ClientIQ — Influencer & Thought-Leader List¶
Last updated: 2026-06-24 (live web scan: Money Marketing, Financial Planning, FPI, InvestmentNews, FTRC, NextGen Planners, vendor/profile pages). Grouped by market to match the positioning.md go-to-market matrix (UK home base · SA channel-partner · US).
How to read this: these are people who influence financial advisers and firm owners — ClientIQ's actual ICP — not consumer "personal finance" creators (Ramit Sethi, Humphrey Yang, etc.), who talk to the public, not to the profession. The list is deliberately curated, not exhaustive: the names below are the ones whose audience is advisers, planners, and the adviser-tech ecosystem. Primary platform noted per person; almost all are active on LinkedIn, which is the campaign channel (see positioning.md → "LinkedIn authority + ICP DMs").
The most relevant cluster for us is adviser-tech / AI-in-advice commentators (Kitces, McKenna, Okusanya) — they shape how the profession judges tools like ours.
1. United Kingdom¶
Home base. LinkedIn authority + ICP DMs is the lead channel here.
| Influencer | Who they are | Platform | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian McKenna | Founder, Financial Technology Research Centre (FTRC) & AdviserSoftware.com; long-running Money Marketing columnist; UK's leading adviser-fintech analyst | LinkedIn · Money Marketing · FTRC | Highest. He literally reviews adviser AI tools and declared 2026 "the year AI went mainstream in advice." The single most important UK voice to be on the right side of. |
| Abraham Okusanya | Founder/CEO of Timeline (adviser planning software); host of the Adviser 3.0 podcast; outspoken on the future of the profession | LinkedIn · Adviser 3.0 podcast | High. Fintech-founder credibility + a platform aimed squarely at progressive planners and firm owners. |
| David Ferguson | Executive Chair of Seccl (Octopus-owned investment/custody platform; joined as CEO 2022); founder & former CEO of Nucleus Financial (grew it to £20bn AUA) | LinkedIn · Seccl | High. A heavyweight adviser-platform builder; his endorsement signals serious fintech credibility. Reaches platform-aware firm owners. |
| Nicky Sevel | Co-founder of Woven Advice (advicetech integrations, data & APIs); 15+ yrs across leading UK advice software and wealth firms; active #advicetech / #wealthtech voice | LinkedIn · Woven Advice | High. Connector at the centre of the UK advicetech/data scene — exactly the integration-and-data conversation ClientIQ lives in. |
1a. Key UK platforms & resources¶
Not individuals — but channels/players worth getting ClientIQ in front of (directory listings, podcasts, integrations).
| Resource | What it is | Channel | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wealth Mosaic | Curated wealthtech resource & vendor directory; publishes the UK WealthTech Landscape Report and monthly newsletters | thewealthmosaic.com · LinkedIn | High. Getting ClientIQ listed/profiled here is a credibility + discovery play — advisers and firms use it to find tools. |
| moneyinfo | Client-portal / secure-messaging app for advice firms; also runs an industry podcast (David Ferguson has guested) | moneyinfo.com · podcast | Medium-High. Adjacent (engagement layer, not prep) → potential integration partner and a podcast platform to appear on. |
| Plannr CRM | Fast-growing modern adviser CRM (launched 2022, built with 80+ advice firms); clean UX, mobile-first, real-time data + client portal | LinkedIn · plannrcrm.com | Medium-High. A rising CRM the ICP increasingly runs on → priority integration/co-marketing target (ClientIQ preps from CRM data). |
1b. In my research, but not known to me¶
Surfaced as relevant UK profession voices — verify fit before engaging.
