Fairstone founder takes up Deputy Chair role as successor is appointed

Fairstone Group announced today that its founder and Chief Executive, Lee Hartley, will transition to the role of Deputy Chair, with effect from 1 October 2025. Following an extensive search process, the Group is pleased to confirm that it has appointed a successor for the Chief Executive role.

The Group has developed a highly proven strategy for its focus on growth, and after almost 18 years since launching the national wealth advisory firm, this change reflects a natural evolution for both Hartley and Fairstone.

Fairstone recently announced that it has reached two significant milestones: £20billion in AUM and completing its 100^th deal within the sector. Combined, these achievements are clear hallmarks that the business is moving into a more mature phase.

Lee Hartley, CEO of Fairstone, said: “I’m immensely proud to have built Fairstone from an initial concept through to our position today.

“It’s easy to talk about numbers, and obviously we’re a business of real scale and significance, but it’s the fact that we’re doing things differently that really puts the shine on the story.

“We have a unique model, we stay true to our values, and we firmly believe that independence and whole of market choice is not an impediment to growth or profitability.”

The new CEO for the Group will take up the position later in the year, and the Group expects to make a further announcement on this in September.

Fairstone can confirm that Hartley’s successor is a highly experienced executive from within the financial services sector and has successfully managed both national and international operations in previous positions.

Over the past few months, Fairstone has been developing an expanded long-term business plan, as well as making a series of enhancements to its proprietary Downstream Buy Out model. These initiatives will drive the company towards its objective of £40bn in client assets by the end of 2030.

David Hickey, Independent Chairman at Fairstone, commented: “I’m delighted that Lee will be remaining with the business and will continue to play an active role on the board.

“It’s inevitable that a founder-led business will have to deal with this kind of transition at some stage, and I’m extremely pleased that we’re able to do this in a manner which only strengthens the company.

“Fairstone is quite a unique organisation, we have a fantastic culture and a very distinct strategy – Lee has been the chief architect in both respects, and these are the foundations of the great business that Fairstone has become.”

Hartley continued: “I’m really looking forward to helping guide the business from a new seat. We’ve massively improved our senior management team and organisational design over the last 18 months, and this is one of the principal reasons why I’m now able to make this decision.

“We’re in superb shape and we know exactly where we are heading, this feels like the right time and the right decision.”