I commenced work for Castlegate initially as a Financial Services administrator, with a view to qualifying as an Independent Financial Adviser. I commenced my examinations immediately, with a view to gaining the Financial Planning Certificate. Following a few months in the administration role I then trained as a Paraplanner before starting work as an adviser after gaining the Financial Planning Certificate in September 2001.I continued to study for further examinations and was awarded the Diploma in financial planning in 2009. Following this I focussed upon the Chartered qualification and achieved this in January 2017. During 2015 I was awarded the Damms Prize by the Lincoln Insurance Institute in recognition of my exam success.My work has always focussed on holistic financial planning, with an emphasis upon nurturing strong client relationships and endeavouring to maintain this by offering a high level of service and focus upon the specific client needs. Whilst I have always acknowledged that technical knowledge is crucial, I believe that the most important facet of the job is to actually listen to clients and to identify areas where they require my assistance.

Having graduated from University I started my career at Duncan and Toplis as a trainee accountant. I performed this role for in excess of three years, working largely upon accounts preparation and auditing. This role prepared me extremely well for my future career in financial services as the accountancy role taught me the value of professionalism whilst the examinations taught me a great deal about Taxation and Corporate Law, which proved to be invaluable going forward.