FASA 2022
Special Awards

Company of the Year

Over the past few decades, the Company of the Year Award has been among the most coveted accolades, as it exemplifies the quality of service a company has given across the board to advisers and clients. 

This year’s winner is no exception to that rule, as M&G has received exceptionally high scores across several categories in the FTAdviser Financial Adviser Service Awards 2022. 

Advisers gave a resounding series of five stars for M&G Investments and Pru UK investments, in the Investment providers category. 

It also was awarded an impressive five stars in the Platforms category for M&G Wealth Platform, making a hat-trick for M&G plc at this year’s awards. Prudential also scored four stars in the highly contested Pensions and Platforms category – a strong performance all round from M&G.

Clare Bousfield, managing director, retail and savings at M&G plc, said: “We are hugely delighted to have been recognised as the Company of the Year by the Financial Adviser Service Awards and to receive five-star service recognition for M&G Investments, M&G Wealth Platform and Pru UK investments.

“We aim to help advisers and their clients cut through complexity by being clear, transparent and easy to do business with, supported by advice-driven, tech-enabled, sustainable long-term savings and investment solutions, on and off platform.

“Thanks for your continued support.”

simoney.kyriakou@ft.com

Outstanding Achievement

The shift to digital over the past few years has been remarkable, with the pandemic ushering in changes across the financial services industry. 

It soon became clear, however, that it was not just online or remote services that had to shape up in preparation for a new, hybrid way of doing business, but there was also a need for qualified, professional staff, robust product propositions and excellent communication.

Amid this digital transformation was a shift from advice firms running their own in-house portfolios to outsourcing those daily investment decisions to managed portfolio services and discretionary fund managers. 

This change saw FTAdviser create the DFM category in 2020, and IBOSS has exemplified top-notch service in this category over the past three years. 

According to readers of FTAdviser, IBOSS has delivered what they and their clients expect from a DFM, which is why it has achieved the prestigious five-star rating this year. 

It has been top of the DFM category since it launched in 2020, with a consistently high number of votes and amazing scores.

The company cites its adviser roots as integral to its success in understanding the needs of intermediaries and their clients. 

As a company spokesperson says: “We were founded in 2008 by a group of financial advisers and have, over time, developed from adviser feedback.

“We firmly believe in the value of financial advice and the value advisers provide to their clients.”

It is no wonder, then, that IBOSS has been awarded Outstanding Achievement in the Financial Adviser Service Awards 2022. 

Readers’ Choice

Inaugurated at the height of the pandemic, this award aims to celebrate that company that, in the eyes of FTAdviser readers, has gone over and above to help them and their clients. 

During the past 12 months, advisers have hailed Aviva’s work across a range of disciplines. Aviva Investors received the coveted five stars in the Investments category and was one of the top five investment providers by number of votes. 

Similarly, it was one of the top five platform providers not just by the total number of votes, but also by the number of five-star ratings it was awarded. 

In the Pensions and Protection category, Aviva also scooped a five-star rating from advisers, and achieved the position of top five based on the total number of votes from readers. 

As these awards are voted for by advisers based on the quality of service companies have shown to them and their clients over the preceding year, this truly is a remarkable accolade.

Al Ward, head of adviser platform at Aviva, says the award was a recognition of the work the company has done to earn the coveted five stars. 

He says: “At a time when businesses, as well as individuals, are having to cut their cloth, I’m very proud that Aviva has increased its investment in our people. 

“[It has been] getting some of the basics right, such as making sure everyone has a comfortable and effective home set-up for flexible working, plus providing a growing range of wellbeing, diversity and inclusion services and tools for staff and their managers, as well as financial measures like supporting 7,000 staff with one-off payments to help with energy costs. 

“This is so important as it means our people are able to help advisers and their clients to the best of their ability.”

He adds: “If you are going to ask your people to deal with customers, or advisers whose customers are facing very real and acute money or health worries, or perhaps even a bereavement, then the staff need detailed training and hands-on managerial support to help them deal with people sensitively and constructively.”

simoney.kyriakou@ft.com