Celebrating Excellence: Women in Financial Advice Awards 2025
By Boring Money
13 Nov, 2025
The glittering Marriott Grosvenor Square played host to over 450 guests on 12 November for the Women in Financial Advice Awards 2025, and what a night it was. These awards are about shining a spotlight on brilliant women working in a sector where they remain seriously under-represented.
And under-represented they are. From the persistent gender pay gap to the shortage of women in senior positions, the challenges are real and well-documented. But here's the good news: events like WIFA show the financial advice profession is making steady progress, one award-winning woman at a time.
This year's ceremony, hosted by Professional Adviser deputy editor Jenna Brown and comic Cally Beaton, celebrated female advisers and women working across financial services who are doing outstanding work, often whilst breaking down barriers and mentoring the next generation.
🏆The Big Winners
The night's most prestigious honour – Outstanding Contribution to the Profession – went to Rhiannon Gogh of Planit Future Financial for her exceptional work supporting families with disabled children, including founding SENDA and publishing a best-selling book.
It was a particularly triumphant evening for Boring Money's own Founder & CEO, Holly Mackay, who took home two awards: Marketing Influencer of the Year and Woman of the Year – Investment. The judges praised her work engaging women with their finances and championing women investors through accessible storytelling with measurable mainstream reach.
⭐Regional Excellence
Advisers from across the UK were recognised:
London: Abigail Banks (The Private Office) – youngest female partner at TPO, empowering women and supporting vulnerable clients.
Midlands & East Anglia: Lena Patel (ISJ Independent Financial Planning) – exceptional personal journey and community engagement.
North East: Lottie Kent (True Financial Design) – supporting vulnerable segments of the female market.
North West: Laura Duncan (Continuum Financial Services) – exceeded business targets by 220%, top adviser for three consecutive years.
Scotland & NI: Catriona Smith (Chase de Vere IFA) – highest fee-earning adviser in Scotland in 2024, writing £1m in fee income.
South East: Jodie Phelps (de Mellow and Co) – creating learning events and networks supporting women through difficult life transitions.
South West: Kimberley Sare (Guided Financial) – built two businesses whilst mentoring women and delivering community workshops.
Wales: Gretchen Betts (Magenta Financial Planning) – devoted to upskilling and supporting women, including through her podcast and workbook.
👩🏼🤝👨🏿Championing Diversity
Personal Finance Movement won Contribution to Gender Diversity (Advisory) for strong leadership under a female founder. Scottish Widows took the Financial Services award for long-standing initiatives, including the Women in Retirement report developed since 2005.
💫Rising Stars and Role Models
Romany Youell (needingadvice.co.uk) won Rising Star (Advice), whilst Olivia Jackson (IronMarket Wealth) took Rising Star (Non-Advice).
Role Model awards went to Jay Dhaliwal of Chase de Vere (large firms), Nicki Hinton-Jones of Timeline (medium firms), and Carla Brown of Oakmere Wealth Management (small firms).
🎓Specialist Excellence
Andrea MacDonald (Avenir) won Woman of the Year – Fintech for entrepreneurial drive in AI-driven platforms. Lorna Whalley (Aviva) took Woman of the Year – Platforms for highlighting systemic gaps regarding female investors.
Liz Rolland (St James's Place) won Woman of the Year – Protection Advice, drawing on her experience surviving a brain tumour. Alexandra Miles (L&G Asset Management) won Woman of the Year – Retirement for contributions to national debates on pension equity.
💪🏻Making a Difference
These awards matter because they showcase what's possible when talented women are recognised and supported in financial services. The financial advice sector still has a long way to go to achieve proper gender balance, but nights like this – celebrating genuine excellence and inspiring more women to consider careers in finance – show the direction of travel is firmly forward.
Congratulations to all the winners and those highly commended.
