Charles Sanford

Spear’s Review

Charles Sanford is a partner and wealth manager at LGT Wealth Management – the fast-growing UK-based firm with more than £20 billion under management. The gregarious Sanford tells Spear’s his own client book is now worth some £430 million and continues to expand as clients are drawn to his easy, personal but rigorous style.

The INSEAD MBA started out in finance at Barclays before spending over a decade at Credit Suisse as a private banker, relationship manager and director. He joined LGT as a partner in 2018.

His clients are typically entrepreneurs or wealthy individuals thinking about retirement who are seeking guidance on growing and maintaining their assets to live comfortably in later life and pass on wealth to their children.

Outside of work, he can often be found cycling the hills of Surrey, Mallorca or ‘anywhere that gives the thighs a good workout’. 

Adviser Profile  

Authenticity, trust, transparency: core values which Charles Sanford embraces, the foundation of more than 20 years in the industry and which underpin his hard-won reputation across his entrepreneur client base. 

‘In a turbulent world,’ the veteran wealth manager explains, ‘it’s critical that an individual and their family feel comfortable sharing their innermost hopes, fears and future wishes with an adviser they can trust implicitly. Talking about services, market views and which sectors are in or out of favour all have their place, but the starting point has to be a truly open – and ongoing – conversation about life, family, plans; nothing to do with finance. It is then the adviser’s role to act as an expert guide in the world of investment management and wealth planning.’ 

That is easier said than done, but Sanford has proved his ability quickly and seamlessly to build a personal and dependable relationship, committed to delivering the best outcome for his clients. Sanford’s long tenure in the industry is largely due to his relentless focus on his clients, his instinctive empathy and his relationship skills, honed by many years of experience. 

Starting his career at Barclays after reading French and German at UCL, he earned an MBA at INSEAD Business School in Paris and spent 11 years as a private banker at Credit Suisse in London before moving to LGT as a partner in 2018. His client base is varied but mainly consists of successful entrepreneurs who have built profitable businesses and are looking to preserve and grow their wealth for their own future, to provide for future generations and to give more time to other business endeavours and philanthropic giving. 

His experience at getting to the heart of a client’s wishes quickly and translating that into a practical, sustainable and successful wealth strategy is what has put him, and keeps him, at the top of his game.