Futureproof: Safeguarding your clients and your business

Keith Richards

A recognised leader within the insurance and financial services sector’s, Keith has over 30 years experience operating at executive level across both manufacturing and distribution. He has an established media profile and is a visible figurehead, regularly called upon for comment both home and abroad by various organisations, including Trade and National press. Keith established a strong media profile whilst representing one of the UK’s largest Independent Networks (Tenet Group) as Group Distribution and Development Director, prior to which he was Head of Retail for the largest mutual insurance company in the UK, Royal London Group. Actively engaged in the promotion of insurance and financial services within the UK and internationally, he has contributed to the boards of both AIFA (now PIMFA) and AMI. He sits on the board of the European Financial Planning Association (EFPA), a member of various government and regulatory working groups and is Chairman of TISA Exco for Adviser Protocol having also represented the profession over many years on several panels and strategic leadership forums. Keith was appointed Chief Executive of the Personal Finance Society (PFS) in May 2013 and subsequently appointed as Managing Director of Engagement for the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) on 1st August 2016. In addition to guiding the operational and strategic evolution of the PFS he has developed greater government and regulatory engagement for the FS and Insurance profession’s, brought about enhancements to membership benefits and its national CPD programmes. Keith has also introduced a number of key consumer and Professional Standards initiatives which include a consumer website, the largest accredited adviser director in the UK, a pro-bono programme in partnership with Citizens Advice as well as a national anti-scam, consumer confidence and United Profession Campaigns.

Matthew Griffin

Company: 311 Institute

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the 311 Institute, a global futures and deep futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future.” Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, CNBC, Discovery, RT, and Viacom, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Bain & Co, BCG, BOA, BBC, Blackrock, Bentley, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, Du Pont, E&Y, GEMS, HPE, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, McKinsey, PWC, Qual

Claer Barrett

Company:

James Baxter

Company: Tideway Investment Partners

James Baxter is the founder of the Tideway Investment Group and Head of Private Clients. Since pensions freedoms Tideway has advised on over £1bn of DB transfers and James has been active in DB transfer advice since the right to a transfer was introduced.

Claer Barrett

Company:

Rory Percival

Company: 23 College Road

In November 2016 Rory set up his own firm (Rory Percival training and Consultancy Limited) focusing on conference speaking, consultancy, guides and training. Prior to this he was at the regulator for 10 years and was involved with high profile projects such as pension switching, structured products, platforms and intermediaries, risk profiling, centralised investment propositions, mystery shopping in banks, RDR implementation, RDR adviser charges and services, non-advised/simplified advice and due diligence on products and services. Prior to joining the regulator, Rory worked in the industry for around 20 years and has Chartered Financial Planner status. 

Claer Barrett

Company:

Debbie Gupta

Company: FCA

Debbie Gupta has had a successful career in the both the public and private sector, having held a number of policy roles focused on improving outcomes for consumers and communities. Most recently, Debbie was an Executive Director at the NEST Corporation, the UK’s largest publicly-funded pension provider. She has also held director roles at the Department for Work and Pensions and Home Office.

Claer Barrett

Company:

John Woolley

John is a director of Wooltech Ltd, having previously been a director of Technical Connection Ltd for 25 years. John has several legal and tax qualifications including being a qualified TEP, a fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. He has been involved in financial planning in the financial services sector for the last 30 years. He regularly contributes articles on tax planning to various journals as well as making guest attendances as a speaker at financial services and tax conferences. He is the author of Financial Planning with Trusts published by Claritax.

Claer Barrett

Company:

Sir Steve Webb

Company: Royal London

Steve Webb is Director of Policy at Royal London. He was Minister of State for Pensions between 2010 and 2015, the longest-serving holder of the post. During that time he implemented major reforms to the state pension system, oversaw the successful introduction of automatic enrolment and played a key role in the new pension freedoms implemented in April 2015. Steve was a Liberal Democrat MP from 1997 to 2015. Before this he was professor of social policy at Bath University for two years, having previously worked for nine years as an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. He was awarded a knighthood in the 2017 New Year’s Honours list.

Claer Barrett

Company:

Claer Barrett

Company:

Marta Gellová

15 years of experience on the financial market in high management positions of financial institutions, trade and professional bodies. She was a member of two advisory bodies of the Czech Government and has 10 years of experience in various international trade and professional bodies (EFPA, FECIF, CIFA). Currently she is the President of EFPA CZ (European Financial Planning Association) a Board member of EFPA EUROPE, a Board member of AFIZ (Association of Financial Intermediaries and Financial Advisors of the Czech Republic) and a chair of the Supervisory and Audit Committee of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute. She also works as an independent consultant for public and private companies.

