software for financial advisers. This investment in strong IT systems and development, together with leading investment performance, has seen the company grow to a 67 strong team, amassing over £600m of assets under advice.

The company has also used its IT expertise to create StructuredProductReview.com a leading comparison site for structured products, an investment type for which Lowes are acknowledged as industry experts. Launched in 2009 the site currently has in excess of 10,000 registered advisers, paraplanners, compliance officers and other industry professionals, as well as the trade and national press. The website was created for all UK advisers to help them research and educate themselves within this investment type and continually evolves to meet this need.

In a recent survey of registered users, 86% of the adviser and paraplanner respondents stated that the site is essential for research, with 78% stating that it is their primary structured product research tool. 93% of the respondents stated they do or would recommend StructuredProductReview.com to fellow advisers.

Lowes has also developed a site for unadvised investors, CompareStructuredProducts.com which has over 3,000 users.

Lowes intends to continue to use its in-house development expertise to create new online services for both industry professionals and consumers whilst enhancing its internal customer experience. Alan’s appointment will be critical in driving these initiatives forward.

Ian Lowes, managing director, Lowes Group Plc says: “I am excited to welcome Alan back on board at a time when the business is expanding into different services for both industry professionals and investors. Developing these services in-house means that they can be built according to our specifications and further development can be implemented quickly and efficiently.”

Alan Watson, Chief Technology Officer, Lowes Group Plc says: “Having worked for Lowes some 10 years ago, I am extremely pleased to re-join in a senior leadership capacity at this exciting time. My return brings a wealth of experience in Agile Software Development Management, IT Project Management, Leadership and Governance gained with financial enterprises and software houses in the both the UK and globally. Indeed, I look forward to working with the staff and applying this experience to further strengthen the IT service and delivery capabilities here at Lowes.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lowes Financial Management .