Equilibrium Asset Management has been named as the fifth best small company to work for by The Sunday Times.

The Wilmslow-based Chartered wealth management company landed the accolade at last night’s ‘Sunday Times’ 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2017’ ceremony in London.

Equilibrium, which celebrated 21 years in business last year, was the highest-ranking wealth management company in the UK-wide list, as well as being the only north west-headquartered firm in the top 20.

Innovative working practices within the organisation, investment in staff learning, development and wellbeing and how company values are embodied by senior staff, were all categories that Equilibrium scored highly in.

Companies submitting to ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work for 2017’ – SMEs with 50-250 employees – were also asked to demonstrate evidence of community engagement, charitable initiatives and environmental practices.

Equilibrium Managing Partner Gaynor Rigby described being recognised by The Sunday Times as one of the best small companies to work for in the country as “fantastic”.

She said: “To be named fifth in this prestigious Sunday Times list is an amazing achievement. It comes off the back of a momentous year for the company and puts us in the spotlight for all the right reasons.

“As you can imagine everyone here at Equilibrium is beaming from ear to ear – it’s a great feeling for the whole team.”

Gaynor, who collected the award from television presenter and journalist Ben Shephard at London events venue Battersea Evolution, added: “The wellbeing and happiness of everyone at Equilibrium is incredibly important to us. We’ve long recognised that if the people you work with don’t feel valued, or don’t feel as though they are being invested in, then it’s difficult for them to perform to the best of their abilities and enjoy their work.

“We’re proud of the support we offer to everyone at Equilibrium and the overarching company culture we have created around this. In fact, we recently instated a new post for head of culture at the company – and this was an important strategic decision to ensure the core values the company represents are felt right across our business, for both the team and our clients.”

The firm’s first appearance in ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies To Work For’ comes after years of sustained growth since founder Colin Lawson first started the business from his back bedroom in 1995.

Headquartered in Wilmslow, and with an office in Chester, Equilibrium now employs 63 staff and manages close to £600 million worth of assets for more than 850 families across the UK.

The company was one of 769 UK companies that entered ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies To Work For 2017’. Just short of 450,000 employees were surveyed in the build up to last night’s ceremony, with more than 270,000 responding.

Gaynor said: “Appearing in the Sunday Times’ list is a vindication of our values as a business and the hard work we have all put in to realise these.

“Giving back to the community and supporting charitable causes through The Equilibrium Foundation is something we are all incredibly passionate about.

From our own team undertaking fundraising events to help us reach our £21,000 charity target for our 21st anniversary year to the external funding we provide to individuals and organisations across the community – it’s great to see these efforts recognised.

“Everyone can be very proud of the culture we have created at Equilibrium and we hope that this first appearance in the Sunday Times’ highly-respected listing is the first of many to come.”

Organisers of the ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies To Work For’ also credited Equilibrium’s working culture.

They said: “Breakfast every morning ensures that employees are raring to go at this wealth management company after a chat over coffee and bagels. Then, at the end of the day, the office is locked at 6pm to make sure nobody works late.

“The company believes that as well as keeping clients happy, employees should enjoy their own lives too. Benefits include a games room and a ‘spirit team’ who arrange fun events including quizzes, barbecues, family days and Halloween treats, and everybody gets at least 33 days of holiday a year.”

They added: “The philosophy has paid off – staff rank Equilibrium top when it comes to wellbeing (82% positive). They do not feel under too much pressure at work to perform well (82%, another top score), and they rate their colleagues highly, saying teammates care about each other (94%, third place).”