We are absolutely thrilled to share a monumental milestone for our business. At the prestigious Professional Adviser Awards 2026, Continuum was officially named Adviser Firm of the Year – Large. Following this proud win, leading business journalist Ruth Sunderland sat down with our Managing Partner, Martin Brown. In this exclusive interview, they look beyond the trophy to discuss the unique corporate culture, strict ethical standards, and client-first infrastructure that drove our success.
Ruth Sunderland: Huge congratulations on your win. Dare I even ask how you celebrated?
Martin Brown: It was a very proud moment. We place a lot of importance on the Professional Adviser Awards; they are among the most prestigious in the industry. To be recognised as the number one UK firm is quite humbling. Back in 2011, I watched people from one firm collect an award and do cartwheels off the stage. I thought: I want some of that.
RS: Did you do a cartwheel?
MB: In my mind I was, but my body wouldn’t allow it.
RS: I’ve heard that when you are celebrating you don’t let people go home. Is that true?
MB: Oh, only in my younger days. That was me on Tottenham Court Road jumping in front of a black cab in the early hours, dragging a colleague out and saying “You are not going home yet!” This time, we stayed to the end, went back to the hotel and had a drink. Let’s just say it may have been past midnight.
Cultivating a culture of care and excellence
RS: That is a model of sobriety compared with the younger Martin Brown. Now, let’s be more serious. Can you sum up why you won?
MB: The core philosophy from day one is that we strive to do our best for clients every single day. We want to change people’s lives for the better in everything we do. When you have a strong culture where people feel valued, they aspire to be the best possible version of themselves. At our 10-year anniversary, I was asked what I was most proud of. I said: it’s the culture we’ve created, the people in the business.
RS: It’s interesting that you named the culture and the people, not the revenues or even the award. How do you keep that culture as you grow?
MB: Darrell Stone, the Head of Partnership Development, and I have always handpicked every adviser. They only come in if both of us have agreed. We have never skimped on principles. There are thousands of advisers. Some are excellent; some we wouldn’t even want a conversation with. The key driver we look for is: what is that adviser’s position when it comes to dealing with a client? What is the true motivation behind what they do?
Some time ago, I met two guys turning over a million pounds each. They said they were going to bring all their clients from their current firm because of a loophole in their contract. I ended the conversation. I said: whether it’s a loophole or not, you morally shouldn’t be doing that. We want to be proud of everyone associated with the business.
RS: Do you personally meet everyone who is hired, not just the advisers?
MB: Yes.
“When you have a strong culture where people feel valued, they aspire to be the best possible version of themselves. At our 10-year anniversary, I was asked what I was most proud of. I said: it’s the culture we’ve created, the people in the business.”
Martin Brown
Driving double-digit financial growth
RS: Does that concentration on culture pay off when it comes to the bottom line?
MB: Our rolling 12-month average adviser productivity stood at £240,534 at the end of February. We’ve demonstrated 12 continuous years of double-digit growth. Over the last five years, we’ve grown by around 158%. Covid was a turning point. When the advised distribution market fell by 1%, our business grew by 21%. We didn’t shrink or hide. I never took a day off for those twelve months nor got a haircut. If you wanted a financial services business designed for a pandemic, it was Continuum, though it wasn’t just about Covid, we were at a turning point anyway. That year, Continuum grew from a young teenager to an adult.
RS: How important has it been to keep investing in infrastructure and support?
MB: We’ve invested heavily and will continue. We’ve had a centralised paraplanning unit since 2019. Most advisers prefer not to be stuck in front of a laptop doing administration. We created a structure that takes that work out of their hands so they can concentrate on the interaction with the client.
Expanding financial advice into the workplace
RS: Looking to the future, you are developing Continuum Workplace for small and medium businesses. Tell me more.
MB: A lot of our personal clients work for SMEs that have no facility to access financial advice at work. We saw a market opportunity to offer workplace advice and education. If an employer can say “once or twice a month an adviser will be on site for free drop-in sessions” — that’s a genuine employee benefit. If more people have access to trusted advice at work, more will take action on their finances. That means more people with self-provision and less strain on the state.
RS: Now you have won the Professional Adviser award once, I know you will want to win every year. What’s your plan?
MB: It’s quite simple. We want to be the best possible version of ourselves every day. Even if we don’t get the award, that’s enough of a win.
“We want to be proud of everyone associated with the business… It’s quite simple. We want to be the best possible version of ourselves every day. Even if we don’t get the award, that’s enough of a win.”
Martin Brown
Continuum: Your Adviser Firm of the Year
Winning a major industry title is an incredible milestone, but it is just one step on a much longer journey. For our clients and partners, choosing an Adviser Firm of the Year means having a team dedicated to looking forward, adapting to new challenges, and constantly innovating. As we look ahead, we remain fully committed to maintaining the high standards that make us a trusted Adviser Firm of the Year for families and businesses across the UK.
- A client-first philosophy: Our core driver is to make tomorrow better for our clients, ensuring that every adviser is fundamentally motivated by client care.
- Uncompromising principles: Every single adviser and team member is handpicked to protect a strong, morally sound corporate identity.
- Proven resilience: With 12 continuous years of double-digit growth and a 158% increase over the last five years, our model thrives in any economic climate.
- Investing in the future: From our centralized paraplanning support launched in 2019 to the new Continuum Workplace initiative, we are constantly expanding access to trusted financial advice.
