Melo has appointed Gaynor Rigby as Chief Operating Officer as the business enters a new phase of growth, strengthening its leadership team and expanding the support it provides to ambitious financial planning firms across the UK.

With decades of experience building, scaling and transforming businesses, Gaynor brings a rare combination of entrepreneurial insight, operational discipline and deep sector knowledge to the team. Her appointment signals Melo’s intent to help advice firms go further, not just growing but building stronger, more resilient businesses designed to thrive for the long term and work towards a great exit.

A proven track record in growth

Gaynor’s career began with Strategic Coach, one of the world’s leading coaching programmes for entrepreneurs, where she helped grow the organisation in its early days and worked closely with hundreds of business owners on structure, leadership and growth strategy.

It was here that she developed a philosophy that has shaped her entire career: that every business, regardless of its sector, succeeds or struggles on the strength of its structure, culture and clarity of purpose.

She put that philosophy into practice at Equilibrium Asset Management, where she became Managing Partner and helped transform the business from £150 million to over £1 billion in assets under management. During her time there, the team grew from 25 to almost 90 people and the company was named one of The Times’ top 10 places to work for 5 years in a row, a recognition of the powerful link between culture and commercial performance.

Why culture and clarity matter

At the heart of Gaynor’s approach is the belief that culture is not a “nice-to-have” but a commercial advantage.

“Your people are your greatest asset,” she explains. “If they understand the mission, know the numbers and feel part of the journey, they’ll deliver far more than the sum of their parts.”

That people-first philosophy is matched by a sharp commercial focus. Gaynor is known for helping businesses turn vague ambitions, such as “we want to grow,” into precise, measurable goals and then building the systems, teams and strategies to achieve them.

“You can’t scale on hope alone,” she says. “You need to know the destination, understand what it will take to get there and communicate that clearly so the whole business is aligned.”

What this means for Melo and its clients

Gaynor’s expertise will strengthen Melo’s own scaling plans, but also our ability to help clients grow in a way that is scalable, strategic and sustainable. By combining her operational experience with Melo’s deep understanding of proposition design, client experience and succession planning, the business aims to deliver even more impact for the firms it partners with.

For financial planning businesses, that means support that goes beyond strategy decks or high-level advice and towards the practical, structural and cultural foundations that turn ambition into reality.

A shared mission

For Gaynor, joining Melo is about multiplying impact.

“I’ve spent my career helping leaders build businesses they’re proud of, where people love to work, clients love to be clients and the numbers look after themselves,” she says. “Joining Melo is an opportunity to do that at scale, working alongside a team that shares the same ambition and values.”

With her appointment, Melo is deepening its commitment to helping financial planning firms build businesses that are not just bigger but better, structured for growth, driven by culture and built to last.

Meet the Author

Ben Wright