A WINCHESTER businessman nominated as one of the top 200 independent financiers in the country has extolled the Winchester Business Excellence Awards.

Kit Finney, principal of JCF Financial Services Ltd, was voted in the top 200 independent financial advisors in an independent poll carried out by VouchedFor in October last year.

Now the chairman of this year’s Winchester Business Excellence Awards is encouraging other businesses across the district to get involved by entering themselves in any one of the nine categories now open.

“After I resigned as the chairman for the Chamber of Commerce I was asked to stay on, which was a huge honour, because it’s such a prestigious event and really very worthwhile,” he said.

“The awards have grown from strength to strength and there are some real gems in Winchester. Whether you’re a big business like the University or a much smaller business; it doesn’t matter about the size.”

Mr Finney, who has been working in the industry for 31 years, believes that their top 200 title was awarded because of the solid client base they’ve built up over the years accumulated through providing good service.

“I realised that the client is far better off having independent advice so I set up JCF in 1998 working from my back bedroom,” he said. “We offer financial planning, investment advice, pension advice and retirement planning and we work with the client in accordance with what strategical risks they’re willing to take as well as the finances available.

“If they put their money into a building society they will probably get a rate of about 1.5 per cent, less than that of the national rate of inflation, but we can work out how much they can put in, designing a strategy that works for them to see a better return on their investment at a much more competitive rate.

“I’m a great believer in what goes around comes around. I believe that if we deliver what our client has requested and do so to such a high standard then they will refer us to further clients and the circle begins again.”