From Private Banking to Independence: Putting People at the Heart of Wealth Management with Franck Lortilloir

After more than two decades with major financial institutions, the transition to independence often represents a quest for alignment and agility. With twenty-seven years' experience in private banking, including thirteen with Edmond de Rothschild, Franck Lortilloir has chosen to join Createrra Finance as Senior Wealth Manager. The firm stands out for its comprehensive wealth management offering, structured around a totally open architecture and a tailor-made approach that integrates financial, family, tax and legal dimensions.

In this exclusive interview for Hubfinance, he looks back on this decisive turning point in his career, deciphers the real challenges of the advisor's profession in the face of a demanding clientele, and shares valuable lessons for young professionals in the sector.

After 27 years in private banking, including 13 with Edmond de Rothschild, what really triggered your move to Createrra Finance?

I think there comes a point in a career when you feel the need to completely align your vision of the business with the way you work. I needed more independence. I had acquired rigor, high standards and a culture of service. I was convinced that customers were also looking for greater personalization and clarity in the advice I could give them.

The switch to Createrra Finance was a very natural step: to rediscover greater agility, more freedom in allocations and, above all, an approach even more aligned with the customer's interests.

Looking back, what do young professionals most underestimate when entering private banking?

They often underestimate that this profession is first and foremost a human one, before being a financial one. Technical skills are important, of course. But wealthy clients don't just expect products or performance. They expect someone capable of understanding family, entrepreneurial and sometimes emotional issues. Above all, they expect consistency and trust over time. Relationships are built up over years.

This job requires a lot more listening, discipline and resilience than you might think at first.

In your experience, what today makes the difference between a good private banker and an excellent wealth management advisor?

A good private banker masters markets, products and wealth management solutions. But above all, an excellent advisor brings clarity to what have become complex environments. Today, clients have access to information.

The real added value is no longer providing access to a product, but helping to build a coherent, long-term strategy. This calls for vision, intellectual independence, experience and, sometimes, the ability and courage to impose one's ideas or challenge customers' certainties when one is convinced that it is in their best interests and those of their family. It's at times like these that trust is built.

Beyond a certain level of wealth, is performance still the main concern... or does the quality of the overall strategy and the customer relationship take precedence?

Performance remains important, of course. But above a certain level of wealth, it becomes almost a consequence of a well-constructed strategy. The main concerns often become the durability of assets, their transmission, risk management, the overall coherence of allocations and the quality of the people involved with the customer.

In fact, this is an essential element of my argument: I'm not the most technical person, but I surround myself with the best wealth management professionals for each client.

If you had to pass on just one lesson from your 27-year career to a young private banker, what would it be?

I'd tell him never to build his career solely on figures or short-term performance. In this business, reputation, quality of relationship and trust built up over time are essential.

Markets rise and fall quite often, cycles change... But customers always remember how you supported them, especially in difficult times. That's when you build a lasting career.