Escala expands specialist team as demand grows for its private wealth expertise 

Matthew Grant

Private wealth investment and advisory firm Escala has appointed Matthew Grant as Senior Advice Specialist, expanding the specialist team serving high-net-worth individuals, families and not-for-profit organisations.

Grant will work with advisers to develop tailored advice strategies and provide technical support on complex financial planning across Escala’s client base.

Escala combines the personal attention of a boutique wealth firm with specialist investment capability and the backing of Focus Partners, a global platform overseeing more than A$730 billion. Its advisers draw on in-house research, portfolio management and financial planning to help clients grow and preserve wealth, with advice shaped around their business interests, family priorities and long-term ambitions.

“The clients we advise are stewards of substantial capital, and their decisions are rarely made one at a time,” said Ben James, Chief Executive Officer of Escala.

“A founder may be deploying the proceeds of a business sale. A family office may be building its private markets allocation while planning the transfer of wealth to the next generation. A foundation’s board may be setting investment policy for an endowment that has to fund its work in perpetuity. Each decision raises technical questions of structuring, superannuation and estate planning. Escala has built a deep bench of specialists to answer them alongside our advisers, and Matthew adds to that strength.”

“Matthew has spent his career both giving advice and reviewing it. That is what complex client work demands,” James said.

“As we pursue opportunities to extend Escala’s presence nationally, we continue to attract experienced professionals who value our collaborative approach and the depth of resources that Focus’s backing gives them and their clients.”

Matthew Grant said: “What drew me to Escala was the way advisers and specialists work together on behalf of clients.

“There is considerable experience in the firm to draw on when working through complex decisions, in a business that values individualised advice and close client relationships.”

Prior to joining Escala, Grant was Associate Financial Adviser at Altus Financial, where he worked with high-net-worth retail and wholesale clients across superannuation, investments, insurance and estate planning. He has also held private wealth and financial advice review roles at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Minchin Moore Private Wealth and Perpetual Limited.

Grant commenced his role at Escala in September 2026.