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For the third year running, Skybound has won the global client service award for advisers at the Investment International Awards, with a Middle East win added in 2026. The recognition reflects the advisers, servicing teams and specialists who keep client relationships moving when circumstances change, from a review meeting through to a move overseas.
Our internal client satisfaction survey asks about both the adviser relationship and the wider experience of Skybound. The results reported in our 2026 award entry included 308 responses, with adviser service rated 4.58 out of 5 and the overall experience rated 4.45 out of 5. Among respondents, 96% said they would recommend us.
These figures represent the clients who responded. Looking at the two scores together helps us examine the experience beyond the advice meeting, including communication, administration and follow-up. The comments help us understand where attention is needed.
Asking for feedback carries a responsibility to act on it. When a client raises a concern, someone needs to understand the issue, take responsibility for the response and explain what happens next. That is the standard we use to judge the service behind a rating.
A useful review begins with understanding what has changed for the client. A different job, a growing family or a planned retirement can change the question they need help answering. The adviser's role is to explore those circumstances, explain the choices and recognise when specialist input is needed.
Our structured review pack brings policy valuations and relevant market information into the discussion. Preparation gives the adviser a starting point; their judgment and understanding of the client make the conversation useful.
Specialist support includes tax planning led by Shil Shah and Skybound Property & Finance, led by Kieron Franklin. A property purchase or mortgage decision can affect cash flow, tax and retirement planning. Bringing the relevant expertise into the discussion helps clients consider those connections, with the scope of support agreed for their circumstances and location.
Behind that advice are colleagues coordinating documents, resolving administrative questions and following up outstanding work. Their contribution is part of the client relationship, and this recognition belongs to them too.
Imagine a family preparing to leave the UAE after several years abroad. They have investments, insurance and plans for their children. Alongside the move itself, they need to understand who will support them, which arrangements require attention and how the next person involved will understand the decisions already made.
This hypothetical example illustrates the work of Global Partners, our servicing team led by William Bailey. The team helps coordinate support when clients move country or responsibility for an account changes, preserving an understanding of the relationship through the transition.
The arrangement depends on the client's agreed service, destination and the relevant regulatory permissions. It may involve a different adviser or regulated entity, or a referral. The client needs a clear explanation of who can help and what will happen next.
A client request creates work that needs an owner. In Hub, our operating platform, requests are recorded with a named person responsible, a status and a next action. Advisers and managers can see outstanding work and follow its progress through to closure.
The same platform brings reviews, open tasks and account issues into view. That visibility helps teams identify what needs attention and supports management oversight. People remain responsible for reviewing the information and acting on it.
For the client, the value is knowing that a request has reached the right people and being able to get a clear account of its progress. This is where the work of advisers, servicing colleagues and the technology team comes together.
The relationship continues between meetings. The Skybound App gives clients access to portfolio information and important documents. Its Learn section provides access to guidance they can explore in their own time.
Through SOAR magazine, the Altitude newsletter, technical guides and events, our specialists explain issues affecting internationally mobile clients. That guidance helps people recognise when a change may affect their plans and prepare questions for a conversation about their own circumstances.
The client service award sits alongside our Company of the Year recognition: a third consecutive Readers' Award and a second consecutive Overall award in 2026. Each gives us a reason to recognise the contribution of colleagues across Skybound.
Sustaining the service behind those awards takes attention to individual relationships and the work that continues after a meeting ends.
"A client shouldn't have to understand how many people or systems sit behind their financial planning. They should know who's accountable, understand the advice they receive, and feel that someone is on top of things. That's what we keep investing in."
If you are planning a move, reviewing your finances or looking for a clearer understanding of your position, speak to us. An initial conversation can establish the advice you need, the services available to you and how the relationship would work.
Mike Coady is the CEO of Skybound Wealth and a practising international financial adviser, specialising in cross-border financial planning for expatriates, internationally mobile families, senior professionals and business owners.
Mike began his financial services career in 1997 and has spent more than 25 years advising clients, leading advisers and building international wealth management businesses across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Having lived and worked in the GCC for more than 20 years, and having grown up in an expat family himself, Mike understands the financial reality of life abroad in a way that is both technical and personal.
His professional credentials include Fellow of the London Institute of Banking & Finance, the Diploma in Financial Planning, EFPA European Financial Advisor, Fellow of the Institute of Directors, Founding Fellow of the Institute of Sales Professionals, member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
Mike is a UK FCA-registered adviser and personally registered under the relevant Cyprus investment and insurance distribution frameworks. Through Skybound’s European regulatory structure and passporting permissions, he is able to advise and support clients across EU and EEA member states.
In the UAE, Mike works within Skybound’s regulated UAE framework. Skybound’s UAE entities are regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE for insurance intermediation and by the UAE Capital Market Authority, ensuring clients are supported through the appropriate regulated entity.
Mike has been recognised in International Adviser’s IA 100: Industry’s Most Influential 2025-2026 and named in the VouchedFor 2026 Top Rated Adviser Guide. He has also received industry recognition across advice, leadership, business development and client outcomes, and is a writer, blogger and industry commentator on expat financial planning, adviser standards, regulation, investment behaviour, retirement planning and long-term wealth protection.
As CEO of Skybound Wealth, Mike leads a multi-jurisdictional wealth management business supporting clients across the Middle East, the UK, Europe, Switzerland, the US and beyond. His work is focused on helping clients build, protect and transfer wealth with structure, clarity and long-term accountability.
Mike’s view is simple: good advice should not begin with a product. It should begin with the client’s life, the risks they cannot afford to ignore, and the decisions they need to get right before the consequences become expensive.
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Whether you are planning a move, reviewing your finances or starting fresh, an initial conversation sets out the advice you need. We will explain the services available to you and how the relationship would work.
