The story so far

Where it all began

John Baxter grew up in an entrepreneurial environment as the third generation in his father and grandfather’s fresh produce business, CH Baxter’s & Son. After selling the company, John joined Allied Dunbar in 1998 and became an award-winning financial adviser. He designed a financial advice model capable of being tailored to each client that stitches together every area of someone’s finances. In 2000 John launched Unividual, with a name designed to reflect our core belief that each of us is unique and individual. The business grew from strength to strength with the support of John’s wife Angela and other valued members of staff who have shared in our journey along the way.

Our pioneering financial planning model shaped Unividual’s reputation for delivering intelligent advice. However, at the time, Unividual faced a similar problem to other firms: John was the only financial planner, so the business could not offer clients lifetime advice. John’s son, Lewis Baxter, changed this. After graduating with a law degree, Lewis joined the business to start Unividual’s next generation of financial planners. In 2011, he became one of the youngest Chartered financial planners in the country and that year was the youngest Fellow of the Personal Finance Society. Scott Gurd then followed in Lewis’s footsteps in 2013 to become Unividual’s second Chartered financial planner.

Where are we now?

Unividual is now in a position where clients can rely on our financial planning services, delivered in ‘The Unividual Way‘, for the rest of their lives. We are now a team of around 30 members of staff, with seven Chartered financial planners, a large office in the centre of Bath and, since November 2018, an office in London. Located on Platform One of Paddington train station, the London office houses a team of paraplanners and financial advisers. It is not Unividual’s plan to be a “big” business, instead we want to continue to strive to be the best. What is important to us is each financial planner will be of the highest of quality and require teams of support around them to deliver on Unividual’s levels of service. We will prioritise maintaining high standards as we grow, so our clients can continue to depend on our intelligent levels of advice for generations to come. To find out a bit more about those high standards and the morale codes of conduct we follow head over to our Mission and Values page.

Our culture & unique code

Giving young people opportunities in finance

“As part of my business and economics degree, I chose to complete a yearlong placement at a business of my choice. Having not initially considered a role in finance, Unividual stood out to me for their unique business ethos and encouraging working environment. Entering an industry that was new to me initially felt daunting however, from the beginning, I have been supported by the people around me to get the most out of my time here. Already, I have been able to learn a huge amount of technical knowledge by working so closely with the advisers and our clients. I have been exposed to the research and analysis which allows us to inform and give advice to our clients on all aspects of their finances. The responsibilities given to us as placement students from the first day makes it a hugely rewarding and enjoyable place to work. The support that Unividual provides to me as a young professional gives me the confidence that I will have the right knowledge and organisational awareness to be successful in my final year of university and my future career.”

Livvey Wadsworth, Bath Spa University

9th February 2023