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About Brown Shipley, </br>a Quintet Private Bank

About Brown Shipley,
a Quintet Private Bank

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You’re at the heart of everything
We’ve always believed that the first step to building wealth is building relationships. For over 200 years, we've been working with clients like you to understand and support your wealth needs. By getting to know you and your family, we’re perfectly placed to adapt as your needs change over time - just one of the reasons many of our clients have trusted us as their private bank for generations.
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We’re here to help you achieve your financial aspirations, taking into account what truly matters to you.
Get to know us
Discover what you can expect when you partner with Brown Shipley, with an introduction to what we do and how we do it.

Our promise

At Brown Shipley, we aspire to be your trusted partner - one who takes on your financial goals as our own. We listen carefully to get to the heart of your current circumstances and future ambitions, bringing our combined expertise and perspectives together to help you achieve not only your financial goals, but your life goals too. 

We understand that the purpose of wealth – today and for future generations, is always deeply personal, and our diverse range of services gives us the ability to help you through the hurdles and opportunities that may come your way. 

We consider how we can apply all of our resource to help you with planning for all your aspirations. Regular meetings with your Client Advisor will help us to ensure your bespoke plan is up to date and always ready for whatever challenges and opportunities come along.

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Part of the family

We believe that success starts with empathy and our experienced Client Advisors will listen to your requirements and help you undertake your financial planning for your wealth needs - both in the short term and long term. 

Our boutique size is a strength, making us both agile and stable. Brown Shipley is part of Quintet Private Bank (Europe), a group of boutique private banks and wealth managers operating across over 50 European cities. As part of the Quintet family, we have access to greater scale and security, benefiting from a truly global outlook to our already strong foundations. We’re here to help you achieve your financial aspirations taking into account what truly matters to you.

Partner with us
Whether you’re looking for help with Wealth Planning, Investment Management, or Lending, we’re here to help you find the right solutions. Let’s talk.
Yesterday and today
Brown Shipley, a Quintet Private Bank, was founded in 1810 in Liverpool. Our heritage, which dates back more than 200 years, has its roots in providing financing to shipping merchants. Some of the viewpoints and values of those times are different to those currently held by Brown Shipley and Quintet. Today, Quintet has a diverse and inclusive culture, with employees representing more than 70 nationalities. We are committed to continually improving diversity in all ways across our business and our industry

We are focused on the sustained development of our business as a client-centric organisation where diversity is a source of strength. At the same time, we recognise where we come from; we learn from the past to improve our business for the future.