Tony Wickendem

Company: Techlink Professional

Tony is the founder and Joint MD of Technical Connection Ltd, a St. James’s Place Group company. He has been in the business for 45 years and has written the weekly Tax Planning column in Money Marketing for over thirty of them. He is a regular speaker at leading financial services sector events. Tony is a Bachelor of Laws, a chartered insurer, a trusts and estate practitioner and a fellow of the institute of taxation. Tony has been married for 45 years, has three sons and two grandchildren. He loves living near London, enjoys music, film, theatre and running. He and his family (for their sins) are all season ticket holding Gooners.

Claer Barrett

Company:

Martin Lines

Martin heads up Just’s team of Retirement and Later Life Specialists, supporting adviser training events and conferences across the UK – both in person and online! He joined Partnership in 2009, ahead of the creation of Just, having worked alongside local and national adviser firms on pensions and retirement-related issues. He’s a regular speaker at financial services events, with subjects ranging from technical issues, to consumer vulnerability and behavioural bias.

Paul Nash

Company: Fidelity International

Paul Nash, is a client portfolio manager for the Multi Asset Open and Allocator fund ranges within Fidelity's Global Multi Asset group. Mr. Nash is responsible for articulating the group’s investment strategy, product development and client servicing. Mr. Nash joined the firm in April 2019. Prior to Fidelity, Mr. Nash was a product strategist at BlackRock in their European Credit team within BlackRock's Global Fixed Income group. Whilst there he was the lead product strategist on BlackRock’s European Middle Market Private Debt team responsible for managing the full life cycle of the product from idea generation to product design, fund creation, marketing and investor relations. He was also the lead European based product strategist for the newly launched Multi-Strategy Credit Fund which was designed to leverage the collective capabilities of the global credit platform. Prior to Blackrock, Mr. Nash was a client portfolio manager at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in their Multi-Asset Solutions team. Whilst there he was lead product manager on Global Convertibles and Capital Structure investment strategies across both institutional and retail clients. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Paul worked at Mondrian Investment Partners and started his career as a member of the Investment Accounting team at The Bank of New York Mellon in London in 2001. Mr. Nash obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of Liverpool and has been a CFA charterholder since 2012.

Hazel Bowen

Company: Coutts

Chair

Richard Kateley

Company: Legal & General

Richard Joined Legal and General in 1987 and in this time have done an awry of roles for the company from Administration Clerk to Key Account Director for some of the leading IFA Networks and service providers. He was worked in the Pension and investment space including a short period at Cofunds, (a platform management company) but his real passion is for protection, which he has focused on since 2008. In 2014 he took over the role of Head of Specialist Protection. His objective was to grow the business protection market as a whole by helping advisers develop their knowledge, business models and giving them the tools to highlight the risks to their corporate clients. In 2016 he was made Head of Intermediary Development were his focus is to do for the whole protection market what his team did for the Business Protection Market. To share his passion for protection and grow the protection market by getting more advisers to talk to more of their clients about their protection needs.

Dennis Reed

Gemma Siddle

Company: Eldon Financial Planning Ltd

As Director of Client Services at Eldon Financial Planning, a Chartered Financial Planning Firm in North East England, Gemma has a strong passion for Financial Planning, with a particular focus on implementing the technical areas of our job with care and humanity to enhance the lives of our clients. In her 20s she achieved Chartered status, gained Fellowship of the Personal Finance Society and went on to win the ‘Paraplanner of the Year 2012’. Since then her learning and development has not stopped; gaining management and business skills required to carry the firm forward and providing a smooth transition for Eldon’s clients as the founding Directors retire and the next generation come through. Eldon won the prestigious ‘Chartered Financial Planning Firm of the Year’ award in 2011 and again in 2018/19.

Kev Forbes

Company: Strategic Solutions

Kevin entered financial services in 1988, working as an adviser and in various management roles, including Banking, Industrial Branch, Direct Sales and IFA. He is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Wealth Manager with the CISI. Currently Kevin is serving his fourth year as Chairman of the Hants & Dorset region, sits on a level 7 CISI exam board and is active in several peer groups, both at a local and a national level. He is a founding partner in Strategic Solutions Chartered Financial Planners and the Chairman of Discretionary Investment Manager Casterbridge Wealth.

