Matt Firman
CEO
Matt Firman started his career working for Bank of Scotland in London, advising high net worth clients around the world. In 2004 Matt moved to a large investment bank on Wall Street to focus on US clients. He moved to Dubai in 2009 and worked for Old Mutual International, holding the position of Head of High Net Worth Distribution and travelled extensively advising bankers, Family Offices and Wealth Managers to structure clients wealth to legally and compliantly reduce their effective rate of tax. Matt lives in the Algarve with his wife and two daughters and enjoys playing golf and watching football. Matt is a member of the chartered institute of securities and investments.
Paul Nicholson
Group Executive & Senior Wealth Manager
Paul was born in Zimbabwe and has over 30 years of experience in advising South African residents and expats on international investments, both in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Portugal, with particular focus on providing his clients with income in retirement. Paul specialises in creating offshore structures to assist his clients with cross-border tax and estate planning and has an extensive track record both with his clients and with some of the world’s most respected international financial institutions, in some of the most highly regulated offshore jurisdictions.
Steph Ryan
Client Relationship Manager EU
Meet Steph Ryan, career driven mother to a beautiful little boy. Over the course of the last 20 years, Steph has developed her skill set across the creative and strategic management fields. From building a successful construction company with her husband, the two prove to be a powerhouse couple at the top of their game. With a zest for life and new adventure, the couple recently turned to Portugal as their new home base. Steph continues to develop her skills set as a new member of the exclusive St James Global. With a love for people and a vast connection capital across different fields, Steph has proven time and again a reliable, compassionate ally in any situation.
Andy Oliver
Director, PCC
With 30 years experience in Financial Services, Andy’s role is to effectively run the company to ensure that an environment is created where people can succeed and importantly to ensure that first class, transparent advice is delivered, Selecting best funds, best contracts, serving clients needs and providing technical analysis and training.
Andy is our pensions specialist and beyond pensions, he is an expert in inheritance tax and excels in complex tax planning. Committed to simplifying intricate matters for clients, Andy infuses his professional approach with a touch of humour. His well-developed sense of humour, cultivated over the years, has proven essential, particularly in light of his Sunderland-supporting family background.
Maggie Panet
Compliance Manager
In the ever-increasing world of regulations as a financial services provider, St James Global are pleased to introduce you to our head of compliance, Maggie Panet.
As the Compliance Manager, Maggie’s role is to ensure that our company operates within the regulatory requirements and internal policies. Maggie serves as the guardian of our ethical standards and legal obligations, helping to prevent and detect violations that could harm our company's reputation and financial standing. By maintaining a robust compliance program, Maggie helps to foster a culture of integrity and accountability throughout the organization.
Maggie’s primary responsibilities are regulatory compliance, policy development and implementation, training, monitoring and auditing, incident and complaints management, reporting and documentation.
Aiga Fraser
Senior Team Leader & Sales Support
Aiga is a seasoned professional with nearly a decade of experience in Sales Administration. Originally from Latvia, she spent 12 years in the UK before a two-week holiday in Malaga in 2018 inspired her to relocate to Spain. Aiga has worked as a Sales Administrator for the largest resort on Costa del Sol, Club La Costa. In 2021, she joined a Private Client consultancy and has since advanced to Team Leader of the Sales Support and Network departments. Outside of work, Aiga enjoys being a mom to her two wonderful boys, reading, and experimenting with new recipes.
Steve Thompson
Wealth Manager | EU
With over 35 years of experience in financial services, Steve has the privilege of working with some of the world’s largest corporations. He's career began at AEGON, where he spent 12 years in asset management sales before moving on to major industry names like MetLife, Morningstar, FE fundinfo, and Charles Stanley.
In 2011, he moved to Dubai as Head of Banking Distribution for Generali, marking the start of he's journey in the Middle East. After some time away, he returned to the UAE in 2020, taking on a financial advisory role in the DIFC as a Partner and later serving as Head of Distribution for Africa at Investors Trust, EMEA.
Beyond he's corporate experience, he has dedicated himself to deeply understanding financial markets, holding the Level 6 CISI Private Client Investment Advice & Management qualification, along with a Level 4 Diploma in Financial Services, Discretionary Fund Management, and Securities & Dealing.
He's career has been driven by a passion for working with clients across financial markets, global distribution, and building meaningful relationships across the industry.
