Face behind the text revealed! Meet our Globetrotter Letitia

Our marketing and events manager, Letitia Lam, started with us nearly 2 months ago after returning from her volunteering experience in Asia. Since joining Murphy Wealth HQ, Letitia has taken over the reins of our marketing and events. We decided to play Letitia at her own game and interview her - find out more about Letitia in our article and everything from fast cars to the ‘Google of IFA’.  

Please tell us about your role.

One of the things I love about my position at Murphy Wealth is the variety of roles I can explore from managing our company website and social media to creating content – both written and visual, and planning events. Essentially, everything I do contributes to the way we communicate with our clients and how we reach new audiences. Although my role is deemed as marketing centric, there is a huge element of business development and growing Murphy Wealth by getting us onto the right platforms. And that is what really excites me!

I also work with agencies that help and support us in delivering our marketing strategy. My current role is brand new in Murphy Wealth, and as much as I like to keep busy, I am only one person (with a limited set of skills!). Therefore, I am grateful I get the chance to pull in knowledge and skills from companies that are super expert in areas including creative content strategies (Flock Creative), social media (WeAreHydrogen) and website management (TunaWeb). This part of the job also reflects MW’s ethos of supporting local businesses by working together - something I also feel passionate about.

Tell us how a typical day might look?

The nature of my role means that there is an exciting amount of uncertainty because of new trends, opportunities and events that arise daily.

I usually start off with checking in on news and market insights, particularly within the financial sector to keep up to date with the evolving industry making sure we are aware of the current tabloids and thus, allowing us to alert clients of anything they may need or want to know. Reading articles and reports can also inspire me with content ideas for our website so really it’s a win-win!

We’ve naturally built and strengthened our network because we collaborate and support those around us. Part of my job is to strengthen those relationships whilst also creating new ones.  This means I get to meet new people all the time – and anyone who knows me will know that I love this! I often have meetings to discuss opportunities for collaboration on events, workshops and projects.

For example, we are sponsoring the Business Women Scotland (BWS) Business Awards this year off the back of the first meeting I had with BWS Magazine founder Lynne Kennedy. I was so inspired by their ethos and the reasoning behind the creation of the magazine, not to mention the amazing story on her receiving an MBE! We recognised an opportunity to strengthen by learning from each other’s expertise and have already started planning exciting new projects.

Tell us about the culture at Murphy Wealth

I would say it resonates the work ethos of an early day Google in the Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) world. There are a lot of IFA firms in Glasgow alone, but what seems evident since joining Murphy Wealth is that we are affable in the way we communicate with clients – and always have been. The whole team is empowered to make decisions, because our ‘management’ trust us to do us (we hardly use this term because our structure is pleasantly flat). I often get approached by CEO Adrian, and Managing Director, Neil with new ideas for growing the business, and I know I can always do the same whilst offering my honest opinions. They are keen to be brave and innovate, and that’s really refreshing for an IFA and our industry.

What campaigns have you been working on?

My first campaign has involved filming our clients and capturing their stories of working with Murphy Wealth. Since it is my first time running an official campaign (ever!), there is no doubt a steep learning curve when it comes to technical skills and marketing strategies. However, it is heart-warming to meet and hear the clients who all shared wonderful stories of their retirement, businesses and experience with us. We loved it so much we even wrote an article on all the topics.

Watch one of the client videos here.

Tell us about some of the events

Last month, we partnered with Mercedes Benz Glasgow to offer our clients a fast car driving experience with 8 amazing AMG cars (including a GTR!!). The pictures probably don’t even do it justice, but it was a great opportunity to bond with our clients and see strong relationships and partnerships being built between them too.

On your marks! The team of Mercedes Benz cars ready to hit the road.

On a separate occasion, we teamed up with Rusk & Rusk – our friends Louise and James Rusk, who started an empire which now consists of The Hutchesons, The Butcher Shop, and The Spanish Butcher (yes, you will have at least heard of one!). We wanted to thank our clients and invited them to Wine and Dine at The White Box with us – the beautiful event space which recently opened at Rusk and Rusk’s newest restaurant, So L.A.

We try to do things differently at Murphy Wealth, which makes event planning even more enjoyable for me.

Full house at The White Box in partnership with Rusk & Rusk

Have you always been in marketing?

Not at all! I worked at Barclays for 3 years after I graduated from an Honours degree in Business Enterprise at University of Strathclyde. Being on the Barclays Graduate Programme allowed me to experience a mix of roles in Investment Banking operations, projects and Business Management. I also enjoyed investing time in growing the Diversity and Inclusion initiative and launched a Reverse Mentoring Programme – which is when I got a good taster for marketing and event planning!

Has it been challenging to return to work after your ‘career break’?

It has surprisingly not been challenging at all. The team have made it an extremely enjoyable and smooth transition, I felt part of MW the minute I stepped in. And that was my main concern when I returned. I really enjoyed my time volunteering with a non-profit called Shumei in Japan and Hong Kong - I even climbed Mt. Fuji! Millennials taking career breaks is a hot topic these days, and I am extremely glad I did it. I was ready to return despite being concerned about job searching. Operations Director Fiona has been very supportive of me continuing to work on the things that matter to me. I continue to pursue my passion in Natural Agriculture and feel that balance has helped ease me into ‘working life’ again.

Volunteering in Scotland at the Natural Agriculture polytunnel

Letitia and fellow volunteers at the top of Mt. Fuji during sunset

What attracted you to Murphy Wealth?

Their roots are local, but their ambitions are global.

Having grown up in a family business environment myself, it is uplifting to see the grounded, friendly culture still embedded in the family company 42 years on. The story of how our Chairman Brian Murphy founded the company is one that is inspirational and equally touching – a story that I heard first-hand from him on day one. What follows that inspiration is Adrian’s direction for Murphy Wealth which values his dad’s original vision whilst embracing opportunities for further growth. This is what I mean by ‘global’ – as a firm we are brave and want to expand, out with the limitations of location. We want to impact and add value to our clients and networks, and you can feel it in our environment. This ambition is what drives me to succeed in my role with them.

Your team will also play a big part in how much you enjoy your role, and I am fortunate enough to have found a team that are down-to-earth, a good laugh and dynamic in the way we work. We are also quite a ‘young’ team, with three quarters of us female (in the words of Queen B, ‘Who run the world?' - GALS), which is refreshing to see in our industry!

We are always happy for a chat so please don’t ever hesitate to get in touch if you would like to find out more or require financial advice. Stay tuned for more client videos also being released on our social media soon!