Leadership Team

Brian Raven

Chief Executive

Brian has been involved in financial services since 2010, when he became Chairman of Blacksquare Capital. He has a wealth of commercial experience, from founding and developing businesses to running public companies on both the AIM and the Official List. In 1991, Brian founded Card Clear Plc, subsequently renamed Retail Decisions plc, a business engaged in combating the fraudulent use of plastic payment cards. He led the company until 1998, by which time it was an AIM listed international group, with a market capitalisation of some £100 million. This was followed by the development of a group focused on delivering membership card systems and loyalty schemes across the UK health and fitness sector. As a principal, Brian has been responsible for numerous corporate acquisitions and disposals, as well as for delivering organic growth. He and Chairman, Oliver Cooke, founded Tavistock Investments in 2013.

Johanna Rager

Group Finance &
Operations Director

Johanna is an accomplished Finance Director with 20+ years of professional achievement in Multinational companies. She has a track record of delivering strategic, commercial and operational solutions across global organisations, including the implementation of complex Mergers and Acquisitions. Johanna has proven ability to deliver top and bottom lines and adapt to ever-changing business environments while focusing on talent development and lean processes. She holds a Masters’ degree in Economics and Business Administration from The University of Economics and Business Administration in Vienna.

Ben Raven

Managing Director
Wealth Management

Ben has 15 years’ experience in financial services having held senior management positions at both Asset Management and Wealth Management organisations. Ben joined the business that became Tavistock (Blacksquare) in the summer of 2007. During this time he was a Director and Head of Research. Responsibilities within Tavistock have included Group business development, providing support to all Group advisers and conducting due diligence on a number of acquisitions. He holds a B.A in Business Management from Leeds University Business School.

Malcolm Harper

Managing Director Networks

Malcolm is Managing Director for both the Registered Individual (Tavistock Partners) and Appointed Representative (Tavistock Partnership) businesses within Tavistock. Having been in the industry for 29 years, he founded Abacus Associates in 2003, which he developed into one of the country’s leading Independent Financial Advisory firms. Under Malcolm’s management, Abacus grew to an adviser force of 44 and assets under management of approximately £650m prior to joining the Tavistock Group in 2016.

Suzanne Pestell

Director of HR

Suzy is a Chartered HR professional with over 20 years’ experience in human resources, and has held management positions at both professional services and financial services organisations. Suzy joined the Tavistock Investments Group in 2020, and in her role as Director of HR she oversees the HR functions across the Group. During her career, she has developed an expertise in strategic HR business partnering, mergers and acquisitions, organisational change, talent and people development. She holds a Masters’ degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Hertfordshire.

Oliver Cooke

Chairman

Oliver has over 40 years of financial and business development experience gained in a range of quoted and private companies including over twenty five years’ experience as a Public Company Director. He has considerable experience in the fields of acquisitions, disposals, fundraisings, turnarounds, restructurings and strategic transformation. Oliver is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Mark Evans

Group Corporate Development Director

Mark joined Tavistock PLC having worked within financial services since 1987. In 1996, he formed his own IFA brokerage in several locations  and since has successfully generated leads and business opportunities for his advisers. This culminated in MBO’s and Mark then moved to work in the private client sector. As well as running his own successful brokerage, Mark has excellent experience of working with the expat community and set up and ran a successful brokerage in Portugal. In 2012, he was recruited into Lighthouse Group as their first Business Development Executive. Mark recruited and mentored many new advisers and was promoted to Business Development Director. Six months later he was promoted to Managing Director of Lighthouse Financial Advice where he consolidated the separate divisions into one and helped increased the advisers’ earnings substantially.

Tony Close

Managing Director, Tavistock Protect

Tony is the Managing Director of Tavistock Protect, our mortgage and protection arm within Tavistock.

Tony has been working in financial services since 1997 which has seen him oversee compliance and managerial operations for 2 large global insurance firms, spanning over a period of 10 years before opening Precise Protect Ltd in 2012. Officially starting out as a Northern Ireland based firm, he expanded the Precise Protect operation which currently now has in excess of 200 advisers providing national coverage throughout the UK. In April 2023 Precise Protect became part of the Tavistock Investments group and in November 2023 the firm name was changed to Tavistock Protect Ltd and currently recognised as one of the leading protection advisory firms in the UK.

Amy Chidgey

Group Financial Controller

Amy is a Chartered Accountant and gained a first-class degree in Economics from Exeter University. Having qualified in public practice working in statutory audit, she joined Tavistock in 2017 and in 2022 was invited to become a member of the Group’s Executive Board. Amy leads the team who are responsible for the financial operation of the Group and for providing additional support to individual business heads within the Group. She also engages in a wide range of strategic modelling and other projects in support of the Group’s Executive Directors.

Gregor Preston

Group Compliance Director

Greg is the Group Compliance Director at Tavistock and joined the Tavistock Investments Group via our first acquisition in 2014.

During his career he has worked with financial advice firms, asset and discretionary fund managers, and liaises with many of the financial services regulators. As Group Compliance Director he looks after all aspects of compliance and risk, in order to ensure Tavistock strive to continually delivers the best outcomes to clients.

Steven McGregor

Business Development Director
Tavistock Asset Management

Steve is the Business Development Director for Tavistock Asset Management. Steve has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and spent over a decade at Barclays Wealth managing private client portfolios, before becoming Investment Director for PB Financial Planning (PBFP) in 2010.  He joined the Group in 2016 with the acquisition of PBFP, serving as an Investment Consultant and Head of Adviser Support. Steve holds an MA in International Political Economy from the University of Leeds, as well as Chartered Wealth Manager status with the CISI where he is also a Chartered Fellow.

