Brooks Macdonald to launch York office

Brooks Macdonald is set to launch a York office in a bid to expand on the success of its established Manchester division.  

The new office - Brooks'  sixth -  will be headed by regional director and former Wealth Manager cover star Claire Bennison, who joined the national wealth manager in 2007 to set up the Manchester arm.

The York branch will be home to eight staff upon opening - with a search currently underway for a second investment manager. The day-to-day running of the office will be managed by Andrew Wilson.

The exact location of the office is yet to be finalised, although it is understood that the office will open later this year..

Brooks sees a 'significant' opportunity in the north-east of the country.

'This region is currently being serviced from our Manchester office, but we now have significant new business opportunities in the area, as well as local staff and this fits with our stated strategies for growth,' the firm said.

It added: '[the move] fits with the manner in which we have opened regional offices in the past – namely waiting until we have sufficient new business opportunities in the region before we open, allowing us to hit the ground running'.

Bennison began her career at Japanese trading house Nikko Securities, gaining a specialism in derivatives before moving on to Barclays Wealth where she worked as head of technical analysis and currencies.

She moved to Manchester and has grown the Brooks Macdonald office from start-up to a 14-strong team today.

Brooks Macdonald has been on the expansion trail in recent years, opening an office in Edinburgh in 2009 and launching a Taunton office in 2011 through the acquisition of Clarke Willmott’s investment management team.