A wealth management firm is celebrating after it was awarded Chartered status by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).

Garth Thompson Wealth Management is one of only 703 Financial Planning businesses worldwide to be awarded this prestigious accreditation.

The firm was founded in 2008 by Garth Thompson, who has worked in the financial services industry for 30 years in the North East. 

He initially worked at Lloyds Bank having graduated from Newcastle University in 1989. 

Mr Thompson said: “In our line of business, it's absolutely crucial that our clients feel able to put their trust in us.

“We always aim to deliver the highest level of professionalism and achieving Chartered status demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the standards we have set.”

In addition Mr Thompson and his colleague Lee Watson were both awarded personal Chartered recognition. 

Mr Watson has since gone on to the next stage achieving Fellowship status. 

The company highlighted its commitment to “investing in and nurturing the careers of its broader team.”

Susan Snowdon, one of the company's Paraplanners, is embarking upon a programme which will see her retraining as a Financial Planner. 

Once she has done so, she will also work towards personal Chartered status.

Mr Thompson said: ”We're very proud of our achievements this year and we know that our hard work will benefit our clients.

“We have a strong commitment to continuing professional development and adherence to the industry standard code of ethics, both major requirements for a Financial Planning firm to achieve Chartered status.

"I'm very proud of everyone in the practice, but of Lee in particular, young people like him are the future of our business. 

“We pride ourselves on building long-term relationships with our clients and Lee's work ethic fits in with that perfectly."

The firm is made up of five Financial Planners supported by a nine-strong team of administrators and Paraplanners and has recently expanded its office space within the Shawwell Business Centre at Corbridge, Northumberland.