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Pension advisory firm Isio has confirmed the opening of two new offices in London and Birmingham. The company has been ready to open its locations for some time, but the coronavirus lockdown has prevented it from being able to be opened for business so far.

Isio emerged from a management buyout of KPMG’s pension practice and started as an independent consulting company in the first quarter of 2020. Isio started with more than 1,000 clients ranging from midsize companies to FTSE 100s and wanted to build on that by offering clients a combination of actuarial expertise, third party administration, investment advice and contributory specializations.

One area that the firm has been looking to expand for some time is the number of offices. Although temporary office space was available for the UK team of 550 employees, contracts were signed with locations in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Reading, Bristol, London and Birmingham totaling over 46,000 square feet of new office space by early 2021. However, the last two locations have not yet been able to be opened for business operations due to the national locks.

Speaking of the latest news, Isio CEO Andrew Coles said, “The opening of our last two offices marks the next chapter in Isio’s evolution. Rather than our teams returning to the office, we are in the exciting position of opening eight brand new offices in easily accessible downtown locations across the UK. As a people-centric company, it is important for us to have a presence across the UK so we can offer the broad knowledge and expertise of a national network with a more personal approach. “

Coles said the demands of life after the pandemic have led the company to re-evaluate what its offices have to offer. All office spaces were specially designed for Isio to enable employees to work more flexibly and in a more modern way in the office. There are multiple zones like collaborative hubs for team meetings, quiet library rooms for more focused work, and more traditional pod desk arrangements that are far apart.

Coles added, “We have made these new spaces much more flexible, offering a variety of environments to suit different work styles. The pandemic has proven that there are alternatives to staying in the office five days a week. So we’ll be spending the next few months sharing ideas and gathering feedback to see how we can develop an approach that highlights the best elements of the home and office work and best supports our employees and customers. ”