This year, the Schroders UK Platform Awards dinner will be held on 23 September at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Once again, we will celebrate the very best of platforms and technology in retail investment and financial planning.
The wonderful Kate Silverton will host the event for the 16th year running.
There is so much new happening in the platform sector, platforms running on their own new, tech and advisers platforms whilst traditional platforms upgrade their technology and their propositions.
On top of this, the adviser faces difficult decisions on whether to go for a ‘good’ one-stop shop or opt for the very best on offer for each microservice, hoping that integration will be as promised.
We continue to see disruption in the adviser arena. Consolidators continue to consolidate, asset managers, platforms and discretionary managers continue to acquire distribution. We know that the regulator is a touch concerned that the consumer may not always benefit – much to look forward to.
The role of the Schroders UK Platform Awards is to keep up with these trends and identify which platforms, tech providers and advisers provide the best products and services and value to their clients.
The aim of the Schroders UK Platform Awards is to identify the very best in each category, to the extent that advisers will include the winners in their short list and give them serious consideration.
Good luck with your entries and we look forward to seeing you on September 23.
Dress code: Black tie
18:30 - Champagne reception
19:30 - Dinner and entertainment
21:30 - Awards and ceremony
23:00 - Cash bar
00:30 - Carriages
To enter an award, please click here
As you will see from the awards categories criteria, four of our awards are decided by the votes of financial advisers. The categories are:
Voting will close on 26 July.
If you wish to attend or are considering sponsorship, please email here
Schroders is a global investment manager which provides active asset management, wealth management and investment solutions, with £773.7 billion (€912.6 billion; $978.1 billion) of assets under management as at 30 June 2024. As a UK listed FTSE100 company, Schroders has a market capitalisation of circa £6 billion and over 6,000 employees across 38 locations. Established in 1804, Schroders remains true to its roots as a family-founded business. The Schroder family continues to be a significant shareholder, holding approximately 44% of the issued share capital.
Schroders' success can be attributed to its diversified business model, spanning different asset classes, client types and geographies. The company offers innovative products and solutions through four core business divisions: Public Markets, Solutions, Wealth Management, and Schroders Capital, which focuses on private markets, including private equity, renewable infrastructure investing, private debt & credit alternatives, and real estate.
Schroders aims to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. This means directing capital towards resilient businesses with sustainable business models, consistently with the investment goals of its clients. Schroders serves a diverse client base that includes pension schemes, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth individuals, family offices, as well as end clients through partnerships with distributors, financial advisers, and online platforms.
A fortnight ago, we had the incredible honour of welcoming HRH Prince William to Ocean View Secondary School, where he witnessed firsthand the transformative work of The Atlas Foundation.
Joined by our fantastic coaches (and yours truly!) Prince William spent an inspiring afternoon with children from Masiphumelele and Ocean View Secondary School, sharing in rugby and community spirit, all united by a mission to improve children’s welfare.
In partnership with The Atlas Foundation, Vusa Rugby Academy is a registered NPO and PBO dedicated to empowering youth in Langa through sports, academic support, mentorship, and essential resources.
Arguably, one of their most impactful initiatives is the Atlas Digibus- a mobile digital classroom equipped with 40 laptops that reaches over 1,000 children weekly.
With VUSA leading the charge and partnering with community schools and Bishops, the Atlas DigiBus provides math, STEM, and digital literacy support.
It brings teachers and structured lessons directly to underserved areas, addressing critical educational needs in Langa, Cape Town.
Through the DigiBus programme, we have already seen incredible outcomes: A 20% increase in academic test scores across various subjects.
Enhanced problem-solving and critical thinking skills, preparing students for future careers, training for staff and volunteers on the Emerging Leaders course, ensuring consistent, high-quality support for each student.
To continue this life-changing work, we are seeking to raise £25,000 for the maintenance and operation of the current Atlas DigiBus, ensuring it remains fully operational and impactful.
Every contribution helps sustain this educational solution that provides impoverished children with critical skills for their future.
You can support this initiative by donating through our fundraising page, click here.
Together, we can continue to create brighter futures for children in South Africa.
Jason Leonard
Chairman
The Atlas Foundation
www.theatlascharity.org @theatlascharity
UK Charity No 1161179
Please click on award title to view the detailed criteria and to see the awards voted for by advisers.
The judges will be looking for evidence that a first-rate customer offering, demonstrating great value for money, is supported by the platform and other tech products. The judges will wish to know how your tech stack works for you and which platform, ATR, cashflow, practice management system et al you employ. They will also want to know how technology lowers costs and risk whilst increasing efficiency and the client proposition. The judges will wish to know how the issue of cybersecurity is addressed.
The judges will be looking for evidence that a first-rate customer offering, demonstrating great value for money, is supported by the platform(s) and other tech products. The judges will wish to know how your tech stack works for you and which platform(s), ATR, cashflow, practice management system et al you employ. They will also want to know how technology lowers costs and risk whilst increasing efficiency and the client proposition. The judges will wish to know how the issue of cybersecurity is addressed.
A firm with all the best adviser qualities as itemised above together with a leading sustainable proposition matching their chosen target market. The judges will consider which of the six adviser finalists combines a compelling advice and financial planning offering with a well-resourced, sustainable investment solution that fits their customer.
