First Wealth ‘Leading Adviser Practice’ at Schroders Platform Awards

We were delighted to be nominated for this year’s Schroders UK Platform Awards. The awards recognise excellence and achievement in platform technology and are open to both platforms and advisers. The ceremony took place on Tuesday and First Wealth were up for the Leading Adviser Practice award, the category for firms with fewer than 10 advisers.

The awards are now in their 11th year and we have won the gong in this same category once before, in 2015, which was a tremendous honour. So, it was encouraging to be included in the shortlist again in the company of so many other forward-thinking, client-centric businesses. I and my colleagues Rob and Claire attended the ceremony which was held at the London Hilton on Park Lane and hosted by BBC journalist Kate Silverton. The independent panel of judges for the awards was chaired by Personal Finance Society chief executive, Keith Richards.

As the ceremony got underway and the award presentation progressed, the build-up of anticipation as we waited for our category to be announced made for an exciting atmosphere. When the time of our award finally arrived, the runner-up was announced first. Many congratulations went to fellow advisory firm Thomas & Thomas who were highly commended by the judging panel.

Then it came to the big moment, the announcement of the winner of the Leading Adviser Practice category. Claire, Rob and I looked at each other, all holding our breath. The next thing I knew I was hearing the words “nd the winners are, First Wealth!”.

It was an amazing feeling and all I remember from the minutes that followed is the sound of people from other tables clapping as we made our way up to the stage to collect our awards and pose for our photo. We were delighted and truly humbled to have topped the category, and particularly to have regained the award in the category we had won two years ago.

Commitment to Continued Success

It was the first time I’d been to a ceremony like this and I was really struck by how clearly it demonstrated that all the hard work absolutely pays off. It was a great honour to receive the award on behalf of the First Wealth team, whose commitment and dedication day in, and day out, put us in the position to submit ourselves for these awards in the first place. We enter award ceremonies like this to test ourselves against a growing number of innovative and altogether brilliant firms, some of the very best in our profession. To win, and to receive this recognition from our peers, is a real buzz for everyone at First Wealth.

We’re never ones to rest on our laurels, however, as there’s always room for improvement. We are always looking for ways to find efficiencies and improve our client proposition. Winning this award shows that we are on track to achieve these goals and, along with the entire First Wealth team, I look forward to working towards our continued success in future.

If you would like to discuss your financial planning needs with our award-winning team, please get in touch.

This document is marketing material for a retail audience and does not constitute advice or recommendations. Past performance is not a guide to future performance and may not be repeated. The value of investments and the income from them may go down as well as up and investors may not get back the amount originally invested.