Financial services management consultancy Simplify Consulting (“Simplify”) has announced the appointment of Mark Andrews and Michael James as Practice Directors, reinforcing the firm’s continued expansion across the wealth management, asset management, insurance, and financial technology sectors.
These strategic appointments reflect Simplify’s commitment to delivering a practitioner-led consultancy, blending deep domain expertise with hands-on industry experience to help clients navigate complex operational and regulatory change. Simplify believes there is growing demand for an independent, practitioner-led consultancy which has client delivery at its heart, across the financial services sector.
Mark joins Simplify as Practice Director following an extensive career in financial services operations and transformation. With over 25 years of consulting experience spanning wealth, investment, insurance and pensions, he has delivered strategic programmes of work across major institutions including L&G, Ageas, Medical Protection Society, Lloyds Banking Group, and LV=. Mark brings significant expertise in operational excellence, technology, change delivery, and large-scale transformation, and will play a key role in shaping Simplify’s management consulting propositions.
Michael James joins Simplify as Technology Consulting Director, bringing extensive expertise in management, business transformation, technology strategy, data and platform development. With a career spanning both UK and international markets, Michael has worked with leading financial services organisations—from FTSE 100 firms to FinTech’s and specialised providers. Michael brings both technical and strategic insight to Simplify’s consulting practices and his appointment will enhance Simplify’s growing technology and digital transformation capabilities across the financial services spectrum.
The appointments follow Simplify’s recent expansion into the Technology, Insurance, and Asset Management practices, announced earlier this year, and underscore the company’s focus on scaling its leadership team to meet increasing client demand.
Carl Woodward, Co-founder and Co-director of Simplify says: “We are thrilled to welcome Mark and Michael to the Simplify leadership team. Both bring exceptional experience and a proven track record in delivering transformational change in complex, regulated environments. Their appointments mark another important step in our growth as we continue to build Simplify into the go-to independent, practitioner-led consultancy for financial services.”
Kate Monserrate, Co-Founder and Co-Director, added: “Our success is built on the depth of practical experience our people bring to clients. Mark and Michael exemplify this. Their expertise and leadership will help further strengthen our delivery capability and continue to ensure Simplify adds real, measurable value across every engagement.”
About Simplify Consulting:
Founded in 2014, by Kate Monserrate and Carl Woodward, Simplify provides consultancy services across the wealth management, asset management and insurance sectors, together with technology implementation within each.
The company has worked with some of the largest/best known asset and wealth management organisations in the UK. The company’s consultants and associates have expertise in change, product and operations along with risk and regulation.
Simplify is a practitioner-led consultancy business offering efficient solutions across strategy & operating models, operational excellence, project delivery, analysis & testing and risk & regulation.
Their key differentiator is their deep domain expertise and their tools / frameworks (Simplify DNA) to accelerate delivery and value add for their clients.
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