One of the wonders of Zoom is that I get to virtually meet the pets of the wealth managers I talk to. Today, however I am not interviewing the two sleepy Cairn Terries on camera, I luckily get to speak with someone who speaks my language writes Katie Gilfillan.

Natasa Williams is partner and head of the private office at LGT Vestra and is originally from Slovenia. A woman of the world, she moved to the UK to study at Cambridge University having gone to school in Kenya.

‘My school in Nairobi was very multicultural. There were kids of all races and religions, so when I went to Cambridge I just assumed it would be the same. Oh, how wrong I was.’ As a result, universal access to education is important to Williams, who now sits on the investment committee and development board of her alma mater.

Initially training as an accountant at PwC before moving into the financial industry in 2004, she swapped her jet-setting life at ABN Amro for investment banking at UBS. ‘During that phase I was a reasonably new mum. I was doing a deal in New York and realised I had overcommitted my time; doing cross border M&A, raising a family, and trying to have a social life. It was majorly contradictory.’

Soon, the moment came for her to leave, and she received some career-shaping advice while overseas. ‘While in New York, we had done business with UBS and I was discussing my decision with the team. I love the industry but don’t think it’s sustainable, and it’s not what I want to do with my life. They suggested I first speak with David Scott in London.’

Scott was the first person she had met within the industry. He ended up hiring her at UBS, before he left to found a small startup named Vestra. Despite us knowing how this story ends, I don’t want to give any spoilers away.

‘I did not follow David [then] as I had very large, significant clients at UBS and didn’t think a startup was suitable for them,’ Williams says.

However, 10 years later, after six years with UBS and almost four at Deutsche Bank, she joined Vestra to set up its high-net-worth proposition.

Vestra had grown leaps and bounds since its inception, growing from 80 people to 360 since Williams’ arrival. The move from the private banking sector to a much smaller firm must have been a culture shock, but Williams is clear why she made the move.

‘I hope the younger generation can see there’s a lot you can learn from smaller firms and there is a lot you can contribute,’ she says. ‘You can really give your all to that organisation, not just your job description. That’s why I think productivity at these firms is quite a lot higher.’

Classically nowadays, the conversation can’t help but turn to the beginning of the pandemic and how she found that period.

‘The market crashed, I oversaw the transition of my team to home working, I had anxious clients, and I had Covid myself. That time was quite intense.’

Despite the introduction of more flexible working, Williams says that the pandemic has affected women disproportionally but has also ensured some working practices have improved. ‘You don’t have to be uncomfortable to do business. While on a call with our ultra-high-net-worth clients, everyone was wearing suits, while I wore my trainers and wasn’t wearing my high heels. Lo and behold, a lot of business got done.’

She is a strong advocate for diversity and believes this has been a good time for issues to come to the forefront. ‘Every industry is opening up its cupboards and being more introspective than before. It’s not just gender, but also race and sexual orientation too.’

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We’re in a place where we talk about the discrimination issues a lot more. We’ve dealt with a lot and are now making a great deal of progress.

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I worry about the global distribution of wealth across genders. I am also quite concerned about the female agenda in the city and in business in general. There’s an enormous problem and it’s not necessarily getting results.

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