Founder and chief executive of Novia Financial Bill Vasilieff has sadly died at the age of 68 it has been announced.
In a joint statement today Novia Global and Söderberg & Partners announced that Vasilieff had passed on 19 November suddenly and peacefully surrounded by his family.
They said: “Bill was a true innovator and pioneer in the financial services sector whose impact and influence were widespread. His meticulous work ethic spanned many decades across multiple industries.”
Vasilieff stepped back from his role at Novia in 2021 but came out of retirement this year to become chairman of the UK arm of Swedish wealth manager Söderberg & Partners.
He was a proud Scotsman and a lifelong Bath Rugby supporter and raised considerable sums for the Bath Rugby Foundation.
Vasilieff is survived by his wife, son and daughter who have asked for privacy at this time.
Tributes have started to flood in on social media for the industry legend.
Mark Polson, chief executive and founder at the lang cat, posted on Linkedin saying: “Very sad to hear the news about Bill Vasilieff’s death at the weekend. A true original gone far too young.”
While another user commented: “A great man with such vision and knowledge for the industry but also someone who was always willing to share time for others. A great loss.”
Adviser platform Wealthtime also took to the website to express its condolences.
It said: “Bill paved the way for the platforms of today and he put his heart and soul into Novia, building it into an extraordinary business, for which we owe him a huge debt of gratitude. We know he will be missed greatly by all in this sector.
“In addition to his business achievements, he was, simply put, a wonderful man and will be greatly missed.”
Details of a memorial service are set to follow in due course.
