The value of client relationships: Aziz Meherali

As the Principal and Founder of Elixir Private Wealth, Aziz Meherali carries a laser-like precision and care for his clients; his focus is always on how he can achieve their financial planning objectives and goals. "I started Elixir Private Wealth with the focus on integrity, loyalty and care – our guiding principles and everything that we stand for," he says.

When Aziz first began his journey within the wealth management industry, financial planning was mostly about having sales targets and the corresponding focus tilted towards gaining new business rather than servicing existing clients. In starting Elixir Private Wealth, he saw an opportunity to have a business dedicated to looking after clients and their families.

"I did this through the provision of timely and beneficial advice, centred around achieving the clients’ goals and objectives to ensure that they were able to enjoy their lives without financial worries. Hence our mission statement: ‘Maximising lifestyle choices by placing you in control of your financial life,’" he explains.

"I wanted to focus on what I was good at and really enjoyed. I wanted to continue to practise in the high-net-worth niche, given my experience in NAB Private Wealth, where I looked after the top two per cent of NAB clients. "I wanted to ensure that when a client called, everyone in our firm knew the client, so that, in most cases, they knew the reason for the call and could provide the client with the appropriate response." For Elixir Private Wealth, valuing client relationships above all else is its key point of differentiation and what makes it fit so well within its niche.

Communication is critical to inducing a positive experience for our clients.

"We’re entirely focused on the delivery of advice and service at a level second to none in the marketplace," Aziz stresses. "Communication is critical to inducing a positive experience for our clients." He reveals that if he’s in a meeting when a client calls, he always makes a point of getting back to them as soon as he can. "Even if I don’t have the answers, I will call to acknowledge that I’m aware the client called, and to let them know that we’ll come back to them within a reasonable time frame," he says.

"We generally like to overdeliver on our promises." When it came to naming the company Elixir Private Wealth, Aziz shares an interesting story. "The word ‘elixir’ is an alchemical function, used to signify a potion that turns lead into gold as well as a potion in mythology that gives eternal life," he points out. "At Elixir Private Wealth, we look after our clients with the view to enriching their lives through prudent financial management so that they can live long and happy lives, free of financial concerns.

"Our vision at Elixir is to preserve our clients’ wealth through to successive generations. However, the focus is to do this in a way that also provides the next generation with the tools to manage this wealth, and to encapsulate the family values around the use of this wealth." For Aziz, culture is the epicentre of the business, so it’s imperative that he and his team are in alignment in their primary objective of valuing client relationships and working with deep integrity and professionalism to take care of their needs. "Culture is everything to us," he says.

"It is imperative that we, as a team, absolutely believe in what we do for our clients and take pride in what we do and how we do it. "Our objective is to remain a high-touch practice and take on a very small and select group of clients each year. More than 90 per cent of our business comes from existing clients, their family and their friends. We are focused on remaining high-touch and client-centric."

Aziz has a real sense of excitement when he talks about his clients and the processes involved in ensuring their needs are met at a high standard. "I am passionate about looking after my clients and enjoy the social aspect of it," he smiles.

"My clients are champions of industry and generally highly successful people in their individual fields. "On a personal note, I get to learn from their life lessons, and I get great satisfaction in ensuring that I look after them to help them achieve their goals, and allow them to focus on their area of expertise and work. I love when clients approach me to seek my counsel on board positions they’re contemplating, purchasing decisions for personal items, and helping their children develop their goals and start their life journeys. I really feel valued, and this gives me great satisfaction in my role as a trusted adviser."

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