Tessa Lee

Company: moneyinfo limited

With 20 years experience in the Financial Services industry including 9 years at 1st Software (now Iress), and 2 years at FinQS, Tessa has worked closely with a wide range of clients from Employee Benefits Consultancies, National IFAs and Networks to Mortgage Brokerages and smaller Financial Advisory and Financial Planning companies. She has directed a number of large scale programmes, delivering bespoke solutions for Wealth Management and Workplace clients, including two of the UK’s largest employee benefits consultancies. Tessa has extensive programme and project management experience and holds a number of the CII Financial Planning qualifications from FPC to Business Financial Planning. As the inhouse data protection subject matter expert at moneyinfo, Tessa has studied the upcoming GDPR legislation in detail to help keep our clients compliant with the new regulations. Her knowledge and interpretation of the incoming GDPR legislation have been extremely well received at a number of events in the UK over the past 6 months.

Kev Forbes

Company: Strategic Solutions

Kevin entered financial services in 1988, working as an adviser and in various management roles, including Banking, Industrial Branch, Direct Sales and IFA. He is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Wealth Manager with the CISI. Currently Kevin is serving his fourth year as Chairman of the Hants & Dorset region, sits on a level 7 CISI exam board and is active in several peer groups, both at a local and a national level. He is a founding partner in Strategic Solutions Chartered Financial Planners and the Chairman of Discretionary Investment Manager Casterbridge Wealth.

Kev Forbes

Company: Strategic Solutions

Kevin entered financial services in 1988, working as an adviser and in various management roles, including Banking, Industrial Branch, Direct Sales and IFA. He is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and a Chartered Wealth Manager with the CISI. Currently Kevin is serving his fourth year as Chairman of the Hants & Dorset region, sits on a level 7 CISI exam board and is active in several peer groups, both at a local and a national level. He is a founding partner in Strategic Solutions Chartered Financial Planners and the Chairman of Discretionary Investment Manager Casterbridge Wealth.

Robin Hills

Company: Ei4Change

Robin Hills is the Director of ei4 Change with over 35 years’ business in commercial and leadership experience. Robin speaks, designs and delivers unique training interventions based around organisational psychology, training, coaching and personal development with a focus on neuro-science and emotional intelligence. Clients include multi-national companies across a wide range of sectors including the NHS and has over 25 years’ experience working with al the major pharmaceutical companies with a base in the UK.

Graham Duffy

Company: Just

Graham Duffy is a Care Specialist with Just. Graham shares his knowledge of the retirement and later life markets with intermediaries through the delivery of business development presentations and workshops. He has over 40 years’ experience in financial services, working in the Lloyds reinsurance market for 23 years and then becoming an instrumental part of the new Long-Term Care division at Partnership. He is committed to developing all aspects of care fees planning. Graham’s expertise puts him in an ideal position to support financial intermediaries and their clients to benefit from the considerable opportunities this market presents. He lives near Stow-on-the-Wold with his partner and is an enthusiastic golfer. He has three children and three grandchildren.

Elaine Henshaw

Company: True Potential Wealth Management

With over 18 years of experience helping individuals and families reach their financial goals, I can provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise. As a Partner with True Potential Wealth Management, I can advise you on: savings & investments; protection and insurance; retirement planning; tax planning; mortgages; trust and estate planning. Recognising that everyone’s personal situations are unique, I will take the time to get to know you and what's important. And, through the use of award-winning technology, I can provide straightforward and transparent advice in a simple and convenient way. At True Potential Wealth Management, we put your financial future in your hands. You can view all your investments and track how they are performing against your goals 24/7, on your own personal website. I have a wealth of experience in finance, having worked in retail banking for over 27 years.

Jon Pittham

Company: ClientsFirst

Jon has a background in Financial Services, including Director of an advisory business until setting up ClientsFirst in 2010. ClientsFirst is a Growth Marketing Agency based in Cheshire and employing 20 people. They help progressive planning and advice firms attract, convert, onboard and delight clients.

