Edinburgh financial planner bought by wealth start-up with former international rugby star on board

Edinburgh-based RMS Financial has been bought by Nine Edge Wealth, a recently launched wealth management business that has former Lions international Matt Dawson on board.

The deal - on undisclosed terms - marks the maiden acquisition for Nine Edge Wealth, which was inaugurated earlier this month with founders Derek Miles and Jo Blake announcing its establishment alongside Kyle Augustin and former England rugby player and A Question of Sport team captain Dawson as non-executive director.

RMS Financial was founded in 2013 by financial advisor Richard Murray.

Kyle Augustin, Jo Blake, Derek Miles and Matt Dawson.

He said: “Nine Edge stood out to us from the start. I believe the fact they’re a start-up is actually a strength. They don’t come with a ‘big corporate’ mindset.

“Kyle and Derek have both achieved huge success and bring a lot of experience within the IFA and financial services world. They understand what good looks like.

“Nine Edge is a start-up, but it’s backed by real knowledge and experience,” he added. “When we discussed our perspectives on the industry, there was strong alignment in how we think and how we want to operate and in Derek’s case in particular, he has a track record of delivering.”

Alongside Nine Edge’s moves across the Border, Murray also announced the appointment of RMS’s Leanne Lindsay as chartered financial planner. Lindsay has worked within the financial services industry for almost two decades.

Miles, chief executive of Nine Edge Wealth, said: “I’m delighted to announce the acquisition of RMS. We’ve known of Richard and his brilliant team for a long time, who have made the deal and working together so far such a smooth process.

“I’m also pleased to welcome Leanne to our growing team. She brings so much experience to the table, particularly with retirement planning but also across all aspects of financial planning too.

“Both the acquisition and appointment highlight the waves we want to make in the industry. We’re growing rapidly already and we believe these moves north of the Border reflect our client-first, technology-led mission at Nine Edge.”