A FINANCIAL planner from Teesdale has won a top UK accolade.
Gemma Siddle, of Newton Aycliffe-based Eldon Financial Planning, has won The Personal Finance Society’s flagship award – Chartered Financial Planner of the Year 2019/20.
The awards were held at The International Conference Centre in Birmingham and the winners were announced by comedian Jo Caulfield.
Bosses at Eldon Financial Planning said they were “incredibly proud” of Ms Siddle, from Eggleston.
She started working at the company soon after it was founded in 2002.
The firm said she has led the way not only in the profession but also within Eldon, adding that her “love and belief in the value the profession brings to client lives runs deep”.
The company said: “With this mindset, Gemma acts as a keen mentor and supports others as they follow in her footsteps, with four colleagues currently studying and training to achieve their chartered status”.
She impressed the judges with her “razor sharp” client focus and this, combined with her achieving the highest scores in a technical assessment, meant she brought home the top trophy.
In addition to her accolades, it was noted how she got involved in community and charity initiatives, as well as promoted the profession to young people through training and work experience.
To win the award, she went through a rigorous process to show she had the highest commitment to professionalism, the best outcomes for her clients, development of herself and the ethical culture in her firm.
The Personal Finance Society panel said: “The judges were impressed with Gemma’s razor sharp client outcomes focus, coupled with the application of knowledge demonstrated through a high scoring technical case study.
“Gemma’s propensity to give back to the profession generously to help others was also noted.”
Reflecting on the win and being up against nationally recognise planners, Ms Siddle said: “It is an honour and a delight to win this award.
“I am privileged to have been trained to the highest standard and it’s humbling to have my work with clients recognised in this manner.”