Elaine Henshaw

Company: True Potential Wealth Management

With over 18 years of experience helping individuals and families reach their financial goals, I can provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise. As a Partner with True Potential Wealth Management, I can advise you on: savings & investments; protection and insurance; retirement planning; tax planning; mortgages; trust and estate planning. Recognising that everyone’s personal situations are unique, I will take the time to get to know you and what's important. And, through the use of award-winning technology, I can provide straightforward and transparent advice in a simple and convenient way. At True Potential Wealth Management, we put your financial future in your hands. You can view all your investments and track how they are performing against your goals 24/7, on your own personal website. I have a wealth of experience in finance, having worked in retail banking for over 27 years.

Ruth Sturkey

Company: Athena House

Ruth co-founded and led The Red House, a boutique financial planning firm, which she successfully merged with Paradigm Norton in December 2017. Ruth continues to help grow the merged business and develop a team of talented individuals where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts to enable Paradigm Norton to become the leading financial planning firm in the UK. Ruth holds both Chartered and Certified Financial Planning (CFPTM) accreditation as well as being a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society (FPFS). A well-known and influential member of the financial planning profession, Ruth is regularly asked to comment and speak at industry and women’s events.

Tali Shlomo

Company: Chartered Insurance Institute

Elaine Henshaw

Company: True Potential Wealth Management

With over 18 years of experience helping individuals and families reach their financial goals, I can provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise. As a Partner with True Potential Wealth Management, I can advise you on: savings & investments; protection and insurance; retirement planning; tax planning; mortgages; trust and estate planning. Recognising that everyone’s personal situations are unique, I will take the time to get to know you and what's important. And, through the use of award-winning technology, I can provide straightforward and transparent advice in a simple and convenient way. At True Potential Wealth Management, we put your financial future in your hands. You can view all your investments and track how they are performing against your goals 24/7, on your own personal website. I have a wealth of experience in finance, having worked in retail banking for over 27 years.

Ben Funnell

Company: Man Group

Ben Funnell is the joint lead Portfolio Manager within Man Group’s multi-asset offering. Previously, he was a lead portfolio manager and chief equity strategist at Man GLG. Prior to joining Man GLG in 2005, he spent 11 years at Morgan Stanley, the last nine of those years on the European Equity Strategy team, which he co-headed in his final three years at the firm. He was educated in modern languages at Durham University, UK.

Kelvyn M Hatch

Company: Acumen Investment Solutions Ltd

Committee Support Officer - South Wales Region

David Gurr

David’s career in retail financial services has now lasted 40 years. It has included spells with Equity & Law, Axa Equity & Law International and responsibility for establishing the intermediary sales team for Tilney Investment Management in 1999. Tilney was acquired by Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management where, as Managing Director Head of Financial Intermediaries, he was responsible for the stewardship of the adviser relationships and the assets introduced by them for discretionary investment management. David’s more recent work has focused on clarifying the confusion in the market over who is responsible for when an adviser and a DIM/DFM work together to provide services to the same client. Diminimis helps advisers safeguard their business by bringing clarity to these complex issues, reducing the adviser’s exposure to unexpected risks and helping them to achieve their objectives for using a DIM. David has worked closely with the PFS since 2014 and has authored the following: • The Good Practice Guide on adviser research and due diligence on discretionary investment managers (Feb 2015) • A range of research and due diligence question sets, published in May 2016, to help both the adviser ask the right questions of the DIM and to allow the DIM to respond to a consistent template • An addendum to the May 2017 Good Practice Guide to clarify the position of the adviser in the ‘agent as client’ operating framework • ‘Agent as client: What you need to know’ (June 2019) - a reference document, written in conjunction with three regulatory lawyers, to assist practitioners David enjoys a range of horticultural interests, works with a number of charitable organisations, is the Secretary to The Former Players Association at Somerset County Cricket Club, and, when time permits, explores the moors and coastline of the South West with his wife Jane and their two dogs.

Hazel Bowen

Company: Coutts

Chair

Gary Nuttall

Company: Distlytics

With over 30 years of commercial experience in a variety of industries, including retail, pharmaceuticals, commodities trading and insurance, Gary has acknowledged expertise in the exploitation of emerging technologies including Business Intelligence, Data Analytics and Distributed Ledger Technology.

