Andy Jervis  ACII, MSFA  Director

Andy Jervis decided that he had had enough of school, when he spotted an advert in the local paper. "It said 'Earn £1,000 at 18.' I was ready to get out to work, and I didn't fancy another five years of swotting. Twenty pounds a week was good money in 1974 and I wasn't even 18, only 16," recalls Andy, explaining how he came to get into the world of financial services. Norwich Union were the advertisers, insurance was the subject and Andy soon found he had an aptitude for it, so much so that he passed his Chartered Institute of Insurance associate exams (ten separate papers on subjects from liabilities to life insurance) first time at 23, and then began to get itchy feet.

Trying to get wider experience in the financial world, Andy joined Abbey Life in 1984 - and was horrified by his experience there.

"At Norwich Union it was clear that you were not going to make much progress in the commercial insurance world unless you were prepared to study. The underwriters and claims managers, as well as sales staff, realised that they needed to understand their business in depth before they could work with clients."

But the life insurance business at that time practised a very different approach.

"Success was measured by sales ability. Nothing else mattered," Andy recalls. "Frankly, I thought that the industry had got it wrong. I knew that I wanted to take a different approach."

Long-standing Chesterton House clients may remember Andy starting in business as James Jervis Insurance Services. It was a bold move, but the young entrepreneur was too modest (or apprehensive) to put his own name on the line - there was never a James Jervis. "I was only 26, so I thought the business should have a name other than mine and it rolled off the tongue," he says.

It wasn't long before the practice was also handling a deal of financial advice work as the seeds were sown for the Chesterton House of today.

"Even back then I believed that there would be a split between sales-based advisers and those offering independent, impartial advice and I always knew which side I wanted to be on. "When the Financial Services Act arrived in 1987 we knew we would have to do things formally and that made our minds up. We sold off the insurance side of things in 1991 when we moved to Chesterton House, and we haven't looked back since."

And study has been an essential part of both Andy's and the company's success strategy. "I was one of the first people in the area to pass the Financial Planning Certificate, long before it became compulsory."

He went on to pass the Advanced Certificate, involving intensive study of a range of subjects, including personal and business financial planning techniques, taxation, trusts, pensions and investment. "I attend countless briefing and training sessions every year, as well as our own internal staff training programme."

However Andy's proudest achievement has been to gain the CFP designation - an international benchmark for competence as a financial planner. In America there are over 70,000 Certified Financial Planners, with thousands more in Australia, Japan and Europe. With a requirement for a high level qualification, three years practical experience and the submission of a case study taking around 60-70 hours work, it is easy to see why CFP's have gained the confidence of the public in those countries.

In the UK the number of CFP licensees is growing as the emphasis switches from mainly transaction-based advice to proper planning, but is still less that 400 with, until recently, only two CFPs in Leicestershire. Andy is rightly proud to have become the third.

Andy has plenty to occupy him outside of work. With five children aged from 23 down to 10, his family takes a lot of his attention. When they get a moment to spare, Andy and wife Sue are keen motorcyclists, and he currently rides a Honda 600 Transalp. "Not the fastest thing on two wheels," he admits, "but very enjoyable nonetheless!"

Andy tries hard to put back into the community, and he has served as School Governor at two of his children's schools, as well as a spell on the local Council. "I would like to get involved with Council work again in the future," he says, "but it takes so much time that it just isn't possible."

Even so, Andy will found the time to take over as President of Loughborough Rotary Club during the 2003/2004 year. During his time as President Andy chose to support the extremely worthwhile cause of the County Air Ambulance, something he leapt wholeheartedly into by completing a walk of the Leicestershire round in just a week - that's around 17 miles a day! He got plenty of blisters - made worthwhile by the handsome amount of money raised - just over £16,000! "Rotary's motto is 'Service Before Self'" he points out. "I can't think of a better slogan for life."