London-listed private client investment advisor Brewin Dolphin has opened a Bristol office - the firm's ninth branch in the southwest region.

Brewin’s Bristol office will be headed by Terry Leach, former head of Brewin Dolphin's base in Taunton, of which he was one of its founder directors in 2000. Chris Rew, who has been with the group for three years since joining from UBS in 2009, will now lead the Taunton office.

The Bristol office brings the firm's total number of offices nationwide to 41 and furthers its expansion across the southwest. It opened on 3 January with six employees who will be joined by another three this month. 

“We are very confident that our dual approach to investment management and financial planning will be attractive in Bristol, one of the most important cities for financial services in the country.  We are also delighted that local firm Aardman has already become a client of our new Bristol office and we are very much looking forward to working with them,” Leach said in a statement.

In other news, the firm hired David Guild as divisional director of investment management in September last year; Brewin then moved to larger premises in Cardiff in October following significant growth in its business in the city over recent years.

Brewin manages £24 billion ($37.1 billion) of funds for over 130,000 private clients, charities and pension funds, with £15.6 billion ($24.1 billion) run on a discretionary basis.