Hazel Bowen

Company: Coutts

Chair

Adrian Quick

Company: HarperLees Financial Planning

After 17 years managing both Home Service and Direct Sales teams I launched HarperLees May 1996 as a standard IFA firm. In 2004 we started the journey into financial planning, and failed badly, lacking both the planning skills and an in-depth knowledge of the cash flow modelling software used to evidence the planning journey. Chastened, we committed to addressing the gaps and 3 years later re-launched our financial planning model, which has continued to evolve and now underpins all our client partnerships. Now I focus on big picture planning, doing what I do best whilst employing the best people to do the rest. We continue to nurture the next generation of Financial Planners, and accept and invest in the challenge to refine and reshape lifestyle financial planning, to be the best we can be, driven by creating better futures for our clients. I am passionate about being the catalyst for better lives for clients, staff and their families. MSc Financial Planning & Business Management Fellow Personal Finance Society Chartered Financial Planner

Hazel Bowen

Company: Coutts

Chair

Fran Burgess

Company: Zing365

Before moving into a career in training and development, Fran worked seven years in senior sales and sales management roles with a UK division of Deutsche Bank. These high-pressured roles have provided her with the confidence and knowledge to develop services and training material relevant and appropriate to clients working in highly regulated industries. Having managed large teams, the ability to identify and develop individuals' skills has been essential to her success and Fran's coaching skills have assisted many people in their career development. Her process and results-driven approach ensures that all training provided is relevant, inspirational and extremely memorable. Fran started Zing in September 1999 and under her leadership, it has grown to the UK’s largest specialist training provider to the insurance and financial services sectors. As well as delivering Zing’s strategic goals, Fran manages proposition development and our strategic partnerships ensuring all services and training programmes are created to meet the specific needs of each of the client.

Hazel Bowen

Company: Coutts

Chair

John Porteus

Company: Charles Stanley

John has over 25 years’ experience within the Wealth Management industry. He joined Charles Stanley from Quilter where he held the position of group Retail Customer Solutions Director. Prior to that, John was the Director in charge of overall Client Proposition at Tilney (formerly Towry). Over the years, John has been a passionate supporter of industry matters as a former Chairman of the Society of Financial Advisers, past Director of the Institute of Financial Planning and Council member (larger firms) of APFA. John holds a 1st class honours degree in Financial Services Management from Edinburgh Napier University and is both a Chartered Fellow of the Institute for Securities and Investment and Fellow of the Personal Finance Society as a Chartered Financial Planner.

Hazel Bowen

Company: Coutts

Chair

Julie Lord

Company: Magenta Financial Planning

Julie Lord is a Chartered and Certified Financial Planner at Magenta - a specialist Financial Planning company that helps its clients pursue their passions and build plans for future security and happiness. She was an Institute of Financial Planning Board member for 15 years and is a former President. She has been a member of the FSA Training Advisory Panel; Chairman of the IFP Education Committee and member of the ISO working party and is keen to ensure that all professional advisers are well qualified to deliver the best possible advice to the public. She is currently a member of the PFS Planning Practitioner Panel. As well as being a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, Julie has won numerous Financial Planning awards and is a regular writer and presenter of financial issues in the trade and public press. She is very passionate about providing the best quality advice to clients and ensuring that Financial Planning businesses are embracing the best possible practices in order to deliver this effectively and profitably.

Robert Parker

Company: Robert F Parker Financial Services

Professional Qualifications Officer

Dennis Hall

Company: Ground Floor

Dennis Hall is Managing Director of Yellowtail Financial Planning and a practising Chartered Financial Planner with offices in London and Exeter. He typically works with high net worth families and considers himself a generalist adviser dealing mainly with pensions and investments. He has more than 30 years of experience and before establishing Yellowtail worked as an Independent Financial Adviser for a major bank and a City based accountancy practice. He chaired the London region of the Personal Finance Society and before that chaired the London region of the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP) where he was also on the Ethics and Professional Standards Committee. He has been an Examiner/ Senior Examiner for the Chartered Insurance Institute across a variety of financial services exams. A regular commentator in the industry press he is also frequently quoted in the financial pages of the national newspapers and has won several industry awards. In the next 12 months he will turn 60, compete in the Marathon de Sables, and says he has no plans to retire.

John Bruce

Company: Bruce & Co Legal & Financial Ltd

John Bruce, who has many years' experience in the financial services industry, established the firm.

