Meet the team

Directors

John McClelland – Chairman

John has been employed in the financial services industry since 1985. John is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII) and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society (FPFS). He is also a Chartered Financial Planner. During his 11 year spell with Standard Life, he was promoted to the position of Senior Pensions Consultant in recognition of his specialist knowledge of this complex subject.

At the age of 35, he decided to create his own company called Knightsbridge Financial Services (now known as Knightsbridge Wealth Management (NI) Ltd). The business has developed through professional business introducers including accountants and solicitors. The range of advice offered is varied, with a concentration in the pensions and investment fields.

John is a keen tennis player and is a member of Belfast Boat Club. He also enjoys travelling.

Leigh Curran – Managing Director

Leigh has 25 years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry, mainly in the banking sector, advising High Net Worth and corporate and private clients. He led a team of financial advisers in one of the big four banks before deciding to go back to his roots of providing holistic advice to both businesses and individuals. He has an Honours Degree in Banking and Finance and a Diploma in Financial Services.

Leigh is a keen sports enthusiast having played football to a semi-professional level and enjoys keeping fit and spending time with his young family.

Sean Barrett – Operations Director

Sean has been employed in the Financial Services industry since 2000, having worked for both larger international organisations and local advisory firms. Sean joined Knightsbridge in 2021 and looks after the operational side of the business. A Chartered Financial Planner, Sean holds the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, for which he was awarded 1st place in Northern Ireland, and especially enjoys the technical side of the business.

Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his young family and is a keen sports and local football fan.

Financial Planners

Andrew Dow – Senior Financial Planner

Andrew graduated from the University of Ulster in 1998 with a 2:1 B.A. Honours in Business Studies with Computing. He has since acquired over 25 years’ experience as a Financial Adviser and has been able to progress rapidly as a direct result of his successful and trusting relationship with his clients.

He believes that helping his clients can be summed up simply as, ensuring they have the “right money in the right place at the right time” throughout their lives, but providing truly impartial, bespoke advice in Retirement Planning, Investments, Personal and Business Protection, Inheritance Tax Planning and Trusts.

Andrew currently holds a Diploma in Financial Planning and is currently studying toward Chartered Financial Planner status.

In his spare time, he enjoys an active family life and is a keen outdoor enthusiast who enjoys wild camping, hiking, scuba diving travel and all things boat, with a passion for the sea.

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David Simpson – Senior Financial Planner

David has over 30 years’ experience advising in the Financial Services sector, having begun his career as a financial advisor with Northern Bank before moving to the First Trust IFA Division as a Financial Planning Manager. When the First Trust Bank decided to close the IFA Division, David was appointed as the sole Corporate Financial Adviser for NFU Mutual (Northern Ireland region). At the beginning of 2023 David decided to join Knightsbridge Wealth Management as a Senior Financial Planner, following significant changes at NFU.

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Cathy Brennan – Senior Financial Planner

Cathy is an experienced Senior Financial Planner having started her career in financial services in 1997 after completing an Honours Degree in Banking and Finance. Cathy undertook a Postgraduate Certificate in Executive Leadership and is a Certified Financial Coach Practitioner. Recently Cathy was awarded “Financial Adviser of the Year (Scotland & Northern Ireland)” at Professional Adviser's Women in Financial Advice Awards 2024. Cathy is an empathetic, patient and caring professional who operates with the utmost integrity.

Cathy in her own words explains; “I feel privileged to help clients plan for their financial future while building relationships with their families and loved ones. I find it easy to connect with others and am always curious to learn of their passion for life. I am practical, intuitive, empathetic and compassionate when I receive news of death, life-limiting illness or struggles that clients face”.

Giving back is important to Cathy, she volunteers an Advisory Board Member for SENDA, a UK alliance of Special Educational Needs and Disability Advisers. It is here that Cathy combines her lived experiences, financial planning and coaching skills to support SEND families and vulnerable adults in Northern Ireland. Cathy also volunteers for Dress for Success Northern Ireland who are part of Foyle Women’s Aid. In addition, she founded a Lean In circle, Women In Finance NI to support women working in finance roles and to encourage more women to consider a career in finance.

