Meet the Team
Ian Russell DipPFS
Financial Planning Adviser
Ian is the owner and principal of Polestar, a trading style of Positive Solutions.
Ian has been an adviser since 1997 and is qualified to an advanced level in taxation and trusts (G10), Pensions (AF3) and Investments (AF4). He works principally with private clients addressing their concerns around inheritance tax, investment (for growth or income) and retirement planning. Ian also completes a significant amount of Continued Professional Development each year, attending various seminars and conferences, on his client’s behalf, keeping them abreast of latest developments.
01252 626200
Colin Last Cert PFS
Financial Planning Adviser
Colin has been in financial services since 1975, as an Independent Financial Adviser since 1990. Although Colin does not tend to specialise in any one particular area of business, the largest portion of his business has an investment bias. He is very proud of the fact that the majority of his business has been referred to him by other clients and professional connections.
01252 626200
Mark Latham DipPFS
Financial Planning Adviser
Mark has been an adviser since 1991 and is qualified to advanced levels in Taxation and Trusts, Pension Planning, Investment Planning.
Dealing almost exclusively with individuals to help them achieve and protect their financial goals.
Kevin Stannard DipFA
Financial Planning Adviser
Kevin has been an Adviser since 1987 and offers advice in aspects of financial planning based on personal and corporate basis, including pensions, investments, life assurance, income protection and business protection.
01252 626200
Kyri Stavri Cert PFS
Financial Planning Adviser
Kyri has been in financial services since 1984 and as an Independent Financial Adviser since 1988. Although involved in all matters of Financial Planning he considers his main area of expertise to be in Pensions, Investment and Inheritance Tax Planning and prides himself in being able to build strong professional relationships with personal and corporate clients alike.
01252 626200
Ian Lovelace
Trust & Estate Planning Consultant
Ian has been involved in Financial Services since 1993, originally as a Financial Consultant with the Prudential before entering the Independent Financial Adviser sector in 1998. In 2015 Ian decided to specialise in Estate Planning, the foundation of which is arranging client’s wills, with the appropriate trusts and Lasting Powers of Attorney. He works closely with Polestar’s IFAs and heads up a linked business, Cavendish Wills and Trusts (www.cavendishwillstrusts.com).
01252 626200
Keith Williams
Trust & Client Support & Guide
Keith entered the Financial Services sector in 1972, and built up a large client base largely as a result of recommendation and referrals. After spending 39 years dealing with all aspects of the business, including teaching and compliance, Keith decided to ‘retire slowly’. This wasn’t as easy as it sounds as he wanted to ensure that his former clients continued to receive honest and ethical advice from his successor. Polestar were the team to provide it.
01252 626200
Adam Spragg
Trust & Client Support & Guide
After 21 years in private financial services Adam has retired from active day to day management of client affairs but remains available for consultation on an informal basis.
01252 626200
Nicky Borman
Practice Manager
Formerly a Personal Assistant working for the Economist at Nationwide Building Society for 13 years, then financial administration at Abbey Life, and Zurich for 2 years. Nicky holds the CII Financial Planning certificates level 1 and 2. Nicky was also the winner of the Swindon Business Womans Group Award in 2003.
01793 881602
Claire Todd DipPFS
Paraplanner
Claire is an experienced financial services operative with over 35 years in the financial sector. Commencing in banks and building societies she gained a vast amount of experience which has been welcomed within the private sector. Claire’s extensive knowledge enabled her to become a Mortgage Adviser before she gained her diploma (DipPFS) in Financial Services. For the last ten years Claire has adopted the role of Paraplanner supporting other advisors and her experience, guidance and advice has always been valued by the other members of the team.
01252 626200
Tracey Grant
Office Manager
Tracey has worked in Financial Services for around 30 years, since leaving school, via Insurance companies, IFA’s, SIPP Providers and Wealth Advice Companies. She enjoys the varied work of the financial services industry and providing excellent client service support in all areas.
01252 626200
Amy Brittain
Financial Services Administrator
Amy has worked in the financial services industry since 2004 and has worked for a variety of different sized companies during her career. She has provided various support to Independent Financial Advisers throughout her career through research, paraplanning, compliance and administrative support.
She is currently studying towards her level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning.
01252 626200
Emma D’elia
Financial Services Administrator
Emma joined Polestar in 2016 as a financial administrator. She started her financial career in 2008 at Bloomberg LP and later in an IFA practice. Prior to this she lived and worked in France and Italy.
She provides support to the advisers with a variety of research, paraplanning and admin-based tasks, and recently started the RO1 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning, which she is aiming to complete in 2017.
01252 626200
Siân Ovel
Research Operations Manager
Siân has worked solely with Independent Financial Advisers in a support and research capacity since 1996. These have included small local firms through to large national firms based in London covering every aspect of personal financial planning. In 2007 Siân made the decision to become self employed in order to balance work and family life and now focuses on providing a bespoke research service for key IFAs. Siân holds the full CII Certificate in Financial Planning (1, 2 and 3) and attends regular workshops and seminars to keep up with industry changes.
01252 626200
Tracey Russell
Finance Manager
Tracey is an experienced business administrator having been a PA at Director level for companies including ntl (now Virgin Media) and Whitbread plc. She has also worked as a Financial Director’s assistant for a small publishing company and a MD’s assistant for a company providing mobile solutions for PCs.
01252 626200Interested in any of these topics?
For an informal, no obligation, chat with a consultant please call(01793) 881602
or email
Understood our needs
Our Polestar adviser understood our needs. He really listened and heard what we asked. Polestar always had a reply quickly even if it was to tell me how long it would take for action.