Nine IFAs pick up coveted Gold Standard Award

Almary Green Investments, Carbon Financial Partners, Central Financial Planning,  Investment Quorum, Mazars Financial Planning, McCarthy Taylor, Mearns & Co, Torquil Clark Holdings and Wingate Financial Planning all picked up gongs - some not for the first time - at a ceremony hosted by Jonathan Evans MP in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The awards, now in their 11th year, are designed to identify those financial services business which not only possess robust structures and procedures, but which go above and beyond standard business practices to promote consumer trust in the sector.

This year, the judging panel, which included Incisive Media editorial director Lawrence Gosling and Association of Professional Financial Advisers director-general Chris Hannant, also scrutinised firms on areas of governance and social responsibility.

The winners in full:

Gold Standard for Discretionary Portfolio Management
Brooks Macdonald Asset Management
Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
Heartwood Investment Managers
OakTree Wealth Management Limited
Standard Life Wealth

Gold Standard for Fund Management
BlackRock
BNY Mellon Asset Management International
J.P. Morgan Asset Management
M&G Investments
Royal London Asset Management
Santander Asset Management UK

Gold Standard for Group Pensions
Friends Life
Legal & General
Scottish Life

Gold Standard for Independent Financial Advice
Almary Green Investments Ltd
Carbon Financial Partners Limited
Central Financial Planning Ltd
Investment Quorum Limited
McCarthy Taylor Ltd
Mazars Financial Planning
Mearns & Company
Torquil Clark
Wingate Financial Planning

Gold Standard for Individual Pensions
Hargreaves Lansdown
LV= Retirement Solutions
Scottish Life

Gold Standard for Insurance
Ageas

Gold Standard for Protection
Ageas
LV=
Zurich Assurance Ltd

Gold Standard for Retirement
Just Retirement
Friends Life

Gold Standard for Wealth Management
Investment Quorum Ltd
McCarthy Taylor Ltd
OakTree Wealth Management Limited

Chair of the judging panel, Deborah Benn, said: "One of the advantages of the Gold Standard Awards is that such a comprehensive assessment can act as a self audit of a wide range of processes and procedures adopted by financial services companies to see whether all the dots are indeed joined up.

"What's more entry is confidential. Those who do not make the standard are not publicly revealed and are briefed on areas they can improve on."

To visit the Gold Standard Awards microsite, click HERE.