Brian Raven

Chief Executive

Brian has been involved in financial services since 2010, when he became Chairman of Blacksquare Capital. He has a wealth of commercial experience, from founding and developing businesses to running public companies on both the AIM and the Official List. In 1991, Brian founded Card Clear Plc, subsequently renamed Retail Decisions plc, a business engaged in combating the fraudulent use of plastic payment cards. He led the company until 1998, by which time it was an AIM listed international group, with a market capitalisation of some £100 million. This was followed by the development of a group focused on delivering membership card systems and loyalty schemes across the UK health and fitness sector. As a principal, Brian has been responsible for numerous corporate acquisitions and disposals, as well as for delivering organic growth. He and Chairman, Oliver Cooke, founded Tavistock Investments in 2013.

Johanna Rager

Group Finance &
Operations Director

Johanna is an accomplished Finance Director with 20+ years of professional achievement in Multinational companies. She has a track record of delivering strategic, commercial and operational solutions across global organisations, including the implementation of complex Mergers and Acquisitions. Johanna has proven ability to deliver top and bottom lines and adapt to ever-changing business environments while focusing on talent development and lean processes. She holds a Masters’ degree in Economics and Business Administration from The University of Economics and Business Administration in Vienna.

Ben Raven

Managing Director
Wealth Management

Ben has 15 years’ experience in financial services having held senior management positions at both Asset Management and Wealth Management organisations. Ben joined the business that became Tavistock (Blacksquare) in the summer of 2007. During this time he was a Director and Head of Research. Responsibilities within Tavistock have included Group business development, providing support to all Group advisers and conducting due diligence on a number of acquisitions. He holds a B.A in Business Management from Leeds University Business School.

Malcolm Harper

Managing Director Networks

Malcolm is Managing Director for both the Registered Individual (Tavistock Partners) and Appointed Representative (Tavistock Partnership) businesses within Tavistock. Having been in the industry for 29 years, he founded Abacus Associates in 2003, which he developed into one of the country’s leading Independent Financial Advisory firms. Under Malcolm’s management, Abacus grew to an adviser force of 44 and assets under management of approximately £650m prior to joining the Tavistock Group in 2016.

Suzanne Pestell

Director of HR

Suzy is a Chartered HR professional with over 20 years’ experience in human resources, and has held management positions at both professional services and financial services organisations. Suzy joined the Tavistock Investments Group in 2020, and in her role as Director of HR she oversees the HR functions across the Group. During her career, she has developed an expertise in strategic HR business partnering, mergers and acquisitions, organisational change, talent and people development. She holds a Masters’ degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Hertfordshire.

Oliver Cooke

Chairman

Oliver has over 40 years of financial and business development experience gained in a range of quoted and private companies including over twenty five years’ experience as a Public Company Director. He has considerable experience in the fields of acquisitions, disposals, fundraisings, turnarounds, restructurings and strategic transformation. Oliver is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Mark Evans

Group Corporate Development Director

Mark joined Tavistock PLC having worked within financial services since 1987. In 1996, he formed his own IFA brokerage in several locations  and since has successfully generated leads and business opportunities for his advisers. This culminated in MBO’s and Mark then moved to work in the private client sector. As well as running his own successful brokerage, Mark has excellent experience of working with the expat community and set up and ran a successful brokerage in Portugal. In 2012, he was recruited into Lighthouse Group as their first Business Development Executive. Mark recruited and mentored many new advisers and was promoted to Business Development Director. Six months later he was promoted to Managing Director of Lighthouse Financial Advice where he consolidated the separate divisions into one and helped increased the advisers’ earnings substantially.

Tony Close

Managing Director, Tavistock Protect

Tony is the Managing Director of Tavistock Protect, our mortgage and protection arm within Tavistock.

Tony has been working in financial services since 1997 which has seen him oversee compliance and managerial operations for 2 large global insurance firms, spanning over a period of 10 years before opening Precise Protect Ltd in 2012. Officially starting out as a Northern Ireland based firm, he expanded the Precise Protect operation which currently now has in excess of 200 advisers providing national coverage throughout the UK. In April 2023 Precise Protect became part of the Tavistock Investments group and in November 2023 the firm name was changed to Tavistock Protect Ltd and currently recognised as one of the leading protection advisory firms in the UK.

Amy Chidgey

Group Financial Controller

Amy is a Chartered Accountant and gained a first-class degree in Economics from Exeter University. Having qualified in public practice working in statutory audit, she joined Tavistock in 2017 and in 2022 was invited to become a member of the Group’s Executive Board. Amy leads the team who are responsible for the financial operation of the Group and for providing additional support to individual business heads within the Group. She also engages in a wide range of strategic modelling and other projects in support of the Group’s Executive Directors.

Gregor Preston

Group Compliance Director

Greg is the Group Compliance Director at Tavistock and joined the Tavistock Investments Group via our first acquisition in 2014.

During his career he has worked with financial advice firms, asset and discretionary fund managers, and liaises with many of the financial services regulators. As Group Compliance Director he looks after all aspects of compliance and risk, in order to ensure Tavistock strive to continually delivers the best outcomes to clients.

Steven McGregor

Business Development Director
Tavistock Asset Management

Steve is the Business Development Director for Tavistock Asset Management. Steve has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and spent over a decade at Barclays Wealth managing private client portfolios, before becoming Investment Director for PB Financial Planning (PBFP) in 2010.  He joined the Group in 2016 with the acquisition of PBFP, serving as an Investment Consultant and Head of Adviser Support. Steve holds an MA in International Political Economy from the University of Leeds, as well as Chartered Wealth Manager status with the CISI where he is also a Chartered Fellow.

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