Who Are We?

MATTHEW PAVELEY

Prior to starting Citadel in 2009, I worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years.  My career started in a High Street bank and incorporated many roles including managing a large high street branch. My last role was as a financial planner (advisor) providing both corporate and personal financial advice.

I have never agreed with the sales culture prevalent in the financial services industry and this was my motivation to start Citadel. Any business relationship should be in the interest of all the parties involved and not just that of the business.

I am a firm believer in the golden rule ‘Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself!’

Managing your finances should be done in partnership, the better the understanding and relationship, the better the client outcomes; you should never rush financial planning! Every client has their own priorities and objectives and it is our job to help translate these into a clear, coherent financial strategy. Our clients trust us with their financial futures and we value that trust above all else.

I am passionate about providing our clients with the highest level of service and helping to secure their financial futures through the generations. Our clients have been very good to us supporting Citadel from the beginning, often recommending friends and family to us.

I believe in life that you have to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone occasionally and at the same time it is nice to do something for the benefit of others. Taking this on board every few years I like to do a Challenge for charity and have tied these in with my twin interests of History and Cricket, which will come as no surprise to most of my clients or any of my friends and family.

matthew@citadelfs.co.uk

FCA number MJP01218 – View on the Financial Services Register

LORRAINE PAVELEY

I joined the financial services sector following A-Levels, initially taking a cashiering role with one of the UK’s leading banks.  Over the next few years, I performed various administration and customer-facing roles within the organisation.  My passion however lies with providing excellent customer service and I struggled with the bank’s ever-increasing emphasis on sales and targets; at the expense of the customer’s needs.  I took time out to have a family before initially returning to the workplace on a part-time basis.

I joined Citadel at the beginning of 2018, keen to get back to focusing on what’s important; spending time with people and providing great service!  Citadel is a business with strong ethics and values and I am proud to work for a company that always puts the client first.

As Matthew’s Personal Assistant, I am responsible for a wide range of administration and processing tasks and I enjoy the variety the role brings!  I am lucky enough to have met all our clients and, as I also often accompany Matthew on client meetings, I get to catch up with everyone on a regular basis!

lorraine@citadelfs.co.uk

DARREN BROTHERTON

I was delighted to join Citadel having known the business through professional contacts and admired the customer-first ethos of Matthew and Lorraine.
I have a broad range of knowledge with 30 years of experience in financial services across retail banking, pensions and investments, supporting both personal and corporate clients.

Every one of us has slightly different journeys, and I really enjoy spending time with people to understand their personal journeys and life goals. My focus has always been on listening, understanding and providing great service, ensuring long and trusted partnerships to help people achieve their aspirations and protect what is important to them.

I am passionate about simplifying the complexity of financial services and increasing the education and engagement of all ages into thinking about their financial future to achieve great outcomes. As well as working with personal clients you will often find me supporting employers and their people, by running financial educational and well-being seminars.

Married with 2 adult children and 1 Airedale Terrier, I have a wealth of real-life experiences. I believe this is often as important as formal knowledge in understanding the challenges and highlights life brings us, and the importance of planning and advice in securing financial futures for ourselves and our loved ones.

When away from work I enjoy the great outdoors and you will often find me on my mountain bike or on long walks with my dog Poppi.

darren@citadelfs.co.uk

FCA number DXB00432 – View on the Financial Services Register

SARAH AYLEN

Joining the Citadel team is a new and exciting adventure for me where I hope to build up my knowledge of financial services. Although my previous administrative positions were not within this sector, I love a challenge and always like to continue expanding my skills and knowledge to keep me on my toes!

I started as an Early Years Educator within nurseries and working so closely with families taught me the importance of seeing everyone as an individual and ensuring any service provided is tailored to that individual’s needs. After some time, I made the transition to working in administration, working in both back-office and client-facing roles. I always found the client-facing roles more enjoyable as I like getting to know people on a personal level, and it’s nice to feel like you’ve been able to make a positive impact on someone’s day. I feel this aligns well with Citadel’s values and customer-centric ethos, which is something that attracted me to the role.

sarah@citadelfs.co.uk