Exam success for Brewin Dolphin

Five members of Brewin Dolphin’s South West team are celebrating after achieving significant exam success.

All Assistant Portfolio Managers, Chris Farmer and Joseph Noble both passed the second stage of their Chartered Wealth Management qualification and Alice Proctor and Joe Robson both passed the first module.   Neil Johnson also achieved a pass in the Private Client Advice exam.

Chris Farmer’s success was particularly noteworthy as he was one of only five people in the country to achieve a merit and he was awarded the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) President’s Award for Outstanding Success in the Portfolio Construction Theory Level 7 Examination. With only 47% of candidates passing the exams, however, all five of the Exeter-based colleagues did exceptionally well.

The postgraduate qualification needed to attain chartered status comprises three units: Financial Markets, Portfolio Construction Theory and Applied Wealth Management.  Each exam lasts three hours and requires very sound grounding in economics and interpretation of economic statistics, financial statements, investment analysis, portfolio construction and applied wealth management.

“It was very hard work,” said Alice, who studied accounting and finance at Exeter University before joining Brewin Dolphin 18 months ago. “We did a course in London and then a lot of study on our own.”

Joe Robson graduated with a degree in sports science from Exeter University in 2013 before doing an internship with global financial services company UBS in London and New York and joining Brewin Dolphin at the same time as Alice.

“I’m really enjoying the work,” he said. “It’s really interesting and there’s always something new to learn.”

Brewin Dolphin’s Head of Office, Tim Walker, said he was very proud of the results.

“The fact that less than half of those who took these exams passed them says everything about the calibre of our five colleagues,” he said. “Brewin Dolphin takes continuing professional development very seriously. As one of the country’s leading independent wealth management companies, our reputation is built on the expertise and professionalism of our team – and that’s why our clients trust us to give them the best investment advice possible.”