| Influencer | Who they are | Platform | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Hart | Founder of Maven Adviser; creator of the Humans Under Management conferences; hosts multiple adviser podcasts (incl. The Real Adviser Podcast) | LinkedIn · podcasts · HUM events | Convenes the modern-planner community; strong behavioural-finance / human-first slant. |
| Brett Davidson | Founder of FP Advance; practice-management coach to advice-firm owners; author of the "scale problem" white papers | LinkedIn · FP Advance blog | Speaks directly to the owner/economic-buyer about scaling — aligns with our growth/scale angle. |
| NextGen Planners (Rohan Sivajoti / Adam Owen) | The largest app-based community + training body for next-generation UK planners | LinkedIn · nextgenplanners.co.uk | Reaches the rising cohort of advisers most open to new tools; a community play, not a single voice. |
| Nick Lincoln | Veteran adviser; co-host of The Real Adviser Podcast (TRAP); vocal, contrarian commentator on the profession | LinkedIn · TRAP podcast | Reaches an engaged, opinionated adviser audience; good for the contrarian "stop being a bigger scribe" narrative. |
2. South Africa¶
Channel-partner market. Warmest path is the SA wealth-manager CEO's network; these voices amplify.
| Influencer | Who they are | Platform | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Ingram | Co-founder, Galileo Capital; CFP®; FPI Financial Planner of the Year (2011); host of the Honest Money podcast; author of 3 personal-finance books; regular on The Money Show | LinkedIn · Honest Money podcast · radio | Highest. SA's most recognisable financial-planning name with genuine reach into both the public and the profession. |
| Theo Vorster | Co-founder & CEO of Galileo Capital (with Warren Ingram); former MD of a major SA stockbroking firm; creator/host of kykNET's Geldsake met Theo Vorster | LinkedIn · kykNET · Galileo Capital | High. Strong mainstream-media presence (esp. Afrikaans market) + firm-owner credibility; natural co-amplifier with Ingram. |
| Wouter Fourie | CEO, Ascor Independent Wealth Managers; CFP®; FPI Financial Planner of the Year (2015); named on International Adviser's IA100 (100 most influential in global financial planning) | LinkedIn · Moneyweb columns | High. Deep credibility inside the profession and with the FPI — ideal for adviser-to-adviser endorsement. |
2a. In my research, but not known to me¶
Surfaced as relevant SA profession voices — verify fit before engaging.
| Influencer | Who they are | Platform | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Potgieter | Director, Chartered Wealth Solutions; CFP®; ICF-certified coach; founder of Women in Finance Network (WIFN); "New Money Story" mentor | LinkedIn · kimpotgieter.com | Bridges financial planning and the human/coaching side; strong network among SA planners and women in finance. |
| Sunél Veldtman | CEO, Foundation Family Wealth; CFA® + CFP®; author and commentator; advises ultra-wealthy SA families | LinkedIn · Foundation Family Wealth | Respected, thoughtful profession voice; good for trust-first / advice-quality framing. |
| Charles Savage | CEO, Purple Group / EasyEquities; uses social to tell the EasyEquities story | More platform/consumer fintech than advice profession, but huge SA finance reach — useful for ecosystem visibility. |
3. United States¶
Not a launch market per positioning.md, but the US sets the profession's agenda — these voices shape global adviser/adviser-tech opinion and are worth tracking + engaging.
| Influencer | Who they are | Platform | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Kitces | Head of Planning Strategy, Buckingham; founder of Nerd's Eye View (Kitces.com) and the Kitces newsletter; the most influential practice-management / adviser-tech voice in the profession | LinkedIn · Kitces.com · podcasts | Highest. A Kitces mention/AdvisorTech-map listing is the gold standard of credibility. Several competitors (Zocks, Pulse360) already cite him. |
| Jason Wenk | Founder/CEO of Altruist (adviser custodian/platform); named to Financial Planning's "20 people who will shape wealth management in 2026" | LinkedIn · Altruist | High. Founder-operator voice reshaping the US RIA tech stack; strong with independent advisers. |
3a. The Kitces network — adviser-tech researchers & product explainers¶
The people Kitces actually operates with. This is the cluster that researches adviser software and explains product benefits to the profession — the single most important group for ClientIQ to be accurately represented by. Competitors (Jump, Wealthbox AI, Origin) already feature in their monthly #AdvisorTech coverage.
