Seccl, the Octopus-owned embedded investment platform, has opened a new northern headquarters in the heart of Edinburgh.
Seccl is a fast-scaling investment technology company whose software and services power a growing roster of firms across the retail wealth landscape – including established financial planning and wealth management firms, and younger investment platforms like Crowdcube, Chip and Penfold. In 2019 it was acquired by Octopus, the £12.5 billion group of companies that includes Octopus Energy and Octopus Investments.
Last year, Seccl welcomed David Ferguson as its new CEO – previously founder and CEO of Nucleus Financial Group, the Edinburgh-based financial adviser platform that he led to £20bn in assets under administration (AUA), prior to its £145m acquisition and his subsequent departure in September 2021.
Since Ferguson took over as CEO of Seccl in April 2022, the firm has doubled its assets under administration, assembled an experienced executive team and grown its headcount to just over 100 people – nearly 20% of whom are now based in or around Edinburgh.
David Ferguson, CEO of Seccl, said:
“I joined Seccl excited to work with the best and most transformational technology in our industry, alongside one of the most ambitious, forward-thinking and principled backers you could find in Octopus. A little over a year later and that excitement has only grown.
“We have a frankly enormous opportunity to bring the outdated investment technology market kicking and screaming into our digital world – and to build a world-class business in the process. Our new base will help us deliver on that ambition, allowing us to tap into Edinburgh’s rich financial services talent pool.”
Kirsty Lynagh, Seccl’s chief people and performance officer, added:
“We want to build a home for the most talented and principled people in financial services and technology – and to create the environment where they can forge a stand-out career to define a lifetime. Our new Edinburgh office will play a vital role in shaping that environment, giving us the perfect home for our next chapter of growth. We’re thrilled to be laying down permanent roots in the city.”
Seccl now occupies the top floor of Clarence House, 131-135 George Street, in addition to its southern headquarters in Bath (where it was founded) and further satellite hub within Octopus’s 33 Holborn headquarters in London.