Issue 131

SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight on Lowes people Former Lowes compliance director Neil McLachlan may be indulging his passion for conservation now he is semi-retired but his commitment to Lowes continues as a non-executive director on the Board. Neil joined Lowes in 2001 as senior technician and within three years was appointed to the role of Compliance and Training Manager. He joined the Lowes Board in 2005.

He started his career in financial services as a graduate with the Nationwide Building Society and was promoted to manager of two branches in London before he decided to take some time out to travel in SE Asia. That proved to be one of his best decisions, he says, as he met his future wife, Yoshiko, while travelling. The couple returned to the UK, where Neil worked as a financial adviser for building societies and finally a bank assurer. It was there that he almost fell out of love with

Neil McLachlan Non-Executive Director

the industry. “I liked helping people but at that time everything was about targets and selling to people, whether or not it was the best product for them. By 2001, he says. “I’d had enough.” He joined Lowes and, in his own words: “I was blown away by how different it was. The focus was on building and developing a long-term relationship with the client, doing the best for them and adding value to the client’s life. That was how I had envisaged financial advice should be.” As the Compliance Manager Neil had responsibility for ensuring the firm conformed to the myriad pieces of financial services regulation and legislation. “I have to say that I was fortunate in that role, as we employed good people who wanted to do the best for clients and that made my task much easier. Much of my time was spent guiding people to ensure we met the regulations, which are very complex.” While working at Lowes, Neil also spent five years as an Examiner and later a Senior Examiner for the Chartered Insurance Institute. His retirement from his day job was supposed to be in June 2020. But, as he explains: “We were in the middle of the Covid pandemic at that time. The official day of my retirement, I think there were six of us in the office, working in separate areas, so it wasn’t the send-off I had imagined. As it was, I continued working three days a week and gradually transitioned into semi-retirement, as I am still a member of the Board.” Talking about the 20 plus years he worked within Lowes, Neil says: “I am extremely proud of the work we have done over the years. We have always worked to high standards and with the client firmly in mind. It’s why I stayed for so long with the company. There is a great satisfaction knowing the value you can add to so many peoples’ financial lives, building their financial confidence and security, especially for the post retirement community. We have been a safe pair of hands for so many people, making peoples’ lives better – I’m proud of that.” Outside of financial services, Neil volunteers for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – and is involved in conservation projects which have seen him mend fences, manage cattle and help raise an orphaned lamb. He has also helped turn a dumping ground into a wildlife garden, and is actively involved in conservation of bird and insect habitats. It’s a passion that, he says, never sees him leave the house now without binoculars and a magnifying glass.

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