David Scarlett

Company: 47 Felbridge Close

David is founder of The Soul Millionaire leadership coaching programmes and the creator of the revolutionary business concept The Soul Millionaire Journey. Working with firms in the Financial Planning community, David helps leaders and executives create iconic organisations, lead exceptional teams, live the lives they’d really love while also making a profound difference in their clients’ lives. A provocative thought leader, international conference speaker and best-selling author of three books, David’s insights and expertise flow initially from 20 years as a Financial Adviser and fee-based Financial Planner. Since then David has invested over 15 years in coaching financial advisers and financial services corporate executives. Website: soulmillionaire.com

John Bruce

Company: Bruce & Co Legal & Financial Ltd

John Bruce, who has many years' experience in the financial services industry, established the firm.

Carl Heard

Company: LV=

Carl’s first step into financial services was as a mortgage and protection adviser linked to a chain of estate agencies and managing a protection sales and product development team for a financial services provider. Since joining LV= in 2007, he has worked with many major distribution partners, networks and compliance support services and is passionate about talking about the hot topics and trends hitting the protection market, and working with advisers to ensure more client’s protect their income - so they can live their lives to the full.

Justin Harper

Company: LV=

John Bruce

Company: Bruce & Co Legal & Financial Ltd

John Bruce, who has many years' experience in the financial services industry, established the firm.

Abraham Okusanya

Company: 39A Dewsgreen

Abraham is the creator of Timelineapp.co, a web-based software for illustrating sustainable withdrawal strategies used by advisors in 5 countries including US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland. He is the founder of investment and retirement research consultancy, FinalytiQ. He hosts the annual Science of Retirement Conference in London, the go-to event for advisers looking to gain in-depth research-based insight on retirement income planning.

Carole Nicholls

Company: Nicholls Stevens Financial Services

Claire Trott

Company: Unit 1.1 East

Claire has over 19 years’ experience in the pensions industry. Her a career has ranged from a financial adviser dealing with pension transfers to helping advisers deal with the complexities of SIPPs and SSAS in a post simplification environment. Claire’s role with Technical Connection continues to build on her ability to communicate with various audiences using a wide array of media. In addition, Claire is the Chairperson of the Association of Member-Directed Pension Schemes, the trade association representing SIPP and SSAS providers.

Carole Nicholls

Company: Nicholls Stevens Financial Services

Belinda Gan

Company: Schroders

Iain Richards

Company: Columbia Threadneedle

Iain Richards joined the company in 2012 and is Head of Responsible Investment for the Global business, and leads the strategy, development and implementation of our Responsible Investment activities. Before joining the company Iain was Regional Head of Corporate Governance at Aviva Investors. His career in the City has also included roles at Schroder Investment Management, the Policy Group of the UK’s Listing Authority (which encompassed the introduction of the UK’s corporate governance ‘comply or explain’ rule in 1993, post the Cadbury Code) and the London Stock Exchange. Iain has also worked at the UK's Department of Trade and Industry (now BIS) in various roles in the European and competition policy units. He has written papers around a range of issues including Auditing, Energy Transition, Sovereign Wealth Funds and, in 2006, on the impending risk of a systemic banking crisis. He was responsible for leading the UK investment industry's successful lobbying to re-establish the overarching 'True & Fair View' principle of accounting in revised UK Company Law (2006). Amongst other things, he has appeared as an expert witness before the UK House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs and was a Steering Committee member of the UK Investment Association’s Productivity Action Plan (‘Supporting UK Productivity with Long-Term Investment’, 2016).

Paul LaCoursiere

Company: Aviva Investors

Richard Romer-Lee

Company: Square Mile Research

Richard is responsible for determining the strategy and focus for the business in conjunction with the Board and the Executive Management Team. Richard works closely with our clients and all members of the team as well as forging strong business relationships within the wider industry. Prior to founding Square Mile he was Research Director and co-founder of Old Broad Street Research Limited (OBSR). Following the acquisition of OBSR by Morningstar he became joint Managing Director of Morningstar OBSR, then MD of European Investment Consulting at Morningstar Inc. He has more than 25 years industry experience, starting at BMA Services in 1986 before becoming an analyst at Buck Consultants.

Brett Davidson

Company: FP Advance Ltd

Brett is the Founder of FP Advance and the Uncover Your Business Potential programme. He helps financial planning professionals advise better and live better by growing more profitable without losing their social purpose (or soul). Professional Adviser magazine rated him one of the Top 50 Most Influential people in UK financial services on three occasions. Before coming to the UK he was a partner in a leading Sydney-based financial planning firm, and helped change it from a stodgy, commission-based insurance business into a breakthrough, ‘win-win’-style financial planning firm, before his exit at the end of 2003.

