The U.S. unit of Zurich-based deVere Group -- deVere USA Inc. -- has opened an office in San Francisco.
The new outpost is led by senior investment advisor Adrian Flambard, who relocated from deVere’s existing New York City office, the company said today.
DeVere USA, an SEC-registered RIA firm, opened its first U.S. offices in New York and Miami in June 2012.
The firm primarily handles British expatriates living in the U.S.
Plans are to build the San Francisco office from its current five employees to 15 people over the next year, said Benjamin Alderson, New York-based manager of the U.S. business.
“We’re looking to open an office in Vancouver in January, and potentially an office in Houston early next year,” Alderson said.
DeVere Group has 70 offices globally, with about $10 billion under administration. It was founded in 2002 by CEO Nigel Green, a British wealth management veteran, beginning with an office in Hong Kong.
Green saw a growing trend of British investors working abroad and relocating to lower tax jurisdictions, but without access to quality advice, Alderson said.
In addition to its new San Francisco office, the U.S. unit currently employs 23 people in New York and two in Miami.
The U.S. operation has nearly $150 million in client assets, but plans to grow that number substantially, Alderson said.