A SWINDON-BASED financial advice and investment network has been hailed as one of the best places to work in the UK.

The Openwork Partnership has placed 40th in this year's Sunday Times list, rising up the table from its previous position at 76 in 2021.

After spending the last few months growing its team and business, the company competed in the large companies section and broke into the top 50 for the first time and ras rated fifth in the financial sector - up from 30th in 2021.

In terms of the regional ratings, The Openwork Partnership rated highly in the large-sized companies categories where it has offices, ranking 15th in the South West, where its Swindon headquarters is based, and fifth in London.

Chief people officer Carrie Morris said: “The past couple of years have been an extremely different and often difficult time for many people, due to the pandemic. However, our colleagues have risen to the challenge and remained upbeat and focused throughout.

“Our colleagues are extremely important to The Openwork Partnership, and we are proud of everyone for pulling together and adapting so we continue to deliver results for our clients.

"We believe that everyone should be able to balance a successful career with their commitments and interests outside work and have created a flexible working culture for all employees to help deliver that.

“To see improvements across the board in all categories is a fantastic testament to the resilience and dedication of our people.

"We will continue to introduce a range of wellbeing and training programmes to ensure we deliver an open, collaborative, diverse and engaging environment for all our colleagues.”

The Openwork Partnership has retained its two-star accreditation for the fourth year in a row.

The business has more than 4,300 financial advisers across the UK and operates as a directly authorised, multi-panel distribution network.