If you’ve ever worked with Naya Hemens-Westaway, you’ll know two things pretty quickly: she won’t let you fail, and she’ll probably make you smile along the way. As a Business Consultant at Jigsaw Tree, Naya spends her days working deep inside financial advice firms untangling processes, improving CRM systems, and training teams to work smarter. We asked Naya to share what makes her tick.

Where The Real Impact Happens

Every client brings their own unique culture, ways of working, and personality. I get to experience so many firms with such wonderful approaches to serving their clients. Working with different roles, levels of technical confidence, and personalities across every project means I’m constantly learning and refining how I communicate, train, and support.

Migration projects always have a significant impact, taking firms from their existing CRM systems to cleaner, more efficient platforms that save time, improve oversight, and support compliance in ways that simply weren’t possible before. But I am equally passionate about the full overhaul projects; stripping out old processes and replacing them with something that actually works.

Every project is different, but some leave a lasting impression.

One of the most rewarding partnerships in my career has been with Mac Group; a large Isle of Man-based provider of financial advice and insurance solutions for Corporate and Private Clients. Their regulation differs from the UK, so I had to get under the skin of their specific requirements quickly; making sure we were following their processes exactly as they needed. That relationship, which began in late 2024, has grown to span both project work and income reconciliation. It’s a genuinely lovely client to work with.

I also want to highlight a rapidly growing consolidator who had grown significantly through multiple acquisitions. With that growth came a wonderful complexity of processes; a patchwork of different ways of working that needed to be unified into a single, best-practice approach. The Jigsaw Tree team process-mapped the “one best way” and rolled it out across the business with twenty days of on-site training. We managed to get even the most technology-hesitant advisers fully on board!

Then there was a firm whose whole ethos is about giving their clients time back; whether that’s swapping “keyboards for surfboards or presentation decks for boat decks.” When I met their team, the opportunity was clear: replacing cumbersome manual data processes with clean data and better systems would give everyone more time to focus on what mattered. A full project overhaul and training programme later, the difference was transformational. For me, that job satisfaction went far beyond process improvement. It was real, lasting change that I was proud to play a part in.

What Makes the Role So Rewarding

If you ask me what’s the most rewarding aspect of my role… that’s an easy question to answer. The people. I recently revisited one of our Manchester-based clients, Pareto, to roll out their client portal and caught up with a team that genuinely believes they are powered by their people; it’s not just words on a website. Their culture is what brings everything to life. Partnering with Jigsaw Tree, they were able to put new workflow processes in place and access management information that has had a transformational impact.

There’s a more personal motivation too. I get a genuine kick out of making people’s lives easier. The efficiency gains from process changes, configuration improvements, and CRM maintenance mean that stakeholders’ lives become so much simpler. Being able to save someone even a minute on a regular process and seeing the satisfaction on their face; that’s what it’s all about for me.

“Naya was brilliant. She was down to earth, explained things well and without using jargon. No idea or question from the team was dismissed and everyone felt listened to.”

The Biggest Compliment

The best feedback I receive is when people don’t want to let me go!

I genuinely believe that clients don’t just value the technical work; they value how their consultant makes them feel throughout the process. One attendee at a workshop I ran said: “Naya was an engaging character, and managed to bring lightness to what sometimes felt like a heavy session given some advisers’ natural resistance to change.” Another simply said “I will miss Naya!” This sort of feedback keeps me going on busy days and for the record, I miss clients when we part ways too!

The Secret to a Smooth Rollout

We also received a wonderful unsolicited note from a Director at a Channel Islands-based financial services firm, written to our Managing Director after a recent go-live training visit: “I have completed the standard feedback form as requested but I also wanted to take the opportunity to say how professional Naya was and what an excellent job she did. She was a credit both to herself and to Jigsaw Tree.   She was patient and kind during all the training, dealt sensitively with all the questions; daft and otherwise! Naya maintained a cheery and professional presence throughout. Her product knowledge was exemplary and she was able to adjust system settings on the fly to tailor things to our firm and our specific requirements.   It was genuinely a pleasure to have her in the office.” — Charlotte Guillaume ACII, Director, Rossborough Financial Services Limited

Clarity and simplification. Giving end users oversight over what’s happening, what to expect, and even who I am usually works really well. There’s nothing worse than arriving to roll out something new and encountering confusion or pushback because nobody knew what was coming.

The training itself is just as considered. Breaking sessions down, investing in floor-walking, and giving people the space to learn without pressure are all important. It allows clients to take time over what they’re learning and not feel they have to get it right first time, which can be daunting. Like all great client experiences, the ability to do the job well AND build genuine relationships, stay positive through the inevitable roadblocks, and bring people along with you is what sets one consultant apart from another. I want my clients to feel reassured: “If you’ve got Naya on a project, you’re in extremely safe hands. She won’t let you fail.”

To book a chat with our Projects and Consultancy Team please click here: Book a discovery call – Jigsaw Tree