BROWN SHIPLEY IN NUMBERS

409
EMPLOYEES
66
CLIENT ADVISORS
8
OFFICES ACROSS THE UK

QUINTET IN NUMBERS

1911
EMPLOYEES
317
PROFESSIONAL ADVISERS
85
INVESTMENT SPECIALISTS
35
CITIES ACROSS EUROPE
The Brown Shipley Journey
With over 200 years of heritage, we’ve inherited a wealth of experience that we both appreciate and have learned from. In our beginnings the seeds for our values of honesty, integrity and reliability began to grow. Those values have developed through to today, to an organisation that’s dedicated to serving you. And we won’t stop evolving and finding better ways of putting you first.
1800s
1800 - 1825
The Beginning
Irish merchant Alexander Brown sets up an import-export business in Baltimore, and in 1810 his son William Brown establishes William Brown & Co. in Liverpool.
The Beginning
1825 -1836
A familiar name appears
William Brown is joined by a new partner, Joseph Shipley. Together, they finance shipping merchants, pioneering payment via ‘Letters of Credit’. The now familiar reputation for honesty, integrity and reliability grows.
A familiar name appears
1837- 1863
Big business
The firm, now known as Brown Shipley & Co., reach transactions of £10m a year, while weathering financial instability that causes many other merchants to fail. They expand their shipping interests with their own ships and warehouses.
Big business
1860 - 1863
Changing times
The American Civil War forces a shift in business focus towards merchant banking, which rapidly expands. There is also a physical shift, with London becoming the primary base for Brown Shipley & Co., now renowned for acceptance of credits, foreign exchange and deposit banking. To this day, we remain at the same location, at the heart of the financial world, next to the Bank of England.
Changing times
1863 - 1867
Rise to prominence
Sir William Brown becomes appointed High Sheriff of Liverpool, an MP and a campaigner for free trade, the penny post and even decimal coinage. In 1887, partner Sir Mark Collet is appointed Governor of the Bank of England.
Rise to prominence
1900s
1900 - 1917
The US & us
A specialist office is opened to cater for American travellers’ increasing use of the firm’s Letters of Credit, handling up to 350,000 a year.
The US & us
1918 - 1920
Family values
In 1918, the partnership between Brown Shipley & Co. and the American Brown Brothers is officially ended, but they continued to work together for some time. In 1920, Lord Norman (Grandson of Sir Mark Collett) is himself appointed Governor of the Bank of England, after following in his Grandfather’s footsteps by becoming a partner in Brown Shipley & Co. Lord Norman remains the longest serving Governor, retiring in 1944.
Family values
1940 - 1949
Big business becomes limited
Despite foreign exchange and commercial credits coming under wartime restriction, Brown Shipley& Co. endures throughout World War II, and in 1946 becomes a Limited Company.
Big business becomes limited
1950 - 1989
New opportunities
By this time, the company has a prominent role in the London money market and develops an Investment Advisory Service, which provides an outlet for the company’s heritage and expertise in evaluating business deals and the people behind them.
New opportunities
1990 - 2001
New acquisitions
In 1992 Brown Shipley & Co. Ltd is acquired by European bank KBL and joins its group of Private Bankers. At the turn of the millennium, Brown Shipley subsequently makes its own acquisitions of stockbroker Cawood Smithie, private-client investment manager Henry Cooke and in 2001, pensions and investment manager Fairmount Group plc.
New acquisitions
2000s
2010 - 2014
Celebrating the past, looking to the future
After celebrating our bicentenary in 2010, Brown Shipley expanded to new premises in Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham, complementing the newly refurbished London building, giving the company contemporary homes to match our thoroughly modern outlook.
Celebrating the past, looking to the future
2015 - 2017
Stronger together
Three further acquisitions serve to broaden and strengthen our offering: Hampton Dean, a chartered independent firm of financial planners gives us a Nottingham base in 2015; The Roberts Partnership, a financial planning and wealth management firm based in Manchester joins in 2016; while 2017 sees us acquire the UK branch of Insinger de Beaufort.
Stronger together
2018 - 2019
Continued Growth
As part of Brown Shipley’s continued growth strategy in 2018, Alan Mathewson was appointed as CEO, followed by Rory Tapner being named Chair of the Board in 2019. These key appointments have built upon the strong foundations already in place within Brown Shipley, along with supporting the continued growth of the business. The acquisition of NW Brown, a wealth manager with offices in Cambridge and Norwich, in 2019 gives Brown Shipley a strong base in East Anglia.
Continued Growth
2019 - 2020
Integration
The acquisition of NW Brown, was finalised in April 2020, fully integrating in to Brown Shipley becoming the Cambridge and Norwich offices.
Integration
2020 - 2020
Rebrand
In January 2020 KBL Group rebranded to Quintet Private Bank. Everywhere Quintet operates, including Brown Shipley in the UK, adopted a shared corporate identity, illustrated by five interlocking rings. Inspired by music’s universal appeal and reflecting the group’s partnership approach, the Quintet name is a symbol of the five senses and five fingers on a hand – combining the female number two with the male number three, representing all human beings.
Rebrand
Corporate social responsibility
We challenge the status quo and embrace diverse perspectives. We’re passionate about doing the right thing for our colleagues, clients and community.
DISCOVER MORE

Blue Pole Project

In line with our commitment to sustainability, Brown Shipley sponsored the Blue Pole Project in 2022, a six-week sailing expedition from the UK to the Atlantic Pole of Inaccessibility by professional adventurers Hugo and Ross Turner (widely known as the “Turner Twins”).

Discover our 2023 outlook

West-Eastern Divian Orchestra

Quintet is a proud partner of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. An exceptional humanitarian and artistic project bringing together young musicians from across the Middle East, fostering dialogue and mutual understanding.

Find out more

WealthiHer

Proud partners of the WealthiHer Network which aims to drive the economic advancement and empowerment of women on a global scale, by arming and equipping them with the knowledge, tools and confidence they need to prosper. Bringing together the financial services industry to understand and champion women like never before.

Find out more

Connect Yorkshire

Official is the Wealth Management Partner of Connect Yorkshire. Connect Yorkshire helps Yorkshire businesses to grow by learning from some of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs

Find out how you could be impacted.

Cambridge University Ladies Netball Club

We are proud sponsors of Cambridge University Ladies Netball Club which is one of the largest and most successful women’s sports clubs at Cambridge University. CULNC is a highly competitive club, promoting enjoyment and success in equal measure.

Cambridge University Ladies Netball Club
We are proud sponsors of Cambridge University Ladies Netball Club which is one of the largest and most successful women’s sports clubs at Cambridge University. CULNC is a highly competitive club, promoting enjoyment and success in equal measure.
Our awards
At Brown Shipley we’re committed to becoming one of the UK’s leading private client wealth managers, built on strong, long-term relationships and an unrivalled level of service. It’s an approach that means our people are our most valued asset. So we’re always proud when the industry acknowledges our hard work and expertise.
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Become part of the Brown Shipley story
Want to join the Brown Shipley team? Learn more about what we offer.
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Staff numbers as at December 2022
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Investing puts your capital at risk. Lending is subject to status.