Mark MacLean

Company: HarperLees

Chairperson

Alasdair Walker

Company: Hunter Aitkenhead & Walker Ltd

Alasdair Walker FPFS, Chartered Financial Planner/Director, Hunter Aitkenhead & Walker Alasdair is a director and planner at HA&W, a boutique firm of three financial planners in rural Leicestershire who are finalists for “small firm of the year” in the 2019 Money Marketing Awards. Alasdair joined the financial planning profession in 2011. He is an award-winning Chartered Financial Planner, also holding accreditations as a Retirement Planning Specialist and a Later Life Advice Specialist with the Personal Finance Society. Alasdair has overseen the development of a “financial planning first” model at HA&W, and believes the process holds immense Alasdair has been featured in Citywire’s “Top 35 Next Generation Advisers” and regularly opines on personal finance matters for professional and national newspapers, and is also “general dogsbody” at the Adviser Lounge project.

Duncan Parkes

Company: Old Mill Financial Planning LLP

Duncan is responsible for the regulatory and operational management of Old Mill, a west country based firm of financial planners and accountants. As well as ensuring the smooth day to day management of the business Duncan has a keen interest in future proofing the business through the development of its financial planning proposition. In particular Duncan has been investigating ways to demonstrate the intangible benefits that financial planning can bring to an individual / business. Duncan holds Chartered Financial Planner status and is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society (PFS).

Ruth Sturkey

Company: Athena House

Ruth co-founded and led The Red House, a boutique financial planning firm, which she successfully merged with Paradigm Norton in December 2017. Ruth continues to help grow the merged business and develop a team of talented individuals where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts to enable Paradigm Norton to become the leading financial planning firm in the UK. Ruth holds both Chartered and Certified Financial Planning (CFPTM) accreditation as well as being a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society (FPFS). A well-known and influential member of the financial planning profession, Ruth is regularly asked to comment and speak at industry and women’s events.

Sharon Sutton

Company: Thornton Chartered Financial

Managing Director & Chartered Financial Planner Having founded Thornton in 2000, Sharon became the Isle of Man’s first Chartered Financial Planner in 2009 and UK President of the Personal Finance Society for the year 2017/18 having been first elected to the board in 2012. She was awarded the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Award ‘Building Public Trust in Life and Pensions in 2019 for her work in leading the profession. She played a major part in setting up and leading the PFS Financial Planners Practitioner panel (aka the Power Panel!) which she chaired from 2017 to 2020. Born in the Isle of Man, Sharon is married to fellow Director Jools and together they enjoy cycling, running and skiing with their son Luke. Both Sharon and Jools are passionate about their island home and investing back in their island community having supported a number of the island’s up and coming sportspeople, and various local charities

Mark MacLean

Company: HarperLees

Chairperson

Fiona Tait

Company: Intelligent Pensions Ltd, 2/2 Cadel

Fiona is a specialist presenter and commentator on all areas of pension planning. Having (obviously) started young she now has nearly 30 years’ experience in pensions and is qualified as a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society. She is currently the Technical Director for specialist retirement firm Intelligent Pensions and previously held long-term positions with pension providers Royal London and Aegon. Fiona has been a guest speaker at numerous adviser conferences, including events for FT Adviser, Money Marketing and the Personal Finance Society, and is a regular contributor to the trade press and on social media in the persona of @pensionsgirlie. She lives in North Berwick with her husband and son, and has a particular interest in history

John Reynolds

Company: Police Station

Paul Lothian

Company: Verus Wealth Chartered FP

Owner of Verus Financial Planning Ltd. Former Director and President of the Personal Finance Society (2006-2011)

Rory Percival

Company: 23 College Road

In November 2016 Rory set up his own firm (Rory Percival training and Consultancy Limited) focusing on conference speaking, consultancy, guides and training. Prior to this he was at the regulator for 10 years and was involved with high profile projects such as pension switching, structured products, platforms and intermediaries, risk profiling, centralised investment propositions, mystery shopping in banks, RDR implementation, RDR adviser charges and services, non-advised/simplified advice and due diligence on products and services. Prior to joining the regulator, Rory worked in the industry for around 20 years and has Chartered Financial Planner status. 

