The office, which the firm aims to have in operation by the end of Q2 2015, is part of a Rathbones’ push to bridge the east-west divide between Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the firm already has a base.
Angus Kerr will head up the operation in an investment director and regional director berth, assisted by investment directors Lindsay Strachan and Susan Stevenson.
Strachan has been working from Rathbones’ Edinburgh base since December 2014, while Kerr and Stevenson are currently on gardening leave after departing from Brewin Dolphin’s Glasgow branch.
They will be supported by Grant Pinkerton and Julie Smith in investment manager roles, and investment assistant Elita Nanson, all of whom also arrive from Brewin Dolphin.
David Macaulay, regional director in Rathbones’ Edinburgh office, explained the opportunity to secure the right people coincided well with the firm’s desire to enter the West of Scotland market.
“This is something we have wanted to do for a very long time,” he said. “One of the problems we’ve had is that there is very much an east-west divide between Glasgow and Edinburgh. When we’ve talked to people – for example, someone based in Glasgow – they have not been keen on moving over to Edinburgh.
“When we open an office we want a local presence on the ground – you have got to use people who know the marketplace particularly well.”
Rathbones chief executive Philip Howell added: “We have been looking for the right strategic opportunity to establish a local presence and we are delighted that investment managers of this quality have elected to join us. Opening a new office in Glasgow reinforces our commitment to Scotland.”
The Glasgow office will be Rathbones’ third Scottish outlet, joining the existing offices in Edinburgh and Aberdeen – the company confirmed that it intends to expand the Glasgow team over the coming months.
The move is part of an ongoing UK expansion for the firm, and follows the bolstering of its Chichester, Cambridge and Liverpool operations in recent months.