At a time when traditional financial services firms struggle with talent retention, AES International reports unprecedented interest from next-generation financial professionals seeking careers aligned with client-first values and professional development.
The firm’s SWANS philosophy – Smart, Work hard, Ambitious, Nice, Selfless – combined with its fee-based advisory model and certified fiduciary status, is attracting professionals who reject the commission-driven culture dominating regional financial services.
“Young advisers today want more than sales targets and commission structures,” said Alex Newington-Bridges. Managing Director of People & Culture at AES International. “They’re seeking organisations where expertise matters more than transactions, where client success drives compensation, and where professional development means mastering the craft, not just hitting numbers.”
Recent hires cite several factors drawing them to AES:
Fee-Based Structure – Advisers (or Financial Life Managers as the firm prefers to call them) focus on providing the best advice without commission conflicts, allowing them to recommend what clients actually need rather than what pays most.
Ensemble Practice Model – Team-based approach where collaboration replaces competition, providing new advisors with mentorship from chartered professionals while contributing their fresh perspectives.
Professional Development – Clear progression based on technical mastery and client outcomes, not sales volumes. Support for international certifications, including CII chartered status.
Meaningful Impact – Advisers report higher satisfaction helping families achieve financial security rather than pushing products.
“The best graduates and young professionals increasingly question why financial advice operates on commission when other professions don’t,” noted Sam Instone, CEO of AES International. “They see medicine, law, and architecture as fee-based professions and wonder why financial advice should be different.”
AES’s approach mirrors successful ensemble practices in the US, proven to deliver superior client outcomes, faster growth, and better professional satisfaction. The model particularly resonates with professionals seeking purpose alongside career progression – those who want to be part of transforming financial services from an industry into a true profession.
“We’re not recruiting salespeople,” added Alex. “We’re attracting professionals who share our vision of transforming financial services from a sales-driven industry into a respected profession. For over two decades, we’ve been building this change in the Middle East, and the next generation recognises that our purpose – making the world healthy, wealthy and wise– aligns with their career aspirations.”
The transformation is already underway at AES, where chartered financial planners operate as professionals, not product pushers, and where success is measured by client outcomes, not commission volumes.
“Young professionals today want to join organisations already leading this transformation,” continued Alex. “They see that we’ve been elevating standards for twenty years – from pioneering fee-based advice in the region to maintaining fiduciary standards when others wouldn’t. They want to be part of continuing that legacy, not starting from scratch.”
This commitment to professionalisation attracts talent who view financial advisory as a vocation requiring the same rigour, ethics, and continuous development as medicine or law. They’re choosing AES because the transformation from industry to profession isn’t just beginning here – it’s been our mission since day one.
“When advisers join us, they’re not hoping to change the industry someday,” added Sam. “They’re joining a firm that’s been doing it for decades. That’s powerful for someone who wants their career to mean something beyond transactions.”
About AES International: As the only certified fiduciary in the Middle East, AES International has provided fee-based financial life management to globally minded families for over two decades. The firm helps clients navigate international complexity with clarity and confidence.
This sponsored article was submitted by AES International.
