Mention deVere Group and you’ll be talking about one of the most influential independent financial consultancies in the world – and certainly the largest.

The company’s meteoric rise to success is well documented but behind the corporate brand what, or indeed who, has driven a company from one office in 2002 to become a present day global financial services giant?

The answer is deVere CEO and founder Nigel Green, a man whose drive and energy has ensured the company is first choice for independent financial advice to expat, high net worth and international investors.

Okay, that’s the corporate line. So, who really is Nigel Green? Speak directly to him and he’d argue deVere’s success would be down to the talented independent financial advisers who work tirelessly to help their clients reach their financial goals. He would insist it is the world-class management structure, the relationships with the major financial institutions which provide the market-leading products, the company’s pioneering technologies, the teams of admin and support teams…  All of which has seen the company realise, to-date, 71 offices worldwide (including in most major financial hubs such as New York, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai, Zurich and Johannesburg) with over 80,000 clients and some $10 billion of funds under advice and management.

But yet again we’re in the territory of facts and figures, which admittedly are difficult to get away from given their numerical weight. But we want to go deeper – and we can.

In late 2014, a camera crew was commissioned to follow Nigel Green during one of his typical working weeks. Published in 2015 it is called – not unsurprisingly – “A Week In The Life of Nigel Green” and you can see it by clicking the link – but stay with us for a little while longer.

The video opens a unique window not just into the professional life of a blue chip CEO but to the personal drive that keeps deVere growing year-on-year. It is the man behind the company.

Starting off the week in London, where he was presented with the International Adviser of the Year Award at the London Stock Exchange, the crew follow Nigel to New York, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and then Shanghai. It seems timely to remind ourselves this is a typical week – not a ‘one off’ for the cameras.

During the film, what becomes apparent at every deVere office Nigel arrives in is the team’s respect and admiration for him. He’s energetic, focused, determined and displays a humanity that seeps through to all staff. It is a work ethic that is intrinsic to the deVere success.

As Nigel says: “I love the culture of deVere. Wherever I go, whichever office I land at, there’s a buzz.  It’s always thrilling and inspiring to see people who aspire to be the best they can be and to do the best they can for our clients.   I never tire of visiting our motivated teams across the world who share deVere Group’s core values of integrity, energy and excellence.

Nigel’s hands-on approach to managing a business that has escalated to worldwide proportions is simple and straightforward.

“We’re in a people business. No matter how or where we grow and what we do, we’re not an empire. We’re a company that thrives on hard work, egalitarian entrepreneurialism, drive and intellect to provide the best personal financial advice.”

He adds: “I don’t see 450 independent financial advisers at deVere. I see at any one time 450 one-to-one conversations between our IFAs and our individual clients. And as we continue our push further into territories like North America and Africa, those one-to-one conversations will simply multiply in direct ratio to the number of IFAs we’ll have trained and brought in to continue our award-winning service.”

One last insight into the man who founded deVere Group.  Nigel Green’s self-motivation includes a strict daily regime of personal fitness.

Nigel explains: “If I’m not fit then I can’t achieve what I want to achieve for my family, my business and myself.  I focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle in order to concentrate my efforts on my second major goal in life, which is to accomplish as much as I can in business and do my absolute best for my family.”

This self-discipline is a distinct trait amongst some of the most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.  We’d expect nothing less from the ‘tour de force’ behind deVere Group.