Meet Our Team: Gregg Lang

Gregg Lang is the Operations Director for True Potential Adviser Services. He joined True Potential in 2011. Here he tells us about his role in the company, his advice to first time investors, and what makes our company special.

How did you get started in the industry?

After spending a number of years in Information Technology for a well-known, now demised Bank in Newcastle, I was introduced to a lesser-known and certainly different company a few miles further down the River Tyne in 2011.

Leaving such a large organisation, with nearly 6,000 staff at its height, to join a team of around 40 was a fairly daunting thought at first but one I’ve never looked back on since. Having joined True Potential very much in its infancy, it’s been an absolute pleasure to be part of the growth story, so far.

Tell us about your area of expertise?

If I was to answer this question honestly, I’d say I don’t have an area of expertise. I think describing myself as an “all-rounder” would better suit. Over the years, I’ve worked in most areas and departments of our business and gained sufficient experience and knowledge to speak with our Advisers on all-things True Potential.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Every day is different. I think this was one of the first things I picked up on working at True Potential; one day you’re dealing with a support ticket, the next you’re presenting at Regional Seminars. To this day, no two days have been the same and I still learn something new each day.

What makes the company special?

For me, what makes True Potential special, and different to others, is vision. Our Senior Partner team are always at least one-step ahead. Where others are working in the now or even the past, True Potential are always looking forward.

I frequently recall my first seminar (at the Hilton Hotel in Warwick) with True Potential where our Chairman, David Harrison, talked on stage about a vison of clients logging into their own personalised site via tablet devices or even their television at home – long before the concept of Smart TVs and just as the first-generation iPad was launched – with the audience looking rather perplexed at the time. A vision that was to come true in the coming years, with a dramatic increase in online logins via both mobile and tablet devices.

What are the most important things to consider for the first time investor?

Fully understanding risk. Too many people place emphasis on the risk of an investment in the market and not the risk of not investing at all – for example holding cash, say in a Cash Individual Savings Account (ISA), versus investing in a Stocks & Shares ISA.

Also, I feel getting the terminology right is very important, especially to first-time or inexperienced investors – removing acronyms, avoiding jargon terms and talking in layman terms would all assist first time investors.

What are you most excited about in regard to the future of the company?

Technology plays a huge role in everyday life today – and it shouldn’t be any different in our industry. Having an in-house development team allows us to move with the needs of our advisers and clients.