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Joanne Crawford – Mortgage Adviser

Joanne has worked in the Financial Services industry since 2006 and is a mortgage specialist, having worked with large national firms including Positive Solutions, Quilter Financial Planning and True Potential.

Joanne has a vast knowledge of the mortgage market and Northern Ireland specific lending and is keen to help our clients with their mortgage needs, whether this is buying their first home, re-mortgaging, moving house or buy to let finance.

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Technical Support

Michele Cowan – Senior Financial Administrator

Michele has been in the Financial Services industry since 1988. She started her career in the Halifax as a Mortgage Adviser and progressed to a fully qualified Financial Adviser with Eagle Star. After taking a short break from sales she continued working in the industry and joined Knightsbridge Wealth Management in 2004 as a Mortgage Adviser. She is now a Senior Administrator specialising in pension and investment administration.

Michele volunteers as Welfare Office with Abbey Gymnastics as well as being on the parents’ fundraising committee. She is a keen runner, taking part in half marathons and 10K races throughout the year.

Toni Hamill – Financial Administrator

A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, Toni has worked in the financial services industry for around 15 years and was previously employed as a Paraplanner at another well-known Belfast firm before joining Knightsbridge Wealth Management as a Senior Administrator in June 2021. She is currently working towards her Diploma in Financial Planning and is looking forward to learning new skills and further developing her knowledge with the help and support of the highly trained and experienced team at Knightsbridge Wealth Management.

Outside of work, she is a busy mum who enjoys spending quality time with her family, long walks and eating out.

Christine McClelland – Senior Paraplanner

Christine joined Knightsbridge Wealth Management in September 2023 and has over 10 years’ experience in financial services, having carried out various administrative roles before progressing to paraplanning.

Christine graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 2009 and got her Masters degree from University of Manchester in 2010. She is now working towards the Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and is keen to continue developing her knowledge and skills. In her spare time, Christine enjoys travelling, walking and hiking, and spending time with family.

Pauline Huth – Senior Technical Paraplanner

Pauline studied Mathematics and Statistics at QUB and completed her Masters in Statistics at The University of Reading. She worked in Cancer Research for 10 years before deciding to retrain in Financial Services, she has her diploma in Financial Planning for which she was awarded 1st place in Northern Ireland.

She is also a qualified Benefits Adviser having completed the highly regarded Citizens Advice Welfare programme. She joined Knightsbridge Wealth Management in January 2025 as a Senior Technical Paraplanner and enjoys the technical side of financial planning. Outside of work, Pauline enjoys sea swimming, reading and socialising and visiting Donegal with her family when possible.

Colette Sloan – Annual Review Co-Ordinator

Colette has worked in the Financial Services industry since 2005, where she started out as a Financial Administrator and then progressed to Senior Financial Administrator. She was previously employed at another well-known Belfast firm as a Client Annual Review Administrator before recently joining Knightsbridge Wealth Management as our Annual Review Co-Ordinator.

Colette is responsible for ensuring that all of our clients receive their Annual Review meetings with their designated adviser, as well as collating detailed client information packs for these meetings and following up on any action afterwards.

Outside of work, she is a busy mum of one, who enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Lynda McClelland – Financial Administrator

Lynda joined Knightsbridge Wealth Management in 2015 as an administrator. Previously she was employed as a Team Leader with Grant Thornton. Lynda graduated from Northumbria University with a degree in Business and Marketing.

Lynda loves spending time with her young family outdoors.

Ruth McClelland – Financial Administrator

Ruth has been appointed in the role of administrative support capacity since starting employment in 2010. Ruth assists with queries on investments and pensions. Ruth likes all things relating to health, family and well-being.

Clem Bassett – Business Development Manager

Clem has amassed 40 years’ experience in the Life and Pensions Industry, having started work with UK Provident as a Trainee Inspector and working for a number of Life & Pensions Companies in the City Centre up to 2002 when he moved to the Advisory side and was employed as a Senior Pension and Investment Consultant with Aon.

His expertise was in the pension market with a specialism in Defined Benefit Schemes. When Aon closed their Belfast office, he continued to work as an adviser with another Belfast based IFA firm before taking the current role with KWM. Clem is well known in the province as both a rugby player and latterly an Ulster Rugby Referee.