IFA boss sets sights on becoming the leader in the North West

One of the North’s leading firms of Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) is celebrating its 15th anniversary by charting a seven-year course for growth.

True Bearing employs 64 staff

Now its chair and founder George Critchley has set out plans for it to double its staff numbers and triple its turnover to £15m by 2025.

True Bearing was one of the first IFAs in the UK to receive Gold Standard Investors in People, which it has retained three times and it is one of the select few IFA firms to have been awarded Corporate Chartered Status.

“Having the right people in place is the key to the success of a business,” he said. “As part of our growth plans, we are looking to double staff to 125 by 2025, which means keeping the existing team and attracting more good people. We have already significantly increased productivity but we are aiming for a further 30% gain through the use of new technology.

George, who ran a fitness firm and a health food business before retraining as a financial adviser, founded True Bearing in 2003 with Michael Clarke and Mark O’Neill, who are now non-executive directors. He added: “With a growing elderly population, IFAs have a really important role to play in safeguarding people’s financial future. As interest rates are lower than inflation, cash in the bank is effectively losing money. Whatever sums people can afford to put away, it is vital that they invest wisely. At True Bearing we aim to give them the best advice possible.”