Chris Taggart
Investment Director & Head of Belfast Office
Belfast
What attracted you to a career in wealth management?
After graduating with a degree in Economics, I began my career as a trainee with Arthur Anderson. Following five years with Morgan Stanley, working in a variety of roles and departments, I wanted to combine investment analysis with the management of face-to-face client relationships.
Moving into a client facing investment role and completing the CISI’s Chartered Wealth Manager qualification was a logical next step, and following a three year stint with a competitor I had the opportunity to join Quilter Cheviot in 2011. The rest, as they say, is history, and I have found the job to be challenging and rewarding in equal measure over the past 15+ years.
In early 2021 I was appointed Head of Office for Quilter Cheviot Belfast, presenting the opportunity to broaden and deepen my role whilst maintaining the same focus on providing quality investment management solutions for clients.
How do you work with / look after clients?
Although my knowledge and skills have continued to develop over the years, I still employ the same straightforward approach when it comes to managing client portfolios and relationships. That is, to communicate in an honest, open and direct manner, and to maximise all of the resources at my disposal to drive excellent investment outcomes.
Listening carefully to clients and assessing their requirements on an individual basis, whilst utilising Quilter Cheviot’s research resources and robust investment process, has allowed me to deliver client objectives and build lasting relationships.
What are your interests outside of work?
Outside of work most of my time is spent with my wife and two boys, typically outdoors. I attempt to stay fit by mountain biking in the local hills, and occasionally further afield in more adventurous locations! I also try to swim regularly and enjoy a good trip to the cinema.
I serve on the Investment Committee of a local charity, providing the opportunity to put my knowledge and experience to good use in a different context. This has allowed me to work with great people from outside the financial sector, an experience which has been invaluable.