Why would a 15-year UBS veteran leave after building a $3B practice? Particularly someone who was a self-proclaimed “culture carrier”—an esteemed UBS Private Wealth Advisory Council leader with a line to the top of the house and who viewed the firm as the definitively best place for his business.
At that time, Ghislain Gouraige said he was the guy who “just wasn’t listening” beyond the four walls of UBS—and he couldn’t even imagine that there might be something better. (No doubt, in building a $3B business at the firm, there didn’t seem to be much of a reason to do so.)
Then, friend and ex-UBS PWM colleague Rob Sechan left to build NewEdge Wealth in 2020, an RIA designed to allow other breakaway advisors serving high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients to join NewEdge’s elite platform.
Then Ghislain stopped and listened—and a new world of potential opened up around him.
And what once seemed “good enough” somehow didn’t quite feel that way anymore. That is, there might be better ways for him and his team to serve their clients and grow the business by removing limitations on marketing to business owners and expanding the universe of alternative investments (especially with smaller, top-tier, diverse managers).
So, in January of 2022, the 11-person Coral Gables, FL team left UBS for NewEdge Wealth.
Ghislain’s sentiments mimic that of many other advisors. For many years, he kept his head down and built an extraordinary business. Then, he started to see the potential outside of his firm. And as he shared, “You can’t unsee what you’ve seen.” That turning point led him down a new path—one that he says he only wishes he had found earlier.
In this episode, Ghislain speaks candidly with Mindy Diamond, including…
- His turning point—and how one’s perspective can be restricted until you open yourself up to learning about what’s happening around you.
- The highlights of his career—and how he built an extraordinary business at UBS.
- The choice to transition to NewEdge—and why that decision won over building his own RIA or even taking an outsized transition deal from another large firm.
- His business life nearly two years later— and how the change has impacted his clients, growth, and future.
- Plus, Ghislain shares actionable advice for those considering their own future and much more.
Listen in to learn how to allow education to open your mind, along with salient tips on building an extraordinary business—both as an employee advisor and an independent.
Download a transcript of this episode…
