Wealthify appoints 3 women executives to senior leadership team

By Gloria Methri

Wealthify, the UK-based digital investment platform, has announced the appointments of three women on its Senior Leadership Team.

Colleen McHugh has been appointed as permanent Chief Investment Officer (CIO) after joining on an interim basis earlier this year. Colleen has been a member of Wealthify’s Investment Committee since 2019 and has over 20 years’ experience in the investment and financial services industry.

Some of her notable roles were as an Investment Manager and Private Banker for publicly listed banks, including HSBC, Barclays, and Butterfield Bank. She will co-lead the investment team alongside Deputy CIO, Kyle Cox.

Michelle Pearce-Burke, Wealthify Co-Founder and previous Chief Operating Officer returned from maternity leave in November to a new role as Chief Strategy Officer. As part of this, she will be developing, communicating, and implementing the future strategy in line with Wealthify’s growth ambitions.

Lucille Bellec has stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer, responsible for Wealthify’s Customer Care, Operations, and third-party provider relationships. Lucille was previously Head of Operational Transformation. Prior to that, she has held multiple senior roles at Aviva, including running the Group CEO Office. Lucille brings extensive experience in delivering operational transformation projects and driving business performance.

Commenting on her appointment, Colleen McHugh, CIO said, “I am delighted to be part of a company that is bringing more and more people into the world of investing, removing the barriers that many face. Since joining as Interim CIO, I have been motivated by our purpose of inspiring anyone to build their future wealth, as well as the passion and determination all our colleagues embody.”

Michelle Pearce-Burke, Co-founder and CSO said, “Wealthify has come a long way since our humble beginnings six years ago and I am so proud of all we’ve achieved and how many people we have inspired to start investing.  Our progress to date has been strong and I cannot wait to get stuck into my new role helping to shape and drive our future, alongside our fantastically talented and committed team.”

Lucille Bellec, COO, added, “I am excited to take on this new role at such an exciting moment in Wealthify’s growth journey. I look forward to working with the team to continue improving our services for our customers and build out our operations to support our future ambitions.”

Andy Russell, CEO, was thrilled to announce the addition of “3 strong, talented women” into the company’s senior leadership team.

“Colleen has already had a huge impact on our investment strategy and brings a wealth of experience to the role. We also welcome Michelle back with open arms. We can’t wait to have her back on the team, driving us forwards in our goal to make investing accessible to as many people as possible. And with Lucille picking up the COO mantle, our Senior Leadership Team couldn’t be stronger,” he said.