Independent certification authority

Certified on evidence, not reputation.

Professional services firms certified on client and staff feedback, collected and measured independently of the firms we certify. Renewed annually. Every credential has a public record.

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Displayed by the firm. Verified here.TFG-2026-0015 · Verified · Clients · to March 2027Open the public record →

For clients of certified firms

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What it means

The firm's clients were asked for feedback by an independent party, and the results met the published standard for the tier shown.

How to check it

Select Verify on the badge, or enter its credential ID above. The public record shows the firm, the tier, how many clients responded, over what period, and when it expires.

What it does not claim

It is not a ranking of firms, and a higher tier does not mean a better firm. The record describes a stated period. It is not a live score.

Professional services firms are increasingly judged on trust, yet most are still assessed on reputation, self-promotion or anecdote. Trusted Firms Global replaces promises with verifiable evidence of service excellence.

Independent of whom

Measurement is independent of the firms we certify. Client feedback is collected by Client Culture Pty Ltd, a related entity.

How the two are separated

Who decides. The standards are code: issuance is gated by the published criteria, not by discretionary judgement, and any exception must be recorded on the credential. Issuance is supervised by Greg Tilse, Managing Director. If a firm disagrees with a decision, it can ask for reconsideration within 30 days. If it still disagrees, the decision goes to an independent reviewer drawn from the ACICA panel of arbitrators and agreed by both parties. If they cannot agree within 10 business days, ACICA makes the appointment. How the standard is applied

Anatomy of a credential

Every Trusted Firms credential is a public record, not a logo. Here is what a record contains and why each part is there.

Credential recordTFG-2026-0015

Macpherson Kelley holds a current Trusted Firms Global certification at Verified tier in the Clients program, assessed 24 March 2026 and valid to 24 March 2027.

Tier: VerifiedWhat this tier means
Program: Clients
Population: The firm's billing records, supplied by its finance function
Responses: 998 verified client responses · twelve months to March 2026
Valid: Certified March 2026 · expires March 2027 · criteria 2025.12
Result: Standard met: NPS ≥ 70, ≥ 250 responses · Average client score 9.3 / 10

This credential vouches for

Client feedback collected independently of the firm
A client list drawn from the firm's billing records or register of fee-paying clients, not a list assembled for the survey
A result that met the published standard for Verified tier

It does not

Rank the firm against other firms. A higher tier does not mean a better firm
Assess the quality of any individual piece of advice
Update live. It describes the twelve months to March 2026

The record is not live. Corrections are made in place, with the correction visible.

Figures from the live record for TFG-2026-0015.

One sentence anyone can quoteWhat a general counsel, a journalist or an answer engine can cite without interpretation.
The tier, and what it meansLinked to the standard, so restraint reads as rigour rather than absence.
Where the population came fromThe firm's own record, not a list assembled for the survey.
Every figure with its count and windowHow many clients responded, and over what period.
Validity and criteria versionWhich version of the standard the firm was assessed against, and until when.
What it vouches for, and what it does notFixed wording per tier, reused from the standard.

A governance ladder, not a score

Each tier is a stronger public claim than the one below. What is certified is the process behind the claim, not just a number.

At every tierThe survey list is built from the firm's client records.

Standard

Tier one

Independent measurement.

Required of the firm: Submits to independent client measurement on an annual cycle.
Verified by Trusted Firms Global: Independence of collection, through a manual integrity review. Completeness is not vouched.
Threshold: NPS ≥ 70
Public claim: Certified status and independence. No public score.

Verified

Tier two

Structurally protected from selection.

Required of the firm: Draws its population from a verifiable client record, its own. The firm opens its books.
Verified by Trusted Firms Global: Coverage reconciled against firm size and across cycles, so selective omission is detectable.
Threshold: NPS ≥ 70
Public claim: Client list drawn from a verifiable client record. Public score unlocked.

Gold

Tier three

The highest level of process transparency.

Required of the firm: Every client given the opportunity to respond each cycle for a full year, with structured detractor follow-up.
Verified by Trusted Firms Global: Sustained coverage and closed-loop follow-up, evidenced.
Threshold: NPS ≥ 80
Public claim: Sustained rigour. Score published.

Does a higher tier mean a better firm? No.

Read the full standard

From measurement to record

The same four steps for every firm, every cycle.

Step 1
Measure
Client feedback collected independently, with a consistent methodology.
Step 2
Assess
Responses aggregated and assessed against the tier requirements.
Step 3
Verify
Governance standards applied. The strength of the public claim matches the tier.
Step 4
Certify
A digitally verifiable credential with its own public record.

Verify a credential

Every credential has a public record. Search by firm, adviser or credential ID. Current, expired and withdrawn credentials all remain on record, with their status shown.

A record, not a list

Trusted Firms Global does not publish a directory of firms. A credential is checked against its own record.

Status always shown

A credential that expires or is withdrawn keeps its record, marked as such. A badge link never goes dead.

Tier is not a ranking

Tier reflects the strength of the evidence behind the claim, not the quality of the firm.

Firms, and the advisers within them

Two firm programs share one governance ladder. Advisers hold their own credential, assessed on feedback from their own clients.

Open

Clients

Certifies client experience, measured through independently collected client feedback.

The Clients program

Opening to new firms

Employees

Certifies employee experience, measured through independently collected staff feedback, with the firm's own headcount as the population.

The Employees program

Adviser credential

Trusted Adviser

A credential held by the individual adviser, assessed on independently collected feedback from their own clients. Trusted Adviser credentials are available only to advisers within a firm that holds a current Trusted Firms Global certification, at any tier. Each has its own public record.

26 advisers at Macpherson Kelley hold an active Trusted Adviser credential.

For advisers

Apply for assessment

A firm is assessed at the tier its evidence supports. Fees have no bearing on the outcome.

Begin an application