Developing as a paraplanner: ‘Where could I go from here?’

Caroline is a leading figure in the UK’s wealth management and financial advice community.

In a career spanning more than 20 years, Caroline's worked in-house as a paraplanner, senior paraplanner and head of technical for small and large firms until, in 2019, she founded outsourced paraplanning practice, Sparrow Paraplanning. In 2024, Caroline launched Sparrow Solutions which offers training, learning and development, and operational support to financial planning and outsource paraplanning businesses. Soon after, she co-founded The Co-Laboratory with Melissa Kidd - a service which offers planners, advisers and paraplanners help and training with the ‘human skills’-side of financial planning and advice.

Ellie is the Paraplanner Team Leader for the Aviva Financial Advice paraplanner team at Succession Wealth, where she manages a team of 14 paraplanners (soon to be 15). With over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, Ellie has worked her way through a variety of support roles before stepping into leadership over a year ago.

Since moving into the operation management space, Ellie has found a real passion for people—supporting them in their roles, helping them develop and grow, and creating a team culture that’s open, collaborative, and kind. Her leadership style is approachable and people-first, with a focus on listening, being honest, and making improvements that actually work in practice. She’s also been involved in the project management and strategic thinking side of management, working with other teams to build better processes and make day-to-day work smoother for everyone.

Having wanted to be a Financial Planner since she was 12, Farida has enjoyed being part of the profession for 17 years since graduating from Loughborough University with a degree in Maths with Economics. Her commitment to continuous learning is reflected in her attainment of both the Chartered and Certified Financial PlannerTM qualifications.

She joined the Paradigm Norton London office in 2019 and is a Client Manager, as well as a member of the Investment Committee, with a particular passion for the long-term benefits of sustainable investing. She is also a strong advocate for financial literacy, especially for empowering women through education.

Outside of work, Farida enjoys an active lifestyle, hoping to get a lot more hikes in when she moves out of London later this year and always has several unfinished craft projects on the go!

With over a decade of experience in financial planning practices, Rebecca ensures FLP runs like clockwork. She oversees client journeys, processes and technology, aiming to make everything as efficient and effective as possible.

A seasoned paraplanner at heart, she now applies her technical prowess to elevate FLP's operations. Her passion lies in problem-solving: dissecting complex scenarios and reassembling them into beautifully simple solutions, both for clients and the business.

When not working, she's planning her next cultural adventure. With an uncanny ability to attract interesting experiences and forge unexpected friendships, her travels never quite go to plan - and that's exactly how she likes it.

Sian began her career in Financial Planning in 2016 and has progressed through various roles to her current position in Operations and Research.

This breadth of experience, particularly as a Paraplanner and in using and refining back-office systems and support applications, has provided a unique insight into the processes undertaken by advisers and support staff and how they can better achieve the best outcomes for clients and colleagues alike.

As a member of the Centralised Investment and Product Committee, Sian works with a wide range of colleagues and third parties to evaluate whole-of-market investment offerings. This involves undertaking and managing due diligence and numerous other areas of data production and analysis. Sian uses this in turn to create and circulate this information via clear, user-friendly documents. These are then used at all levels across the organisation to pursue efficiencies and assist in decision-making.