Local financial services firm Chilvester is celebrating 20 years in business. Established in Calne in 1999, the Independent Financial Adviser has grown to offer business and private clients a range of services.
In 2016 the firm opened an office in Marlborough and quickly became part of the community: it sponsors Marlborough Rugby Club, and financial planner David Jones was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce in June.
Now employing 18 people the firm offers expertise in pensions, tax planning, savings and investments, later life planning, mortgages, equity release, life and family insurances, and business insurance.
“We offer a ‘just what you need’ service,” explained managing director Andy Tottman, who joined the firm in 2012 and took the helm last year.
“We provide financial planning advice to suit individual needs, using the latest technology and the expertise of our team of specialist advisers, who work in partnership with clients’ solicitors and accountants to ensure the right outcomes for them, their family, and their business.”
A handful of team members – Andy, co-director Sam Binstead, financial planner Simon Foreman, and client support administrator Gill Shanley – have been with the firm since the start of its rapid expansion in 2012 – and the company is investing in the advisers of the future by employing and training four apprentices.
The firm also has an eye to the needs and desires of the investors of the future, and offers no fewer than three ethical investment portfolios, which include commitments to tackling climate change and poverty, and promoting social well-being.
And it is planning to expand beyond Calne and Marlborough: the firm’s five-year plan includes opening a further five branches in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and elsewhere in Wiltshire, and growing its team to 50.
Wherever it expands, support for the community will remain part of the firm’s ethos. In Marlborough, the company is midway through a five-year sponsorship deal with the town’s rugby club, while in Calne the firm is the main sponsor of FC Calne, the town’s main youth football team.
Chilvester is also a patron of the arts: adviser Becky Burchell is a committee member of Melksham Carnival, while the firm is the headline sponsor of Calne Music and Arts Festival, and a festival bursary – donated by Chilvester – helps young musicians with their tuition fees.
The 20th anniversary was officially marked on Monday, October 7 with a sold-out Calne Festival comedy event, starring Funny Women semi-finalist Sandi Smith and BBC new comedy semi-finalist Louis Burgess.
“It was a great way to celebrate our 20th anniversary,” said Andy, “and we enter our third decade with enthusiasm, excitement, experience, and smiles on our faces.”
The photo above shows – Back: Kyle Higgins, Simon Foreman, Sam Harris, Melissa Thurgood, Ian Stone, Rebecca Lee, Gill Shanley, Tash Reeves, David Jones, Qasim Masood. Front: Sam Binstead, Sally Bailey, Jess Tottman, Charlotte Pickett, Becky Smith, Andy Tottman
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