Important Notice: RevisionMate access has been restored. If you have an exam or coursework submission deadline impacted by this, please contact Customer Service. If you have placed an order with us, this may take longer to process. We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience whilst fulfilling your request.
Five minutes with Armstrong Watson Financial Planning
Blog
Publication date:
12 October 2026
Last updated:
09 October 2026
In our next 5 minutes with feature, we catch up with Mark Frier, Financial Planning Director - Operations & Commercial at Armstrong Watson Financial Planning.
For over 155 years, they have been supporting, advising and protecting clients across the North of England and Scotland, providing a full range of specialist services and financial advice.
With 19 regional offices from Glasgow to Leeds and Newcastle to Manchester, they provide a truly tailored service and pride themselves on being able to work alongside any size of business or individual.
Grab a cuppa and read on to see how they have been living the Chartered Ethos.
How long has your firm been Chartered?
Armstrong Watson Financial Planning Ltd has held CII Corporate Chartered status since 2012.
Why is Chartered status important to your business?
Holding Chartered status for 14 years demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards for clients and colleagues, as well as our support for the profession.
It provides confidence to new and existing clients, and colleagues, but the process of applying and reflecting on what we do well also highlights things we could do better.
Aspiring to achieve Chartered status for the first time is one thing, but the commitment for continuous improvement keeps us moving forward, which is good for everyone we encounter. We look back on our progress proudly and always acknowledge that continuing to improve is what really earns the honour.
What initiative has the organisation been involved in which has had a social impact/corporate social responsibility focus on?
Our annual Family Business Survey is a huge piece of work, gathering detailed feedback from a substantial group of our clients and businesses across the UK. The main objective is to understand the challenges they face, which enables us to tailor our advice to better service the needs of our clients.
In addition to high-level guidance, the survey results, which are shared with respondents and published in a full report, may provide comfort to business owners that they aren’t alone. Many of the challenges they face are like those experienced by others, therefore providing some confidence that difficulties aren’t necessarily a result of them doing something wrong.
The survey itself focuses on business owners, but of course if it contributes to the improvement of local businesses - that has implications for the prosperity of employees and their families, thus providing a positive impact on a much wider population. It also serves to create a more powerful voice to champion local businesses in conversation with Government bodies.
How do you ensure your employees remain at the forefront of their profession?
Across the business, we invest heavily in professional development and regular regulatory and compliance training to ensure our staff are at the forefront of what they do.
Everyone has their own CPD programme and is encouraged to gain further qualifications in their field. Armstrong Watson has achieved the Investors in People Gold standard and was named in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work in 2026.
How have you implemented the CII Code of Ethics into your business?
As a multi-discipline professional services firm, we have signed up to several similar codes and created a company-wide code of ethics which incorporates key elements of each. This has been evolving for many years, but combining codes and guidance provided to Auditors, Tax Professionals, Payroll, Human Resources and, of course, Financial Planners with input from many Chartered Individuals from each discipline provides a solid foundation on which we continue to build.
More recently, Armstrong Watson has become a member of the Institute of Customer Service – that adds to the already comprehensive stance we take on professional ethics and delivering the best possible client experience.
What advice would you give a firm who is considering applying to become Chartered?
The compilation process was like a self-audit of good practice. Gathering evidence can be a big task, but we’re lucky to have specialists in areas such as HR, Training and Marketing, who help me collate comprehensive responses to specific questions.
We aspire to the highest possible standards in everything we do, so while the next renewal will be easier to evidence, the work between now and then to fill the gaps identified during the aforementioned “self-audit” is the challenge – that said, it drives up standards, therefore improving the business and what we deliver for clients and colleagues, so it is certainty worthwhile for all concerned and a status we are proud to uphold year after year.
For more information about Armstrong Watson Financial Planning, visit their website here.
If you would like to learn more about Corporate Chartered status, visit our dedicated page.