William Drake

Drake, who co-founded Lord North Street with Adam Wethered in 2000, speaks of the ‘fascinating’ journey shared by that firm and Sandaire after merging last year — a closer merger than they perhaps first imagined. ‘When you compete with a private company, you know nothing,’ he says. ‘Nobody tells you anything and any information you have is usually wrong. I always knew there was going to be a good cultural fit… But it’s the detail, really, that’s been so interesting.’ With minimum mandates of £25 million, it’s not easy to make it on to Drake’s books. But that’s the point: it makes a key difference to the way the firm operates. ‘Between us we have about 45 families and clients, which is manageable,’ he says.