60-second interview with Charlotte Thorne

What does your firm or employer do, and what is your role?

I’m one of the founding partners at Capital Generation Partners – we are investment managers in the ultra high net worth and family office space. 

What is the most important thing STEP does, in your opinion?

STEP provides essential education and standard setting to the trustees and estates practitioner community. Almost all of the professionals we work alongside when we are serving clients are members of STEP or are connected to STEP.
 
You are one of the judges at this year’s STEP Private Client Awards (STEP PCA) in September. What led you to get involved?

Noting the calibre of the judging panel in previous years and knowing how rigorous the process was, I was thrilled to be asked to join as a judge, if somewhat daunted. I was right to be daunted – everyone says it’s a huge undertaking and it really is! But it’s also been tremendously interesting and rewarding, both in terms of learning what is happening in our network and in discussing the applications with the very distinguished judging panel. As a firm we have regularly sponsored the Young Practitioner of the Year category at the STEP PCAs and this is a particularly nice one to watch because you get to see some exceptional young people coming through and making their mark.

What do you think makes a good Private Client Awards submission?

Firstly, I'd advise to focus on answering the question. Secondly, I'd say don’t be afraid to be distinctive – the judges are reviewing literally thousands of words across all the submissions they see and it’s really refreshing to read an application that is true to the spirit of the firm it represents.

What would you say to a young person thinking of a career in this industry?

I would strongly recommend this industry. It requires a great combination of technical and people skills. My advice would be to start building your networks as early as you can and invest in them. This is a very friendly and collaborative sector and your networks will serve your business well but the people you connect with will also be the people you’ll be working alongside for decades. If you engage genuinely and in the spirit of cooperation then that investment will be repaid.  

What trends do you see in the global private wealth sector at the moment?

Our clients are increasingly looking for diversity in the teams that report to them. That’s always been a demand but it’s becoming more explicit, especially from female clients, so diversity is becoming more important for firms.  

Entries for this year's STEP Private Client Awards are open until 12 April.

Find out more about how to enter: https://pca.step.org/2024/entry-kit