PFS Northern Ireland Autumn Conference

Agenda & Speaker Info

8.45     Registration opens

9.30     Welcome 

9.35     Royal London - Gary Milne

10.15   Jigsaw Tree Ltd - Kath Harvey

10.55   M&G - Les Cameron

11.35   Coffee Break

11.55   Panel Discussion

            Les Cameron/Fiona Kirkpatrick/Sean Larkin/Paul Halliday

12.35   Pathfinders - David Crozier

13.15   Close & Lunch

14.00   End

Kath Harvey of Jigsaw Tree Ltd will host a session on how technology is transforming financial advice at pace - but too many firms adopt tools without a clear strategy - automating chaos rather than fixing it.

This session cuts through the noise, exploring how advice firms can approach AI and technology transformation deliberately: aligning tech choices to business strategy; building the operational foundations that make automation actually work and avoiding the common pitfalls that derail digital change.

Drawing on real examples from within the profession, delegates will leave with a clearer view of where technology fits in their own transformation journey and how to bring their teams with them.

Assessing Inheritance Tax Mitigation Solutions

Les Cameron of M&G will discuss how there is no single solution to an inheritance tax problem. Trusts, gifting, protection and business relief investments can all play a role, but the right answer depends on the client's need for access, control, flexibility and tax efficiency.

This interactive session compares the main IHT mitigation options and helps advisers identify the most suitable solution for different client circumstances, using practical examples and audience participation throughout.

Les Cameron will host a panel discussion with expert professionals from the legal, financial advice and accountancy fields, looking at how the forthcoming IHT changes are impacting all of our clients from each aspect. 

Joined by Fiona Kirkpatrick, Partner of Tughans; Sean Larkin, Chartered IFA of Fairstone, and Paul Halliday, Senior Tax Manager of AAB. 

• Fiona is a Partner in Tughans' Private Wealth & Estates team, advising high and ultra-high net worth individuals, including shareholders of top 100 companies and prominent family businesses, on estate planning, trusts, and complex estate administration. She has presented widely on various topics related to estate planning and estate administration and succession planning for family-owned businesses.
• Sean is a Chartered Financial Planner, a Fellow of the PFS and a STEP qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner, with nearly three decades of experience helping individuals, families and business owners make confident, well informed financial decisions. His specialist interests include retirement planning, estate and trust planning, later life advice and helping clients navigate complex financial decisions. He is particularly interested in behavioural coaching, helping people move beyond products and technical analysis to understand the trade-offs, habits and emotions that shape better long term outcomes.

• Paul Halliday is a Private Client Tax Senior Manager based in Leeds. With over 20 years of experience in private client tax advisory, Paul provides proactive and strategic tax planning for individuals, entrepreneurs, and trusts. Specialising in income tax, capital gains tax, and inheritance tax, he works closely with clients to develop commercial, tax-efficient strategies tailored to their long-term financial goals. Paul also offers pre- and post-sale advice to business owners, helping them structure disposals in the most tax-efficient way. His deep understanding of the complexities of tax law, combined with a commercial perspective, ensures that clients receive clear, practical guidance that supports their financial success.

Everyone exits – you’re either bought out, pushed out, or wheeled out. But how prepared are you for that transition?

David Crozier & his Pathfinders’ colleagues are financial planners with over 75 years’ combined experience, who have each successfully exited their own businesses, and advised on or been involved in more that 50 additional exits. Drawing from hard-won insights, including lessons learned through challenging transitions, David will guide you through the strategic options, hidden opportunities & common pitfalls of exiting a financial advice business.

All options are on the table, not just a sale. And the Consumer Duty means that it can’t just be about the money.

This session delivers practical, battle-tested wisdom for planning a graceful departure that protects both your legacy and your livelihood.