Purpose-Led Financial Services company GSB Reveals New Brand Architecture and Identity

Dubai-headquartered wealth advisory company GSB revealed its new positioning, brand architecture and identity today. This initiative amplifies the Company’s commitment to creating shared value through purpose-led, impact-driven financial planning; and pushes the investment advisory sector towards co-creating more conscious and sustainable practices, products and services.

Since launching as GSB Capital in 2021, GSB’s founding philosophy has fuelled its rapid success. From the outset, the Company has adopted a principles-led Business Impact Model (BIM) approach that stems from a founding belief that responsible investment plays a fundamental role in shaping the world for the better and should only improve people’s lives. From portfolio construction to company engagement, ethical decision-making and responsible investing are critical to the company’s approach to creating stakeholder value. GSB has created a vast portfolio of service offerings and ethical investment products through its commitment to new product development, values-based partnerships, and social impact alliances.

GSB’s brand transformation began with completing initial business and brand impact assessments, including a world-class sustainability framework. This has been used to help the Company measure, manage, and improve its positive impact on the environment, communities, clients, suppliers, employees, and shareholders. Assessments identified the need to institutionalise the co-founder’s philosophy, resulting in GSB carefully articulating its mission, purpose, vision, and measurable guiding principles and values. These principles have been translated into a robust identity system and will help support future product and service innovations.

GSB has also begun rolling out an employer brand programme to attract and retain the best talent, enable ethical scaling, and ensure measurable impact as the business grows. 

“Brand development is a natural next step in GSB’s growth story, ensuring we build upon the strong awareness and credibility we have been able to establish since launch,” said Alison Whatnall, chief operating officer of GSB. “Clients and prospects will identify and understand GSB’s offerings and why we are different. With teams able to explain our full portfolio of solutions and the benefits they bring to all our stakeholders, not just shareholders and investors”.

Over the past year, the Company collaborated with Firstwater Advisory, an external branding and sustainability firm. Firstwater conducted an initial brand clarity and impact assessment, in-depth interviews, qualitative and quantitative surveys and research. Then, working across the organisation, rationalised the brand portfolio to create a logical naming structure, comprehensive visual and verbal identity system, brand asset management and training.

The new brand architecture uses functional, descriptive naming to eliminate complexity and ensure clarity and consistency across the stakeholder experience. As such, GSB’s services have been organised under three portfolios: 

• GSB as a corporate partner and employer of choice;
• GSB Capital for financial planning and wealth management; and 
• GSB Private for HNW and UHNW individuals and their families.

“In an otherwise extrinsically motivated industry, using purpose-led brand strategy and brand architecture to translate our commitment to creating shared value has provided greater strategic clarity and creative direction,” said Ross Whatnall, chief executive of GSB. “Brand building has been a bold undertaking for our team, particularly this early in GSB’s lifecycle. But we wanted to ensure the structure would be scalable for future growth and truly represent the value we create. We are excited to unveil our solution portfolios and updated product names with clients and prospects.”