St. James’s Place (SJP) Financial Adviser Academy has seen 175 graduates become qualified advisers.
This was announced at its 2025 Graduation Ceremony, held on Friday 10th October at London’s Science Museum.
SJP CEO Mark Fitzpatrick spoke at the ceremony and spoke about the importance of both professional and community support. Previous Academy graduate and now SJP senior partner, Karen Beresford, shared her experiences since completing the programme.
Also, Gee Foottit, recruitment campaigns and partnerships lead for the SJP Academy, hosted a panel discussion with recent Academy graduates who joined the profession from a range of backgrounds including retail, hospitality and financial services.
The SJP Academy was established in 2012 and claims to be the “largest and most comprehensive financial adviser training and development programme in the UK.”
It has also been responsible for training around half of all new financial advisers entering the profession in the last five years.
At the end of the programme, Academy graduates can enjoy the autonomy of running their own business under the SJP umbrella or develop within existing Partner Practices.
SJP academy director Mark Newman said: “We’re thrilled to celebrate our newest group of Academy graduates and the incredible effort they’ve shown in reaching this point. Each of our graduates should feel immensely proud of what they’ve achieved and the exciting careers that lie ahead of them.
“On a broader scale, this graduation marks an important moment for the profession as we continue to work towards closing not only the advice gap but also the growing adviser gap. By bringing fresh, diverse talent into the profession, we’re not only expanding the pool of expertise but we’re also helping ensure that more people across the UK have access to trusted financial advice. I’m excited to see the positive impact these graduates will have in the years ahead.”
