Gallagher Benefit Services won the prestigious Firm of the Year Award, with The Ink Group picking up the gong for the Best Small Firm at the Corporate Adviser Awards last night, held in London.
The awards recognise excellence among advisers and providers in the workplace pensions and benefits sector.
On the provider side Standard Life was one of the major winners, taking home two awards, for Best Master Trust and Best Provider Decumulation Proposition.
Bupa also picked up a brace of awards, for Best Healthcare Provider and Best Health & Wellbeing Innovator.
Industry figures from across the benefits sector gathered at the Hilton Bankside Hotel for the ceremony, hosted by comedian Tom Allen.
For the first time the awards also recognised the achievements of individual consultants, who are delivering outstanding service for their clients. Rebecca Dorrian of Chase de Vere won Pension Adviser of the Year, while Callum Hall of Benifex picked up the award for Healthcare & Group Risk Adviser of the Year.
Callum’s award was won of a number of awards for Benifex. It also took home the awards for Best Group Risk Provider and Best Health & Wellbeing Solution.
LCP won Best Pensions Adviser, while Sherwood Healthcare won the award for Best Healthcare Adviser.
On the provider side, Aviva won Best Pension Provider, while Aon won the highly sought-after award, Ultimate Default Fund, for its Managed Core Retirement Pathway.
Nest took home the prize for the Best Default Sustainability Strategy for its Retirement Date Funds, with L&G winning for Best Sustainability Asset Manager. BNP Paribas took home the award for the Best Private Markets Asset Manager.
In the group risk and healthcare sector Unum won Best Group Risk Provider, with Medicash winning the award for Best Cash Plan Provide,r for the fifth year running.
Sackers were also recognised for the work they do, taking home the award for the Best Pensions Law Firm, while Independent Governance Group won Best DC Independent Trustee. Ben took the prize for Best Employee Benefits Technology Platform.
The judges were highly impressed by the submissions received, with highly commended awards given in many of these categories.
Providers’ service propositions were also celebrated with the presentation of Five Star and Four Star trophies to top performers in the Corporate Adviser Service Ratings, decided by an independent satisfaction survey of more than 100 advisers.
This year a higher number of providers took home five star ratings, reflecting rising service standards across the industry. In the cash plan sector both Medicash and Health Shield had a five-star rating; and in the group risk sector Unum was award five stars. In the healthcare sector a record five companies were awarded a five star rating: Benenden Health, Bupa, Healix Health, The Permanent Health Company (PHC) and Vitality.
In the workplace pension sector Aviva and Royal London both received five stars. This is the fifth consecutive year Royal London has achieved this top rating, the only provider to do this.
Full details of the Corporate Adviser Service Ratings, alongside the special CA Awards Supplement, containing all the winners and photographs of the big night will come out with the next issue of Corporate Adviser.
ALL THE WINNERS AND HIGHLY COMMENDED FIRMS
Corporate Adviser Firm of the Year:
Winner: Gallagher Benefit Services
Highly Commended: Howden Employee Benefits
Corporate Adviser Small Firm of the Year
Winner: The Ink Group
Highly Commended: Aldermont Group
Pension Adviser of the Year:
Winner: Rebecca Dorian, Chase de Vere
Highly Commended: Stuart Stroud, Corpad Employee Benefits
Healthcare & Group Risk Adviser of the Year
Winner: Callum Hall, Benifex
Best Pensions Adviser
Winner: LCP
Highly Commended: Barnett Waddingham
Best Healthcare Adviser
Winner: Sherwood Healthcare
Best Group Risk Adviser
Winner: Benifex
Highly Commended: Towergate Employee Benefits
Best Health & Wellbeing Solution
Winner: Benifex
Highly Commended: Titan Corporate Benefits
Best Health & Wellbeing Innovator
Winner: Bupa – My Genomic Health
Highly Commended: Equipsme
Best Pensions Law Firm
Winner: Sackers
Highly Commended: Eversheds Sutherland
Best Provider Decumulation Proposition
Winner: Standard Life
Highly Commended: Aviva
Best Group Pensions Provider
Winner: Aviva
Highly Commended: Standard Life
Best Master Trust
Winner: Standard Life Master Trust
Highly Commended: Aviva Master Trust
Ultimate Default Fund
Winner: Aon Managed Core Retirement Pathway
Highly Commended: Fidelity International – FutureWise
Best Sustainability Asset Manager
Winner: L&G
Best Default Sustainability Strategy
Winner: Nest Retirement Date Funds
Highly Commended: Aviva My Future Focus
Best Private Markets Asset Manager
Winner: BNP Paribas Asset Management
Highly Commended: L&G
Best Cash Plan Provider
Winner: Medicash
Highly Commended: BHSF
Best Healthcare Provider
Winner: Bupa UK
Highly Commended: WPA
Best Group Risk Provider
Winner: Unum
Highly Commended: Aviva
Best DC Independent Trustee
Winner: Independent Governance Group (IGG)
Highly Commended: ZEDRA
Best Pensions Law Firm
Winner: Sackers
Highly Commended: Eversheds Sutherland
Best Employee Benefits Technology Platform
Winner: Ben
Highly Commended: Zest Technology
PROVDIER SERVICE RATINGS
WORKPLACE PENSIONS
Five Stars
Aviva
Royal London
Four Stars
Fidelity
Hargreaves Lansdown
Scottish Widows
SEI
Standard Life
TPT Retirement Solutions
GROUP RISK
Five Stars
Unum
Four Stars
Canada Life
Zurich
HEALTHCARE
Five Stars
Benenden Health
Bupa
Healix Health
The Permanent Health Company (PHC)
Vitality
Four Stars
AXA Health
CASH PLAN PROVIDERS
Five Stars
Health Shield
Medicash
Four Stars
Simplyhealth
Westfield Health