Mark MacLean

Company: HarperLees

Chairperson

Dean Scott

Company: L&D Digital

James Cole

Company: Talis IFA

Chair

Damien Rylett

Company: The Shot Tower

A former IFP Branch Manager and Conference Chairman who has spoken at a number of events on Practice Management. Damien established Brunel Capital Partners, a Bristol based financial planning firm in 2011. He is responsible for mentoring and developing the firm’s young, upcoming financial planners. Having acquired Pilgrim Financial Planning, a Somerset based IFA practice in the summer of 2016, Damien is overseeing the firm’s transition from a traditional, transactional model to a comprehensive financial planning offering. Damien is also CEO of IronBright Investment Management, a DFM built by financial planners for financial planners. Damien has been delivering Lifestyle financial planning for the past 12 and now uses his wealth of experience to coach and train other advisers and financial planners through the Financial Planning Training Academy which he founded with Smart Financial Planning CEO Steve Smart. An experienced rugby coach at Bristol Bears Academy , Damien is able to transfer the skills acquired in this arena to the financial planning world to help advisers and planners be the best they can be and deliver their service with passion, integrity and empathy.

Alan Sensicall

Company: ADS Financial Planning

Alex Staniforth

Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, keynote speaker, author and mental health advocate from Cheshire. At the age of 24 he has already made two attempts to climb to the top of Mount Everest and is now dedicated to inspiring others to overcome their own ‘Everest’ in life. Alex is no stranger to adversity: overcoming epilepsy, stammering and bullying in earlier life; and has suffered openly with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder for over six years. Outdoor adventure and physical challenges have helped him fight back, raising over £85,000 for charity and winning the Pride of Britain Regional Fundraiser of the Year 2017. In 2015 his second attempt to climb Mount Everest ended in disaster after narrowly escaping an avalanche and the Nepal earthquake. In 2016 he returned to the Himalayas and reached 7,125 metres on Cho Oyu, the sixth highest peak in the world. In 2017 he became the fastest person ever to climb all 100 UK county tops by bicycle, foot and kayak, covering over 5,000 miles in 72 days to encourage conversations around mental well-being. In 2019 his latest book Another Peak was published by Trigger Press, exploring mental health through adventure. He is a founding director of Mind Over Mountains CIC, a social enterprise to promote mental wellbeing and resilience through the outdoors.

Alan Sensicall

Company: ADS Financial Planning

Julie Lord

Company: Magenta Financial Planning

Julie Lord is a Chartered and Certified Financial Planner at Magenta - a specialist Financial Planning company that helps its clients pursue their passions and build plans for future security and happiness. She was an Institute of Financial Planning Board member for 15 years and is a former President. She has been a member of the FSA Training Advisory Panel; Chairman of the IFP Education Committee and member of the ISO working party and is keen to ensure that all professional advisers are well qualified to deliver the best possible advice to the public. She is currently a member of the PFS Planning Practitioner Panel. As well as being a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, Julie has won numerous Financial Planning awards and is a regular writer and presenter of financial issues in the trade and public press. She is very passionate about providing the best quality advice to clients and ensuring that Financial Planning businesses are embracing the best possible practices in order to deliver this effectively and profitably.

Alan Sensicall

Company: ADS Financial Planning

Julia Dreblow

Company: SRI Services

Julia is known for her long-standing experience in and passion for growing retail, sustainable, responsible and ethical (SRI) investment. She now runs her own business, SRI Services, which includes the free to use (fund manager sponsored) Fund EcoMarket fund tool which is designed to enable financial services intermediaries to understand different SRI, ESG and ethical fund strategies and bring them into their advice processes. From humble beginnings it is now the ‘go to’ specialist resource for investment intermediaries, with over 1000 unique users per month (according to Google Analytics). Her other work includes consultancy, events, media, policy consultations and serving as an UKSIF Director and on the Transparency Taskforce advisory board. Julia started work as a broker consultant with NPI in 1989 and was previously the SRI Marketing Manager at Friends Provident (1996-08).

Alan Sensicall

Company: ADS Financial Planning

Louise Jeffreys

Company: Gunner & Co

Louise Jeffreys is the managing director of Gunner & Co., the specialist IFA mergers & acquisition brokerage and consultancy. Louise has worked with countless financial planners to develop exit strategies which align to their timescales, taking into significant consideration the needs of their clients, any team members, and the aspirations of the principal themselves. Through detailed business analysis Louise is able to match up business sellers with credible business buyers, using her network of experienced acquirers, enabling the buyers to realise fast growth in a mature market.

Alan Sensicall

Company: ADS Financial Planning