SKIPTON FINANCIAL SERVICES advises more than 91,000 clients nationally. Working across 120 locations in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it invests more than £4.4bn on behalf of its customers. Founded in 1988, it is owned by Skipton Building Society, from whose branches many SFS staff operate; others are in home-based roles. Its 348-strong workforce is united not only in helping clients make the most of their money, but also in raising money for charity alongside their day jobs. Skipton Financial Services ranks fourth overall in our Giving Something Back factor, and it is no coincidence its second-highest ranking factor is Leadership. When Andrew Barker, the managing director, who joined the company as technical manager more than 22 years ago, took the helm in 2011 he spearheaded a charity-of-the-year initiative intended to make a lasting difference beyond donating money to good causes in the communities where SFS is based. The first of these was Carers' Resource, which supports local carers as young as five years old, funded entirely by cash raised by the SFS workforce. Staff still volunteer for this organisation even though the fundraising focus has moved on. Employees got fit last year in aid of two beneficiaries, Independent Domestic Abuse Services (Idas) and Skipton Extended Learning for All (Selfa), via a 10-week spinning and body-pump programme paid for by the company and undertaken during work time. After training, they took part in a range of tough physical challenges, including a 26-mile walk/run, the Yorkshire Three Peaks and Skipton's own head-office cycling challenge — which covered twice the distance of the UK leg of the Tour de France. Their efforts raised £42,000 for Idas and Selfa. Profit is not the only thing driving SFS, say employees, giving the company a positive score of 96% for its encouragement of charitable activities and for how much it puts back into the local community (80%). Barker, who eschewed the office that came with his promotion to managing director in favour of sitting alongside his colleagues, is not afraid to appear in fancy dress, walk over hot coals or have questions thrown at him on pieces of scrunched-up paper in the course of his job. He runs the business on sound morals, say employees (88%, ranking fourth), attends every financial planning manager roadshow, holds quarterly business update briefings at head office and issues a monthly email of his personal thoughts. The managing director has a plan people believe in (83%, a top-10 score). www.skiptonfs.co.uk
