Menu

Ross Hunter

Operations and Compliance Director

Financial planning is so important and Smith & Wardle’s unique transparent, fixed-fee approach provides tremendous benefits to our clients.

Professionally

Ross is an accomplished general manager and product executive with a two-decade track record of transforming financial services businesses. Across wealth management, banking, fintech and payments, he has consistently focused on solving real customer problems at scale – launching new products, modernising customer journeys and leading teams to deliver measurable commercial impact. His work blends strategic clarity with hands-on execution, enabling organisations to modernise their offerings while unlocking new avenues for growth.

In senior leadership roles at Post Office, Virgin Money and Barclays, Ross has overseen large P&Ls, directed multi-disciplinary product organisations and built new digital propositions end-to-end. At the Post Office, he led its £50m retail banking business, transforming the product portfolio, scaling major lending businesses and launching new partnerships that now deliver significant annual profits. Through this he led and coached the mortgage advisory and product teams to support the Post Office’s mission to democratise access to financial services.

Ross’s speciality lies in using advanced technology – particularly data, machine learning and now generative AI – to re-design financial services around customer needs. He brings a mission-driven focus on modernising financial services to better serve clients. Whether leading advisory teams supporting clients with their financial needs, building a new fintech product or guiding teams through strategic pivots, he combines operational depth with a passion for technology as a force for client-centred change.

He has also taken on the important roles of Compliance Officer and MLRO at Smith & Wardle, working to ensure our advice delivers good outcomes for clients in a compliant way.

Personally

Ross is naturally curious and learns about current affairs by running a debating club in his spare time.  He’s also a big fan of staying active – most often walking and playing tennis or squash, and occasionally heading out on the golf course or skiing (snow and water!) when he gets the chance.

He also spends a lot of his time with his two children and tries to rope them into the above whenever he can…!

In the spotlight

On an ideal weekend, you can find me

Taking a long walk through the countryside, ideally ending in a pub garden for lunch! (Tennis or squash too.)

My favourite holiday destination is

Krakow in Poland. It’s a gem of a city break, with a beautiful pedestrianised old town surrounded by a tree-filled park ideal for walking.

My favourite song to play in the car is

Fun, Fun, Fun by the Beach Boys – my daughter loves it and clearly I’m never going to lend her my car when she gets old enough to drive!

The first album I bought was

Technotronic (don’t ask)

If I could be any fictional character, I would be

Nick Carraway from The Great Gatsby. He’s the insightful observer who can see what is happening in the big picture and knows what to do about it.

If I could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, I would win a medal in

Kubb is a Swedish lawn game where you throw sticks to knock down your opponent’s wooden ‘castles’ and a ‘king’. I love getting competitive in the silliest possible games, preferably ones that I’ve practised way more than anyone else 😁

When the dessert menu arrives, I’m looking for

The cheese course – it's more savoury for me. But I might break down and get a creme brulee instead...

The three qualities that draw me to new people are

Sarcastic humour, cheekiness and enjoyment of deep discussions

My pet peeve is

Air pollution. People don’t realise how damaging it is and that easy changes can reduce it massively. We can fix this problem with a bit of awareness and positive action.

The best gift I’ve ever received is

A foraging course, combining two of my favourite things – walking and eating.

The three people at my dream dinner party would be

Just close friends and family.

The three small things that make my day better are

A morning walk to get the blood flowing. A tasty, home-cooked meal shared with good company. Reading before bed.

How would someone close to you describe you?

Sillier than you might expect and affectionate. Wallace (when it comes to cheese, not hair).

Smith & Wardle Financial Planning is a trading name of Smith & Wardle Financial Consultants LLP (OC398850). Registered in England and Wales, our registered office address is Suite B, Gloverside, 23-25 Bury Mead Road, Hitchin SG5 1RT.

We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under registration number 912090.

The content of this website is meant for information purposes only, and does not constitute advice. The value of investments can fall as well as rise, utilising investment products places capital at risk.

Click here to read our complaints policy.

theteam@smithandwardle.co.uk

01462 420544

Suite B, Gloverside
23-25 Bury Mead Road
Hitchin
Herts
SG5 1RT

Book a call with us
Smith & Wardle
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.