Quilter hires Aviva's Phoebe Barter as brand and marketing director
Quilter appoints Aviva group brand director Phoebe Barter as brand and marketing director, reporting to Jo Harris, as it targets household-name status in UK financial planning.
Updated
The brief
- Phoebe Barter, Aviva group brand director, joins Quilter as brand and marketing director at the end of the year, reporting to chief customer and operations officer Jo Harris.
- Barter has 20+ years of experience across Mastercard, American Express, Barclays and Aviva, and led Aviva's 2024 brand refresh.
- Quilter aims to become 'the leading destination for financial planning in the UK' as it builds on its 'Money Needs a Plan' brand platform.
Quilter has appointed Phoebe Barter, currently group brand director at Aviva, as its new brand and marketing director, in a hire that signals the wealth management company's growth ambitions.
Barter joins at the end of the year and will report to chief customer and operations officer Jo Harris. She will lead Quilter's entire brand and marketing function, with responsibility spanning brand strategy, marketing communications, adviser and customer marketing, and events.
Harris says Barter's expertise will help the brand take its "ambition to the next level" as the company builds momentum behind its 'Money Needs a Plan' platform. The brand platform aims to encourage more people to engage with their finances, move from saving to investing where appropriate, and benefit from purposeful planning and professional financial advice.
"Phoebe is one of the most experienced brand leaders in financial services and I'm delighted to welcome her to Quilter. Her track record of building trusted, customer-focused brands will be a tremendous asset as we continue to grow," Harris says.
Harris also points to a "clear ambition for Quilter to become a household name and the leading destination for financial planning in the UK".
A 20-year financial services career
Barter brings more than 20 years of experience in brand, marketing, communications and sponsorship across financial services. Her five-year tenure at Aviva followed eight years in senior brand director roles at Barclays and almost ten years at American Express. She began her career at Mastercard in 2003.
At Aviva, Barter helped roll out the insurer's brand refresh in 2024. At the time, she described her role as working to "turbocharge the success that was already there" through research and evolution. That refresh followed an earlier brand relaunch in 2021, led by her predecessor Raj Kumar.
Commenting on her move, Barter says she is "excited to join Quilter" and work with colleagues across the business to "continue building a brand that stands out, creates impact and helps more people benefit from financial advice".
"The business has a clear purpose, a strong growth strategy and a hugely relevant proposition at a time when more people are looking for confidence and clarity in their financial lives," she adds.
For marketing leaders in financial services, the appointment underlines how wealth managers are investing in senior brand talent as competition for consumer trust intensifies. Quilter is betting that a seasoned operator with experience across four major financial brands can accelerate its push into the UK consumer mainstream.
Based on Marketing Week
Filed under brand, financial-services, marketing-leadership, wealth-management, appointment
Amara Osei
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News editor covering industry trends and analytics at Marketing Herald.