Pensions, employee benefits, wealth and investment consultancy Isio has announced the appointment of Dan Thomas as its new CEO. From the beginning of September 2026, he will succeed Andrew Coles, who has headed the company for six years.
Wealth and investment advisory Isio started life as a carve out from a Big Four firm, having gained independence from KPMG in early 2020. This year, it celebrated a record annual income of £188 million, and passing six years since it’s Exponent-backed separation.
At the helm of those efforts has been Andrew Coles. Leading the business to a strong position as one of the UK’s fastest-growing pensions, employee benefits, wealth and investment management firms, Coles’ legacy includes a five-year CAGR of 21% since Isio’s first results in 2020, and a growing headcount of nearly 1,500 people across 10 UK offices.
But as the firm looks to build on this early momentum, Coles has decided the time is right to step down. Noting that the role has been “the highlight of my business career”, the outgoing CEO said from “creating a new brand” to “establishing Isio as a leading force in the market”, he feels it has been “great to have been part of the development and growth to the scale it is today.”
“It has been hard work but hugely exciting,” Coles went on. “We have created something different and special in the market. I’m delighted to be handing over to such an excellent leader and look forward to watching Isio and its talented team flourish under his leadership as I step back from a full-time executive role.”
Taking up the CEO position from September is Dan Thomas – who joins Isio with more than two decades of leadership experience spanning professional services, consulting, outsourcing, and growth transformation. His career has included senior leadership roles at KPMG, Dell, Huntswood and the Management Consulting Group.
Thomas has worked closely with several private equity backed businesses, advising on growth strategy, commercial transformation and AI-enabled professional services. More recently he has helped to co-create the go-to-market strategy for Unity Advisory, the PE-backed AI-native advisory firm. This experience will be especially important at Isio, as the firm looks to get the most from the recent strategic acquisition of Collidr, aimed at enhancing Isio’s technology-led investment capabilities, demonstrates the firm’s strong appetite for further growth and development.
Thomas said, “Isio is a highly respected business with exceptional clients, talented people and strong market fundamentals. The convergence of changing client expectations, technology and long-term structural shifts across pensions, employee benefits, wealth and investment management presents a significant opportunity. What attracted me most was the strength of the platform already built, alongside the opportunity to help lead the business into its next phase of growth.”
Speaking on both the change, Chris Woodhous, Isio’s chair, meanwhile emphasised Thomas’ “significant private equity exposure and a modern perspective on how technology and AI will reshape advisory businesses over the coming decade.” He added that the firm’s board believes there are “substantial growth opportunities ahead, bringing broader client offerings to the market” which Thomas is “well placed to lead the business through.”
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