Active Chartered Financial Planners in Stockton has promoted two of its most experienced team members to associate directors, as part of its ongoing growth strategy.
Andrew Gilmore, chartered financial planner, and Rachel McCulloch, practice manager, have joined Karl Pemberton, Paul Gibson, Karl Nendick and Gary Lumby MBE on the firm’s board of directors. They will be supporting the strategy and direction of the business, leading the adviser team and support team respectively.
Their promotion was made possible through the government-backed Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) scheme, which allows small to mid-sized UK businesses to share their successes with their team as their company grows.
Andrew started at the firm in 2007 as an apprentice administrator, and has had several promotions throughout his career, culminating in his new role as an associate director.
He has also achieved many prestigious accolades while working at the organisation, including being recognised as one of the top 35 New Generation Advisers (in the UK) 2018 by CityWire & New Model Adviser, becoming a fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), and being awarded chartered manager status by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) on completion of his master’s degree.
Rachel joined the team in 2009, following a 19-year career at Yorkshire Bank. She achieved her diploma in management and leadership in 2018 and was also awarded chartered manager status from the CMI in Spring 2020, during lockdown. She has just started her MBA at Teesside University’s Business School.
Rachel is known for her outstanding organisational skills and professionalism and has been a key player in achieving a number of accolades, including Investors in People (IIP) gold status on two consecutive occasions and being named one of the Best Financial Advisers to Work For by industry publication Professional Adviser.
Andrew Gilmore said: “It’s an honour to have been promoted to associate director after being with the company for almost 16 years; working my way up from an apprentice position to now leading the adviser team, so I’m delighted to be part of the board.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky because working here is really easy – the team is great and there’s a fantastic working atmosphere. I’ve grown as a person along with the business, and I’m excited to be involved in its next stage of development.”
Rachel McCulloch said: “I’m over the moon to be joining the board of directors – I’ve been with the company for 14 years so it’s great to get such a fantastic recognition.
“I’m looking forward to the next stage of the journey and seeing where we can take the business over the coming years.”
Karl Pemberton, managing director at Active Chartered Financial Planners, said: “Rachel and Andrew bought into our vision, long before we became what we are today. They have both been instrumental in the growth of the business for many years and have also developed themselves significantly over that time too. It was therefore only right to reward them for their efforts and loyalty, something that is not easy to come by in today’s world. They are integral to our future, and we are delighted to share that with them.
“Rachel and Andrew are not the first team members to benefit from an EMI share scheme, and we’re confident that they will not be the last.”
