Aberdeen UK Platform Awards Gala Dinner
29 September 2011
London Marriott Grosvenor Square

They were dancing on the streets of Hoi An ………..

For the first time, the big award of the night, platform of the year 2011, went to an independent wrap platform, Nucleus.  Congratulations to Dave, who was with his wife in Vietnam on the night, and the team.

As they say in footie, this was a very popular win for the neutrals.

Highly commended in second place out of a big entry was Fidelity FundsNetwork. Watch this space! Next year we expect all the big boys to be out displaying their all singing and dancing, RDR ready platforms. It should be a grand contest.

Transact and Skandia both had good nights, picking up a brace of awards apiece. Scottish Widows scooped the best new platform award with their corporate platform, mymoneyworks heralding an exciting new era in platform world. A number of corporate platforms are hatching right now and we hope to see them competing next year.

The Retail Distribution Review is setting the sector some challenges whilst the FSA consult further on how platforms can be remunerated in the brave new world. Nonetheless, the RDR should be a gold mine for platforms, as the vast majority of advisers will depend on them to enable a fee-based model. Both winning advisers, Investment Quorum and Paradigm Norton, serial winners both, have had RDR ready propositions for some time. As the advice industry seeks to become a profession, it is hugely gratifying to see that the very best adviser firms demonstrate that this can be achieved with excellence of proposition and delivery.

This event is making something of a name for itself, not only as the premier event of the platform year, but also as a showpiece for the generosity of the investment community. Once again, the chosen charity was Help for Heroes.  Robin Hollington, himself an officer in the Royal Marine Corps for 20 years and father of Marine Richard Hollington, the 300th UK casualty in Afghanistan, spoke most eloquently about the hardships faced by the victims of conflicts like Afghanistan who don’t want charity, who just want a way to make a living and be independent despite awful injuries. Guests at the dinner donated, incredibly, nearly £7,000! Thus, after matching by the organisers and Aberdeen Asset Management, over £20,000 will be donated to Help for Heroes in honour of Richard Hollington.

For all the results and judges comments, click here.

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