The Financial Options Group is delighted to announce that two members of our team – Group Operations Director and Financial Adviser Sarah Kendell and Financial Planner Jenny Loftus – have been shortlisted in the Financial Adviser of the Year North category in the Women in Financial Advice Awards 2020.
The Women in Financial Advice Awards celebrate the achievements of trailblazing women working within the financial advice community and also the broader financial services sector in the UK. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner in London on 8 October.
About the Awards
With more than 1,300 nominations across the different categories, the competition for this year’s accolades is sure to be steep.
All nominees were asked to fill in a detailed questionnaire, to describe their achievements in the workplace, the people and objectives that drive them to reach for more, and their involvement in projects that help raise the profile of financial services as a career for women.
In addition to bringing some much-needed good news in the midst of very challenging times, the awards are also helping to fulfil a far-reaching objective: celebrating and recognising the achievements of women in a sector in which they are under-represented. When we consider inequalities such as those revealed by the Treasury's Women in Finance inquiry, today’s persistent gender pay gap, or the lower numbers of women in senior roles, it’s clear that much work remains to be done.
Making a difference
The Financial Options Group is one of the few financial advice houses in the UK that is evenly split across genders, up to and including the senior management level. This has not been achieved via an initiative, but simply by consistently recognising the relevant skills of individuals, and developing talent in-house through career development opportunities and mentoring.
At our firm, we hope to lead by example and to help change the tide. Our own Sarah Kendell recently received Chartered status, a distinction which requires five or more years of experience and successful completion of the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning (APFS) – a rigorous course, demanding around 1,000 hours of study. Since women who attain Chartered Status are outnumbered by male colleagues six to one, recognising Sarah’s accomplishment and raising the visibility of women like her will be key steps in encouraging women to pursue meaningful careers in financial advice.
A member of The Financial Options Group team for the past 18 years, Sarah plays an instrumental part in business strategy and management of our firm, and provides impartial, expert guidance to clients.
Sarah, who also recently received accreditation from the Society of Later Life Advisers, comments: “I was absolutely delighted to hear that I had been shortlisted for the Adviser of the Year North Award. It is a very special experience to have my hard work and achievements, particularly those which I have received over the past year, recognised in this way. While winning the award would be amazing, being a finalist is exceptional in itself. I couldn’t be happier to represent the Financial Options Group and to be shortlisted among some of the most dynamic and inspiring advisers in our industry.”
Jenny Loftus, who joined The Financial Options Group as a trainee paraplanner before progressing to management, obtained her Certificate in Mortgage and Advice Practice and Level 4 Diploma in August 2018 and is now a qualified Financial Planner and an essential part of our team.
“I was surprised and felt very grateful to be nominated – even more now to be a finalist,” says Jenny. “Determination and staying motivated really do pay off. I hope to lead by example, to inspire a new generation of young women to pursue a career in financial advice, and to make my colleagues, friends and family proud.”
Group CEO Christian Pepper comments: “On behalf of all of the Financial Options Group advisers, staff and partners, I’d like to express how immensely proud of Sarah and Jenny we all are. Through all that they have accomplished, their ongoing hard work and dedication they are unquestionably worthy finalists. Although bringing home the award in October would be the icing on the cake, in our eyes they are already winners.”
To learn more about our team of advisers, visit our Meet the Team page. For further information or to speak with an adviser about your financial objectives, call 0161 764 9944 or email info@financialopts.co.uk.