Ortec Finance Powers Growth Ambition With Senior Hire

Ortec Finance, a global leader in goal-based financial planning technology, is stepping up its ambition to build a leading presence in the UK wealth management and financial planning market with the appointment of John O’Driscoll as Managing Director, OPAL Financial & Wealth Planning.

O’Driscoll, formerly Divisional Director, Business Development & Advice at St. James’s Place Wealth Management, will lead the product development strategy for OPAL, Ortec Finance’s trusted intelligent advice technology that already underpins client advice at many of Europe’s largest banks, pension providers and wealth managers. His appointment marks a major milestone in Ortec Finance’s commitment to bring its proven technology to UK advice professionals, helping them deliver more engaging, personalised and scalable financial planning.

OPAL’s institutional-grade forecasting technology combines smart automation, tax optimisation and real-time goal tracking, enabling planners and advisers to map their clients’ financial futures and support them in achieving their long-term goals. By making complex planning simple, OPAL empowers institutional firms to offer scalable, compliant, personalised and profitable services that deliver better client outcomes, strengthen confidence and drive business growth.

O’Driscoll brings more than 20 years’ experience in financial services. At SJP he led the development of advice and planning tools used by thousands of advisers, including the rollout of AI and automation solutions that improved advice quality and freed up significant adviser time. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and is widely respected for his leadership in technology-enabled advice transformation.

Tessa Kuijl, Managing Director Global Wealth Solutions at Ortec, said: “Many of Europe’s leading banks and wealth managers already rely on OPAL to help clients feel more informed, confident and in control of their financial future. The UK is a hugely important market for us and John’s appointment underlines the scale of our ambition. His deep knowledge of the advice landscape, combined with his leadership experience and vision on utilizing AI and automation solutions for advisors, will be key to further develop OPAL’s proven technology to the next level for UK and global institutions, advisers and their clients.”

Mark Glover, Ortec’s Head of UK & Ireland Wealth Management, added: “Our vision is to help UK wealth managers tackle the advice gap by combining human expertise with powerful and intuitive technology that makes complex planning simple. OPAL gives advisers the ability to bring advice to life through real-time forecasts and scenario-led planning. John’s appointment shows our intent to be the leading partner for firms seeking to deliver advice that is more engaging, more compliant and more client-focused.”

John O’Driscoll said: “Financial planning is at its most powerful when it helps people see and believe in their financial future. OPAL does exactly that by turning data and projections into clear, personalised insights that build confidence and trust. Having seen first-hand the power of technology to transform advice at scale, I am excited to join Ortec Finance at such a pivotal moment and to help UK advice professionals use OPAL to deliver better outcomes for more clients.”

With a 96 percent client retention rate and partnerships with over 50 global banks, Ortec Finance is already the trusted technology partner for financial institutions worldwide. The expansion of OPAL in the UK is the next step in its ambitious mission to make the highest-quality financial planning accessible at scale.