Cherie-Anne Baxter-Blyth

A little bit about me

Cherie-Anne joined Unividual in 2014, at a time when Unividual was a very small family-run business. She says “I will never forget my first day, plonked in the corner of the office with no clue where my computer was or how to set it up. The first thing I wrote on my pad was ‘implement IT infrastructure and induction program’. At the time the office was in the attic of mum and dad’s house. I remember thinking ‘I am literally sitting in my old bedroom’.

Coming from a very successful marketing career in recruitment she often recounts that she did have a moment where she thought “have I made a mistake”? From that first day she has never looked back and her unwavering commitment to change the industry has been a beacon of hope for many.

Since joining, a great many things have changed, Unividual has transformed from the small entity that it was to a progressive organisation that now employs 25 people and houses 6 financial advisers, with another 3 advisers in the wings training up.  Unividual now look after around 1000 clients each year, taking care of over £190m of assets under management.  A large proportion of this progression has stemmed from the launch of Unicademy, Unividual’s very own in-house academy that trains aspiring finance professionals. It was probably one of the very first things that Cherie-Anne and, her brother and co-director, Lewis Baxter, launched.  Over time the business grew and she crafted around her an operational team, all incredibly talented individuals from the financial services industry. This allowed her to continue to grow Unividual’s marketing function and ensure this scalable brand can march on for generations to come.

The future is female

She continues: “As a novice to the industry the lack of women advisers made no sense to me. Female financial advisers account for just 15% of the total adviser population. So mine and Lewis’s goal from the outset was to ensure we did everything we could to give entrepreneurial people, irrelevant of their age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background or class, a place they could learn, grow and thrive. As a woman in finance I owe it to our clients, consumers, employees and local community to change the industry from the grass roots up.”  Cherie-Anne has dedicated her time to ensuring she is a role model and mentor to other women and men.  For over a year she worked alongside Domestic Abuse Charity, Southside, to launch a development board.  She coaches young goals at Corsham Hockey Club and she is passionate about working with young female entrepreneurs. She also drives the development of women’s football through her involvement at Swindon Supermarine Football Club.