Calton Wealth Management, the fast-growing and progressive financial planning firm based in Edinburgh, has appoinrted Mark Polson, founder and chief executive of financial services consultancy the lang cat as as a non-executive director.

Mr Polson has spent more than 25 years in the financial services industry and in 2010 set up the lang cat, a specialist consultancy which analyses the sector, calls out poor practice, and helps companies with their communication.

Tom Ham, founder and CEO of Calton, said: “We’re growing fast, and as part of that growth journey I’m excited to welcome Mark to Calton as our new non-executive director.

“His reputation, knowledge and insight into the sector is second to none and he knows what it is to start and grow a respected business in financial services.”

Mr Polson said: “After a long time of sitting on the sidelines researching planners and advisers and analysing the sector, it’s high time that I put my money where my mouth is and got some first-hand experience of life at a planning firm.

“Calton was a natural choice because it’s a firm with ambition, the firepower to deliver that ambition and most importantly the right values and attitudes. I’m honoured that Tom asked me to join, and I’m looking forward to helping Calton show that it is possible to scale a planning firm without compromising your principles along the way. I’m also looking forward to giving a number of providers a hard stare from the other side of the desk.”

Calton has grown quickly over the last two years through a mixture of organic growth and acquiring other IFA firms. Along with continued growth, the business recently announced its plans to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its advice process to cut out menial tasks and allow its planners to spend more time with clients.