WTW Atomos buy-in heralds PE and hybrid advice 'direction of travel'

Atomos CEO: PE ‘professionalises the industry and gives it greater capital’

Isabel Baxter
clock • 4 min read

Private equity (PE) backing and hybrid advice are the direction of travel for the financial advice industry, Oaktree Capital Management-backed Atomos CEO Jonathan Polin told Professional Adviser as WTW snapped up a minority stake in the wealth management business.

The deal, announced yesterday (3 October), sees WTW take part ownership of the advice-led wealth manager with around a quarter stake in the business. WTW is expected to provide additional capital to support further growth. Atomos, previously Sanlam Wealth, is majority backed by Oaktree Capital Management (Oaktree). The firm was acquired by Oaktree for £140m in September 2021. WTW and Atomos were already working together, with the pair having agreed a strategic alliance back in 2022 that saw Atomos tap into WTW's multi-asset investment offering, giving clients access to offerings typic...

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