PENSIONS provider AJ Bell triumphed in its first attempt at winning a company award.

Founder and chief executive Andy Bell said: “It’s a great reward for all the staff, it’s recognition for their efforts.”

Mr Bell has led the company’s growth into an industry leader employing more than 300 staff.

AJ Bell, which has its headquarters in Chester Road, Old Trafford, administers more than 36,000 self-invested personal pensions – or SIPPs – and has an institutional stockbroking arm which was launched in June. The service had previously been outsourced.

The firm now administers more than £10bn of SIPPs and over £1bn of stocks on behalf of its clients.

Mr Bell said: “We’ve had a great year and we are looking to expand our offering by administering ISAs.

“We are also launching SIPPTalk TV, which will provide online videos to advisers and clients, as a way of getting across information to them about pensions, products and so on.

“It’s about expanding our use of technology to drive future growth for the business. We are very excited about the prospects for the company and are determined to keep on growing, reinvesting our profits to build further.”

AJ Bell underlined its impressive credentials with a 93 per cent rise in interim profits earlier this year. Earnings for the six months to March 31 surged from £3.7m to £7.17m as revenues rocketed 77 per cent, from £10.35m to £18.3m.

It is benefiting from a ‘seismic shift’ among Britons from having pensions with insurance providers to administering them independently or through intermediaries. Helen Ridge, head of the Manchester office of law firm and sponsor Pinsent Masons, who presented the award, said: “AJ Bell are very deserving winners of the £25 to £50m category.

“Throughout the selection process of the awards their dedication to their business and their emphasis on excellent customer service was apparent. The judges were also very impressed with their innovative approach and the growth of the company, particularly over the last 12 months.”