As 2011 draws to a close…
Just over three years ago the credit crunch came to a head with the demise of Lehman Brothers. Global markets tumbled and Chilvester was not immune from the shake out but markets recovered over the subsequent couple of years as did we. As many of you know in 2008 we shrunk almost overnight from a team of thirteen to just four, a shock to the finances initially but this has proved to be a blessing as I am now back to doing what I enjoy the most and is the reason that I established Chilvester initially, which is to work with our clients rather than managing a large team. With the appointment in June this year of Sam as our Paraplanner to provide technical support for Simon and me, our team is of a size that works well together. As you know, our focus is on supporting our clients to the best of our ability and we do find that being a small team, where you are speaking to the same people all the time, is the best way to provide our service pledge.
This Christmas, Linda, who has been with us for the last 12 years, is retiring to spend more time with her grandchildren and also see more of her second home in Spain. I am sure you will all join me in wishing her and Phil all the best for the future.
Whilst we will be very sorry to see Linda go, I am delighted to tell you that her replacement has now started and I would like you all to welcome Gill Shanley to Chilvester. Gill has a background in the financial sector and she shares our values and approach to providing high quality client service. Apart from learning how best to manage Simon and me, her biggest task will be to get up to speed with you all so please do introduce yourself to Gill when you ring or call into the office.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. One thing I do know is that economic conditions will continue to make business challenging for us all over the coming year. Despite the pressures placed on us, we are happy to confirm that we are committed to maintaining our fee tariff at its current levels for at least the next 12 months to help you, our clients.
This year the office closes at noon on Friday 23 December and reopens at 9.00am on Tuesday 3 January. I will however look in between Christmas and the New Year to deal with any urgent post and to relieve the answerphone of any messages, so if you do need to reach us before the New Year please leave a message on the office phone and I shall respond to you as soon as I can.