Acknowledgements

When I wrote this book I was uncertain of whether I wanted to name names, but my publisher felt that they added to the book. The people named are mentioned because their input was relevant to a part of the story. Some have specifically asked for their names not to be included. However it is only fair to say that every single person who has worked for Hargreaves Lansdown also deserves an acknowledgement from me for their contribution to the business. They have worked into the night when necessary and come in during weekends if there weren’t enough hours in the normal working week. They have gone the extra mile in explaining things to clients, obtaining whatever information was needed and holding their hands when markets were volatile. Over 27 years we must have employed more than 2000 people. It is unfortunately impossible to mention all their names here.

The clients of Hargreaves Lansdown also deserve mention and a huge vote of gratitude. The ones that came to us at the beginning took a chance in dealing with a firm that was still so embryonic. All the clients who have sung our praises to their friends have acted as an unpaid marketing arm of the business. I thank our clients for their tolerance when we have been frazzled by circumstances and for praising our staff when they have experienced excellent service. I thank also those thousands of clients who, when we floated the company, sought to buy our shares in droves. Finally I must thank all the people in the industry who have helped us over the years. That includes the original unit trust groups who sponsored us to become their agents and the many who regularly bring their fund managers down to Bristol to tell our investment team about their investment philosophy. We must also thank our suppliers; not least our printers who have turned things round at breakneck speed when circumstances dictated it. We have always been loathe to change our suppliers and we thank them for rewarding our loyalty by providing us with excellent products and services over the years. I would also like to thank my family who have understood that I dedicated much of my life to coming in regularly to the business and often had to tolerate me when prepossessed by problems, opportunities, deadlines or just when things weren’t going as planned. It has been a fantastic journey. I have loved every minute of it, and I love it today, but it couldn’t have been done in isolation and for that I thank everyone who has had a part to play in the Hargreaves Lansdown business adventure. It has been a wonderful journey, but it isn’t over yet.