Academy Associates principal Tom Jones has joined Brunel Wealth and will continue servicing his existing clients in the usual way.

The firm brings £70m in funds under management to Brunel.

The acquisition of Academy Associates comes less than a year after the merger of North Star Wealth Management and Brunel Wealth.

Brunel Wealth, formed in 2019, is part of the Brunel Group. It provides independent Financial Planning and wealth management services with a specialism in business owners, senior executives and high-net-worth individuals. The firm has nearly a quarter of a billion pounds under management.

Mr Jones said as his business had grown rapidly in recent years, he considered the best way to provide a high level of service to clients was to join a larger firm of advisers. He met with a number of firms before deciding Brunel Wealth was the most suitable option. He also worked with Brunel Wealth’s managing director Iain Black in the past.

Brunel Wealth has a team of 17 advisers, Paraplanners and administrators. The firm has accumulated over £170m in assets under management. The acquisition of Academy Associates takes funds under management to £240m.

Mr Black said: “I am delighted that Tom has chosen to bring his business into Brunel Wealth, as it is a great strategic fit with Brunel. I have known Tom for many years and it is going to be great to work with him again. Our achievements in the past twelve months have been exceptional, despite the pandemic, and this acquisition is a further boost towards our growth plans.”