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The Federation of European Independent Financial Advisers
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FEIFA - KEY INDIVIDUALS

Paul Stanfield
Chief Executive Officer
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Having worked in the financial services industry for over three decades, in both the UK and mainland Europe, Paul has considerable experience in both the provision of independent advice and the promotion and distribution of investment funds and financial products.

Now based in London, after many years living and working on the continent, Paul is responsible for the day-to-day management of FEIFA, including the assessment of prospective members and the development of the Federation’s marketing and promotional activities.

Paul is also a Director of FECIF (www.fecif.org), having formerly been its Secretary General, which is a trade association representing more than 500,000 professionals across Europe. In addition, Paul runs a specialist consultancy business, which provides marketing and business development services for investment houses, trust companies, international pension providers and IFAs.

David Vacani
Chairman
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​​​​​David is the owner and Managing Director of Beacon Global. He is located in Portugal at the company’s base in Quinto do Lago from where the company looks after its Portuguese-based clients.

He has worked for clients across Europe since 2003 and has significant expertise in cross-border financial planning.

David is also a Director of a UK directly regulated FCA company, Bastion Financial Planning, and has been a regulated IFA/Wealth Manager since the mid-1990s in the UK; observing how the UK industry has evolved since then has given him an excellent overview of, and background in, this ever-changing world.

Christopher Marriott
Vice Chairman & Treasurer
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Christopher first qualified as a Certified Financial Planner in the UK and has been advising clients on their financial planning needs for 30 years.

Having worked in the financial services profession in the UK for ten years prior to moving to Switzerland, Christopher then took his significant experience and established his own company in Switzerland, offering a highly individualised service to high net worth clients based in Switzerland.

He is founder and Managing Director of Blackden Financial S.A., a Swiss-based and regulated company specialising in offering independent, cross border wealth management and financial planning advice to the international community in and around Switzerland.

Caroline Shearman
Secretary

​​​​Caroline brings over two decades of experience in financial services, with a strong focus on expatriate clients in eastern and southern Africa. Her deep insight into cross-border planning enables international clients to effectively grow and protect their wealth.

Recently, Caroline joined EWMT Advisers as a Wealth Manager in Cyprus, where she is expanding her focus on later life planning for international residents. A qualified financial adviser since 2004, and a director of Cyprus-based investment firms since 2007, she is well-versed in the evolving European financial landscape and the opportunities it presents for advancing our profession.

John Westwood
Board Director
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​​​​​John has over 40 years’ experience in the financial services industry and is the Founder and Group Chairman of the Blacktower Group.

Prior to founding Blacktower in 1986, John worked with Schroder Financial Management and became one of their leading advisers based in London. He is responsible for leading the Blacktower Group into the international market. In 2010, John formed Nexus Global IFA Network with the aim of providing a comprehensive licensing, compliance and support network to other IFA organisations wishing to passport services throughout Europe and beyond.

In addition to John’s corporate duties as Managing Director of the Blacktower Group, he continues to provide advice to many high net worth clients within Europe and international markets.