We’re well into summer and we would like to say a very warm welcome to our new and soon-to-be new clients, along with a huge thank you to our existing clients for your continued custom and to our professional connections for your ongoing support. It has been a very busy year for RB as always so far, read on to find out what’s been happening.
People
After 19 years of service to RB, we said a very sad farewell and huge thanks to Liz Townend in January. Liz is a much-loved member of the team and left with our very best wishes to take some time out, enjoy more holidays and spend more time with family and friends.
We’ve also said a very fond farewell to Barney Wood and Emily Mulkerrin, both of whom leave with our best wishes for the future.
The good news is that we are delighted to welcome several new faces to the team.
Samantha Farmiloe joined us in January to cover for Charlotte Slack, who gave birth to a baby boy, Louis, in March and is currently enjoying her maternity leave. Sam lives locally and has already proved to be a real asset to the team.
Francesca Senior, Erica Wainwright and Viliana Vicheva joined our Client Services Team in February and James Priestley joined the Adviser Team in April. All new members of the team have got off to a great start, bringing invaluable financial services experience with them and will provide more capacity to support us with our continued growth and commitment to delivering high-quality financial advice.
Jo Davey transitioned from Client Services to a new Sales and Marketing Coordinator role. We are really pleased for Jo, as her background is in marketing – she is already making a positive impact and providing much-needed support.
Georgina Gillingham celebrated her marriage to husband George in January, and Ben Collier announced his engagement to fiancé Cicely in May. We wish them all much happiness in their future lives together.
Awards success
We are delighted to share continued awards success in 2026.
The team were finalists again in the ‘Adviser Firm of the Year – Northeast’ category of the national Professional Adviser Awards 2026. Sadly, there was no win this time, but Jo and Antony enjoyed a wonderful evening representing RB and networking with other firms at the table hosted by Benchmark Capital, who were winners of the ‘Best Advice Network’.
For the eighth consecutive year we made it to the final of the Yorkshire Financial Awards 2026 in 3 categories: Financial Adviser Team of the Year, Director of the Year (Antony Barton) and Support Staff of the Year (Jo Davey). We were delighted to see Jo Davey take home the ‘Support Staff of the Year’ award on the night and celebrate her very well-deserved win.
Charitable activities
Antony Barton volunteered his time in March to present to Wyke Sixth Form College students about independent financial advice as a career, sharing insights into what firms are looking for from new recruits and conducting a series of mock interviews with several students. Recruiting young talent is crucial to sustain the future of the financial advice sector and the young people Antony met with were a real credit to themselves and the college.
Also in March we collaborated with other local businesses in supporting Emley AFC’s 2026 Easter Egg collection. Thanks to the generosity of our team, clients, and colleagues, RB contributed over 70 eggs which were delivered, with others, to local children spending Easter in hospital and hospice care.
Activity
RB was reauthorised as an Appointed Representative of the Best Practice network in February. Our relationship with Best Practice is a longstanding one as they have provided compliance guidance to us for many years. This transition has been on the wish list for some time, to provide more support for our regulatory activities and there should be very minimal, if any, impact on our clients.
Dan Willers‘ presentation ‘The real cost of DIY Financial Advice’ was well-received in March at the South Wales B2B Network group. Dan explored the reasons why so many people choose to manage their investments independently, the value of receiving financial advice and outlined the potential outcomes associated with each option.
Dan also represented RB at the Sheffield Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Charity Conference in May where he spent the day strengthening our community presence and building local connections. Dan particularly enjoyed his conversations with the local children who are being supported by the charity.
For several years, our advisers have featured in the national Vouchedfor Top Rated Adviser Guide and 2026 was no exception. This year Antony and Dan were featured in March, based on achieving at least 10 positive Vouchedfor reviews in 2025. It’s always wonderful to receive a testimonial for the positive work we do; the feedback is never taken for granted and really motivates the team, so a big thank you to those of you who took the time to leave a review. If this is something you are interested in, why not seize the moment and take a couple of minutes now by clicking on their name below:
Technology
Wealth Platform – if you like online access to your investments all in one place you can sign up to the Wealth Platform app or portal. Please contact our Client Service Team for further details if you are interested.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and thank you for your continued support.
With warm wishes,
The Robertson Baxter team x
This article is for general information only and is aimed at retail clients.
Robertson Baxter is an Appointed Representative of Best Practice IFA Group Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, the registration number is 223112.
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