Meet the Magenta Team
The Magenta team are multi-award winning financial planners, wealth managers and paraplanners based in Bridgend, South Wales.
At Magenta we focus on the bigger picture.
We genuinely care about people and about getting them to where they want to go in life. We just happen to be doing that through financial planning.
Magenta team
Gretchen Betts
Managing Director & Financial Planner
Gretchen is a multi-award winning Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Financial Planner and Financial Coach.
She’s passionate about working closely with clients to understand what they really want from life and to help break down some of the barriers people have when talking about money. Gretchen believes that financial planning isn’t all about the numbers, it should be about helping people understand what’s possible with the resources they have available.
Gretchen holds a BA (hons) in Ceramics and when she is not working, likes experimenting with all types of art and craft.
She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, travelling to explore new places and entertaining her Persian cats, Teddy, Pumpkin and Magic.
Jamie Flook
Financial Planner
Jamie is a Chartered Financial Adviser. He is a big believer in life not being a rehearsal and squeezing as much out of it as possible. He loves to get to know his clients well and takes great care in ensuring the advice he gives is in line with what is important to them.
Before joining Magenta, Jamie spent 5 years working as a financial planner at a company in Bristol. Before this he worked in other areas of Financial Services for 10 years.
When not working, he likes to read, run and spend time with his partner and their friends at sports and music events. He is a big Bristol Bears fan and likes to go to Glastonbury every year!
Julie Lord
Consultant
Julie has retired from giving financial advice and now works on a consultancy basis, to help with our client communications and strategic future development.
Julie is a former Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Financial Planner and Chartered Wealth Manager and says that she will not miss the continuous professional education requirements necessary to keep on top of the technical part of our work with clients!
Julie has two daughters, Mary and Annie, and lives in Chepstow. She is a keen skier, golfer and cyclist and loves travelling. She plays tenor saxophone in the Chepstow Big Band and loves all types of music.
Allyson Hopkins
Business Manager
Allyson is Magenta’s Business Manager and assists Gretchen with business management, accounts, compliance and all things HR!
Allyson has worked the in the Finance industry for over 20 years. She’s a firm believer in providing an excellent service for clients and that everyone should be treated equally and fairly.
Allyson enjoys trying to keep fit by swimming and Pilates and is prone to a bit of mum dancing to Shakira. Family is extremely important to Allyson; she is kept busy running around after her teenage daughter.
When she gets some free time, Allyson likes to spend it reading mystery novels with a large bar of chocolate and her cats Buster and Cookie sat by her.
Jessica Geere
Paraplanner
Jessica graduated from Swansea university, obtaining her BSc in Physics in 2018. Since then she has been working in financial services, learning about the profession and its various roles.
Jess is training to be a Chartered Financial Planner and studying for her exams.
In her spare time she enjoys keeping active, walking the Gower coast or taking classes in her local gym.
She also loves food and keeps a food blog of all the delicious places she’s visited and meals she has experimented with!
Mandy Whitburn
Client Liaison
Mandy has worked in financial planning for 17 years and joined Magenta when we launched in 2016. She’s worked closely with our clients for many years and loves a good project and to problem solve. Mandy looks after all our client enquiries, both new and from existing clients and enjoys the variety this brings to her role.
Mandy lives within walking distance of the beach in the West Wales countryside which she loves. She is a self-proclaimed crochet addict and yarn hoarder! She has four grandchildren who keep her on her toes and is a member of her local book club.
Carly Kenny
Financial Administrator
Carly has worked in financial services since she left school and is part of Magenta’s paraplanning team.
At home, Carly is kept busy by being a mum taxi to her two sons and keeping her young daughter entertained in various soft play places!
She enjoys running, weekends away camping with her family and going to live music and comedy events.
Isabel Viggers
Trainee Financial Administrator
Isabel has previously studied her level 3 financial services, securities and investment qualification in Cardiff and the Vale College and is very interested in obtaining more financial qualifications in the near future. She is excited to learn more about the profession and the roles it offers.
In her spare time she enjoys keeping fit by going to the local gym where she mostly does weight training. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, going out for food and to explore new places and also visiting her grandparents farm in Mid Wales when she has the chance.
Teddy & Pumpkin
Fluffy Motivators
Teddy and Pumpkin have very important jobs – providing much needed fluffy motivation.
They live with our MD Gretchen and love taking part on zoom calls!
They enjoy chasing balls and feathers and frequent napping. They are not permitted to give any financial advice.
The Magenta team is here to help you:
- Feel organised and in control
- Understand what is financially possible for you, your family, your career and your leisure time
- Have more time to enjoy the things that make you happy
- Identify and overcome obstacles to your future happiness
- Feel reassured that you have enough money to do whatever you want to
- Feel confident about your financial and life decisions
- Simplify and better understand your financial affairs
- Understand how your decisions will affect your future life
- Manage your money, time and other resources most effectively
- Ensure the right amount of money will be in the right place at the right time, for as long as you need it
- Improve your financial wellbeing
Get in touch with the Magenta team
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