This award is for a project that is a partnership between a technology provider and a platform. Each winning partner will receive a trophy. The judges will initially wish to understand what business challenge the project was designed to solve. The winners will be the partnership that delivers the best solution to this, demonstrating successful use of technology and offering a superior service from a customer perspective and business results. Importantly, the judges will be looking for evidence of improved value for money for the customer. The judges will be looking at what business capabilities are enhanced, how it integrates with other systems, who are the key users and what are the key functions. They will also be looking at the impact on the business, on customers, market uniqueness, delivery on time and budget plus delivery on the basics such as security, reliability and regulatory compliance.
The award reflects the growing importance of financial technology and automation for client engagement and user experience in investment and financial planning in both the direct to consumer, intermediated and hybrid sectors. The award will go to the platform, or the core component behind a platform, that is a leader in the deployment of technology to improve the quality of guidance or advice and that shortens and eases the customer journey, one that customers find easiest to use. This may include the use of non-obvious sources of data to add new insights, speed up the process and enrich the investor experience. It may involve the use of algorithms or even artificial intelligence to better inform an investor or adviser. Or, it may involve smart and novel ways to engage investors in a way that keeps them coming back to the platform to engage.
This award is for the platform with the best all round retirement/drawdown solution - an on-platform retirement proposition that enables the customer to look across tax wrappers and manage all investments together, to enable genuinely holistic investment methodology, as well as offering a competitive personal pension proposition. The changes to IHT in the 2024 autumn budget may well make annuitisation attractive at some stage. Good solutions to this end might be appreciated by the judges.
This award will be made to the leading independent planning tool provider’ that advisers find the most valuable in supporting their proposition in ensuring that they identify the best client outcome. The judges will consider how well and how easily the tool integrates with other elements of the technology employed and how it avoids re-keying etc *This award is not for research, rating or data providers as there is another award specifically aimed at them.
This award quite simply celebrates innovation, whether a platform (conventional retail, robo or hybrid), planning tool or application that makes life better for platforms, advisers or investors, that breaks new ground in novel ways at a lower cost for the client or the adviser. We are quite simply looking for innovative technology application that makes the judges go “Wow!”. That said, the judges will, of course, wish to know exactly what the problem is that the innovative product is solving. The judges will look at products launched in the last 18 months, and which are live at the date of submission.
This award is for vertically integrated platforms providing integrated asset management and/or financial advice/planning capability. The judges will be looking for a proposition that offers a straightforward solution that meets the requirements of target customers and offers great value for money. Suitability and value for money will be key to winning this award. The platform should enable the adviser to offer a range of portfolios that meet the requirements of their customers in terms of risk and suitability. The judges will want to know exactly what segment of investors the proposition is targeted.
Eligibility: The award will be open to platforms with manufacturing or distribution capacity or both.
This award is for the best platform used by advisers wishing to run discretionary portfolios, either models or bespoke, under their own permissions or the platform’s. The judges will be looking for a high level of efficiency in execution and dealing. The judges will expect investment scope to match the needs of their target customers. The platform should enable the adviser firm to offer a range of portfolios that meet the requirements of their customers in terms of risk and outcome. The efficiency of trading and reporting will be essential. Entrants should ensure that all charges incurred by customers are shown clearly and they should demonstrate that they represent value for money for the end customer.
Eligibility: The award will be open to those platforms supporting advisers wishing to offer discretionary portfolios
The judges will be looking for the most innovative and effective workplace platform, platform component, or use of innovative technology; the proposition that meets the needs of members (most crucially), employer and adviser (where appropriate) and that offers a broad range of benefits and demonstrates success in gaining employees’ awareness and participation. The winner could be a flexible benefits platform, a corporate wrap or other forms of benefits hub. The judges will be looking for a product that has shown innovation in attracting employees to the scheme whilst demonstrating sound processes and efficient administration and support. The winner will have demonstrated innovative use of technology and expertise to build a proposition that addresses the challenging issues currently in the workplace market. The winner will have established some traction in the market and have demonstrated appeal to customers. The award will be open to both employee benefit and corporate platforms and other technology propositions that increase or improve engagement between employee and employer.
Eligibility: The award will be open to both employee benefit and corporate platforms and other technology propositions that increase or improve engagement between employee and employer
The winner will be a regulated institutional platform that provides access to liquid and illiquid funds (primarily*), and ETFs and securities, over a wide jurisdiction, enabling specifically retail platforms and also wealth managers and third-party providers to access and trade funds. The judges will reward the breadth and quality of services offered to platforms and wealth managers.
Eligibility: The award will be open to wholesale platforms
For the provider of essential or enriching solutions and services to platforms* that enables broader coverage, functionality, efficiency, or innovation.
Eligibility: The award will be open to those providers who can demonstrate that they have significantly improved and/or supported the primary activities or operation of a Platform.
The winners of the awards will be found by adviser votes or through the wisdom and skill of our judges. The judges have been selected for both their expertise and their independence.
The judging panel will be chaired by Keith Richards, CEO of the Consumer Duty Alliance. The process of selecting the winners varies by award (see awards criteria) to ensure the best outcomes. A team of judges has been selected for each of these awards based on expertise and independence.