Stockport based Prest Financial Planning has boosted its operations with two significant new appointments.
The firm of Chartered Financial Planners has taken on Simon Baggott as Practice and Operations Manager and David Kershaw as a Paraplanner to support its continued growth.
Simon has worked in financial services for the last 14 years and is responsible for the smooth running of all aspects of the business. In his role he will manage the operational efficiency of Prest while ensuring that the service offered to, and received by, clients continues to be of the highest quality.
David, meanwhile, brings 20 years’ experience in financial services to his position as a Paraplanner, in which he provides research and technical support to Prest financial advisers. During his career he has worked in administration, compliance and paraplanning roles and he holds the Personal Finance Society Diploma awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Prest Financial Planning, which manages assets worth approximately £350 million on behalf of clients, has enjoyed several years of rapid growth. The family-owned firm, which was founded in 1961, added £43 million in new client funds in 2018 alone.
Graham Prest, Chief Executive of Prest Financial Planning, said,
“I am really pleased to welcome Simon and David to the team. As we continue to grow they will both play key roles in delivering the fantastic administration and support that will be essential to the achievement of our full potential.
“Simon is already getting stuck into a range of operational issues and we expect this to pay real dividends for us in terms of efficient workflows and an even slicker client experience. David, meanwhile, is proving a real asset to our paraplanning department, delivering vital support and research that makes a real difference to our clients.”
In addition to appointing Simon and David, Prest has also bolstered its operations with the recent promotion of Paraplanner Ashley Baker to the role of Financial Planner. Longstanding financial planning support team member Zoe Cullen has also recently completed her Diploma in Financial Planning, enabling her to move into a more technical role.
Prest Financial Planning has been established for more than half a century and provides comprehensive, lifelong independent financial advice to a growing, loyal clientele of individuals and families, predominantly in Greater Manchester, Cheshire and the surrounding area. Specialist areas include retirement planning, pension transfers, estate and inheritance tax planning, long-term care funding and ethical investments.
In 2018 Prest was, for the fifth time, named as one of the Top 100 financial advice firms in the UK by the influential industry magazine New Model Adviser. It was one of just seven North West firms to be listed.