Helen Watson

Spear’s Review

Helen Watson is chair of Rothschild & Co’s UK wealth management business.

Watson served as CEO since 2015 and took up her most recent position in October 2025 to make way for her successor, James Morrell.

Watson joined Rothschild & Co in 2010 after almost two decades at Morgan Stanley, and presided over a team serving a varied clientele including entrepreneurs who have generated their wealth through business. She and her colleagues also retain relationships with multiple generations of numerous wealthy families. ‘I am very proud of the development of our business as more clients have entrusted us with greater proportions of their wealth,’ Watson said upon the announcement of her new role.

Watson will maintain some of the wealth manager’s key client relationships in her role as chair, and will continue to sit on the Rothschild & Co supervisory board and group partners committee. She will also remain co-chair of Rothschild & Co’s diversity, inclusion and balance steering committee.

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Helen Watson is chair of Rothschild & Co’s UK wealth management business, which provides discretionary investment management services to clients as diverse as filmmakers, tech entrepreneurs, foundations, business owners and wealthy families. Watson made it her priority in her previous position as CEO to ‘put the client first in every aspect of the business’, empowering the team to use their initiative to make decisions that always seek to benefit clients.

‘We are well known in the industry for our exceptional client service and strong personal relationships with clients, which become more valuable than ever when things are uncertain,’ she says. This approach is reflected in exceptionally high client retention and referral rates, with both existing and new clients committing additional assets, according to the firm.

‘We spend our time and energy building portfolios which will increase in value over time and outpace inflation. Our investment performance is top quartile over three, five and 10 years, but we also build portfolios to withstand market extremes and are always transparent with clients about the risks, as well as the rewards, they might experience,’ Watson says.

The firm’s comprehensive and detailed approach was evidenced recently when a UHNW family switched to Rothschild & Co, changing investment strategy and reducing costs compared to the previous manager. ‘Working closely with their family office and legal tax advisers, we ensured that the family’s complex tax, investment management and ethical guidelines were accommodated, as well as establishing a new relationship with an external global custodian,’ Watson explains.

Investing responsibly has always been central to the firm’s approach. ‘We’re constantly striving to improve how we integrate sustainability in our investment process, as we’re convinced it’s the best way for us to deliver long-term returns for clients.’