Tom Upson

Spear’s Review

Tom Upson is Carpenter Farraday’s head of wealth management, working on executive search in the wealth, asset management and private banking industries. 

Carpenter Farraday is a specialist recruitment company focused on the financial services industry; it sources talent for a variety of positions, from specialists and analysts to C-suite and board level positions. The firm prides itself on its collaborative way of working and ability to establish longstanding relationships with its clients; this often leads to repeat assignments.

Upson joined the firm in 2009 and was made part of the board of directors in 2019. He recently explained that Carpenter Farraday is ‘expanding operations in North America, Asia and the Middle East’. 

Adviser Profile

Having joined the firm in 2010, Tom Upson is one of the Directors and leads the Wealth Management division at Carpenter Farraday, a privately owned global executive search agency established in 2006. 

He and his team cover a broad range of areas in the wealth management sector, including UK and international private banks, family offices, traditional investment houses, IFAs and wealth boutiques. The firm typically works with clients over many years, collaborating closely in order to build lasting relationships that subsequently lead to repeated retained assignments and trusted partnerships. 

Tom has a specific focus on placing mid to senior level front office individuals and teams in the UK and UK res non-dom markets who mainly cover high-net-worth, ultra-high-net-worth and family office clients. His extensive sector experience and knowledge, coupled with his passion and a sincere approach, is reflected in the successful leadership roles, board level positions, team moves and senior staff mandates he and his team have completed. 

Tom also takes a particular interest and responsibility for Carpenter Farraday’s CSR and D&I initiatives, spearheading projects for local youth and children’s organisations. 

“We work in a similar way to the clients we partner with, focusing on the longevity and quality of the relationships we have with companies and candidates alike. We follow a business model built on honesty and trust, taking the time to really understand exactly who we work with and what they’re about, something we believe is essential for evolving businesses and hiring for the long term. Our team is a diverse group of professionals, with a range of backgrounds, each with a shared commitment of always putting our clients and our candidates first and foremost.”