Online adviser directory provider Unbiased has revealed the first winners of its new Trusted Professional Annual Awards.

The awards are for financial advisers, mortgage brokers and accountants and were presented at an online ceremony this week. Entrants were nominated by clients and peers.

The top award, the Unbiased Excellence Award, went to IFA Antony Cotchobos of Aurum Capital.

He received a particularly high number of nominations from clients, Unbiased said. One client praised his “clarity and transparency.” He was also highly rated for presenting multiple options and patiently explaining the features of each one.

The client said: “With Antony, I always had the feeling he was working for me. A very positive, really professional experience."

The winners were:

Unbiased Excellence Award: Antony Cotchobos, Aurum Capital London

Financial Adviser of the Year: Mary Hemingway, Truly Independent (highly rated for helping a client who feared he had lost all his money saved in a SIPP).

Mortgage Broker of the Year: Sheena Lalsingh, The Mortgage Clinic

Accountant of the Year: Ian Marlow, HFM Tax & Accounts

Exceptional Innovation Award: Thomas Skinner, Barnaby Cecil (Nominated by fellow professionals for his “ingenious” WealthMap tool, described as offering “a new spin on Financial Planning that gets people genuinely enthused about their options while crafting personalised solutions.)

Karen Barrett, CEO and founder of Unbiased, said: "Though 2020 has imposed some unprecedented challenges on everyone, this has only made us more determined to celebrate the role of advice through these awards.

“At a time of such uncertainty, expert advice can be a lifeline. Through our nominations we’ve heard first-hand accounts of how advice can save people from financial disaster, or help them achieve ambitious goals such as buying a first home. Even in a year like this one, big decisions still need to be made."