OPD, which includes Odgers, said it had continued to trade well since the announcement of its interim results on 12 September last year.

The company said net fee income for 2006 would be about £77m. Odgers, which was acquired in December 2005, has generated net fee income of about £40m, up from £30m in 2005. The net fee income of the combined PSD, Hoggett Bowers and Portfolio businesses rose 20% to £37m. The directors expect profits for 2006 to be in line with current market expectations.

Ian Jermin, analyst at Bridgewell, said: "The update was good. OPD is benefitting from the majority of its business being in permanent." He said the strength of this market was only to be expected given "where we are in the cycle". He added: "Most of the growth is coming from Odgers. PSD's growth in the second half of the year was marginal."

Odgers is undertaking the search for the £140,000-a-year post of chairman for the BBC Trust.

OPD will announce its results on 15 March. Its shares nearly doubled in the course of 2006, but have fallen back in recent days.