| Influencer | Who they are | Platform | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Henry-Moreland | Senior Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com; co-authors the monthly Kitces #AdvisorTech column (covers practice management, tax, and adviser technology) | LinkedIn · Kitces.com | Highest in this cluster. He literally writes the column that reviews tools like ours, month by month. The person to get ClientIQ in front of. |
| Craig Iskowitz | Founder/CEO of Ezra Group; author of the Wealth Management Today blog and WealthTech Today podcast; co-produces the Kitces AdvisorTech Solutions Map | LinkedIn · ezragroupllc.com · podcast | Highest in this cluster. Independent wealthtech analyst who maintains the industry's reference map of adviser software. Maps and rates the whole category. |
| Alan Moore | Kitces' primary business partner — co-founder of XY Planning Network & AdvicePay; co-host of XYPN Radio; voice of the independent fee-for-service movement | LinkedIn · XYPN | High. Reaches thousands of independent/next-gen US advisers through XYPN; the network vets and recommends tech to members. |
| Mark Tenenbaum | Director of Advisor Research at Kitces.com; runs the recurring Technology benchmarking study (alongside Productivity, Marketing, Wellbeing) | LinkedIn · Kitces.com | Medium-High. Owns the data on what tech advisers actually adopt and value — useful for proof/benchmarking narratives. |
| Jeffrey Levine | Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com (CPA/PFS, CFP); the profession's go-to tax/planning research authority | LinkedIn · Kitces.com | Medium. Less tech, more tax/planning depth — but enormous reach and credibility within the Kitces audience. |
3b. In my research, but not known to me¶
Surfaced as relevant US profession voices — verify fit before engaging.
| Influencer | Who they are | Platform | Relevance to ClientIQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Richards | "The Sketch Guy"; creator of Behavior Gap; co-host of the Kitces & Carl podcast | LinkedIn · Behavior Gap | Behavioural-finance storytelling that advisers share constantly — great for our human/trust narrative. |
| Josh Brown | CEO, Ritholtz Wealth Management; CNBC regular; host of The Compound & Friends | LinkedIn · CNBC · The Compound (YouTube) | Huge cross-over reach; advisers + investors. More markets-commentary than adviser-tech. |
| Ed Slott | CPA; ~50 years as the leading US authority on IRAs / retirement distribution; prolific educator of advisers | LinkedIn · irahelp.com | Technical-authority figure advisers trust; narrower (retirement/tax) lane. |
| Bill Cates | Referral & client-acquisition expert; coaches advisers on growing their book | LinkedIn · referralcoach.com | Speaks the growth language to advisers — useful for our "grow without hiring" angle. |
Notes & How to Use¶
- Engagement ladder (per positioning.md LinkedIn motion): follow → thoughtfully comment → reference their ideas in our authority content → earn a share/mention. Do not pitch cold. The adviser-tech analysts (Kitces, McKenna, Okusanya) are the highest-leverage relationships.
- Profession vs consumer: kept this list to people who influence advisers/firm owners. Consumer personal-finance creators (Ramit Sethi, Humphrey Yang, etc.) reach the public, not our buyer — excluded on purpose. Add a separate "consumer reach" tab only if we ever go B2C.
- Tech-analyst priority (the highest-leverage relationships): the people who actually research adviser software and explain product benefits to the profession — Ben Henry-Moreland & Craig Iskowitz (Kitces #AdvisorTech column + AdvisorTech Map, US) and Ian McKenna (AdviserSoftware.com / FTRC, UK). Getting ClientIQ accurately mapped and reviewed by these three is worth a dedicated effort — they shape how advisers judge tools.
- To verify / expand: exact LinkedIn handles flagged above (Andy Hart, Kim Potgieter, Sunél Veldtman, NextGen Planners founders, and the Kitces-network handles) — confirm before tagging. Consider adding: Damian Fahy (UK consumer), additional FPI past Financial-Planner-of-the-Year winners (SA), and US RIA voices like Michael Batnick (Ritholtz) if we want deeper US coverage.