EMPOWERING THE EVOLUTION OF PERSONAL FINANCE

Sara Woodroffe

Head of Consumer Investments, FCA

Sara leads supervision and policy across retail investments, financial advice and Consumer Duty.

She has been at the FCA for 12 years and has worked across a broad range of policy, market analysis and regulatory functions focused on consumer protection, lending, payments and sustainable finance.

Gillian Hepburn

Head of Adviser Solutions, Vanguard UK 

Gillian Hepburn is the Head of Adviser Solutions for the Vanguard UK business. She has more than 30 years of experience in financial services, with a career spanning senior roles in business development, intermediary solutions, and strategic partnerships.

She has led the creation of award-winning investment propositions, supported adviser firms with growth and succession strategies, and is a well-known advocate for the advice industry. Her work has earned her recognition including “Woman of the Year – Investment” at the 2023 Professional Adviser Women in Finance Awards.

Justine Randall

Managing Director, Tatton Investment Management

With 27 years’ financial services experience, Justine is Tatton's Managing Director and leads their distribution, marketing and proposition teams.

A part of the Tatton family for over 8 years, she is a regular industry speaker, raising awareness of MPS overall and championing their goal to bring down the cost of investing. 

Justine is a passionate leader and thrives working at the forefront of their distribution teams engaging with their strategic partners and IFA advocates.

Vicki Jordan

Vicki Jordan leads the FCA’s AI Policy team, responsible for developing the regulatory framework for AI in financial services.

With a career spanning financial services regulation, Government and policy, Vicki brings a wealth of experience in navigating complex regulatory landscapes and delivering strategic change, most recently at the intersection of financial services regulation and emerging technology.

Keith Richards

Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Duty Alliance and Chair of the Financial Vulnerability Taskforce.

A recognised leader within the financial services sector, with over 35 years’ experience operating at executive level across manufacturing, distribution, financial planning and regulation. He previously led the successful evolution of the largest professional membership body for personal finance in the UK and internationally, the Personal Finance Society (PFS).

Vanessa Barnes

Chartered Financial Planner at Hannay Wealth LLP

Vanessa Barnes is a Chartered Financial Planner with 40 years’ experience in financial services and the founder of Hannay Wealth LLP, an all‑female independent financial planning firm. She is a on the Board of independent professional body, the Consumer Duty Alliance, and Chair of the Women’s Wealth Alliance, where she plays a leading role in driving higher professional standards, improving client outcomes and increasing female representation across the advice profession. Vanessa is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and a longstanding advocate for professionalism and progress within financial planning.

Robin Melley

Managing Director of Matrix Capital, Chartered Financial Planners.

Robin was named PFS Chartered Financial Planner of the Year in 2013 and 2020, his qualifications include Trust and Estate Practitioner and Full Member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Matrix won Small advice firm of the year in the Money Marketing Awards 2022 and Financial Advisor Team of the Year in the STEP Private Client Awards 2020.

Jane Hodges

Managing Director of Money Honey, Chartered Financial Planners.

Jane Hodges is a Chartered Financial Planner who runs her own financial planning practice, Money Honey. She is known for using technology to deliver remote, paper-free and streamlined financial planning services through cloud-based technology. She also serves as Chair of the Cross-Border Alliance, which aims to help the profession better support UK expatriates and engage with regulators and governments on cross-border financial planning issues.

Professor Keith Brown

Founding Director of the National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice (NCPQSW) and Chair of the NHS England Safeguarding Adults National Network.

Jess Taylor

Associate Director of Estate Planning, Kinherit.

Jess Taylor is the Associate Director of Estate Planning at Kinherit. She's a full member of STEP, and advises clients on Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and testamentary trust planning.

Kinherit is a Will-writing and estate planning firm where every plan is built by a STEP-qualified estate planner. Alongside the Wills and trusts they put in place, their bereavement team supports the family using Kinvault, which brings together the legal, financial and practical information executors need, so no one is left piecing things together after a death. Kinherit is a STEP Platinum Employer, and CDA Affiliate.

Nick Birdseye

Strategic Partner Development Director, L&G

Having joined Legal & General Home Finance from inception in 2015, Nick works with Strategic Distribution Partners and Trade Bodies to develop Retirement Lending distribution and advice opportunities and to help those businesses broaden their customer propositions.

Having worked in both the adviser and provider sides of the industry since 1994, he has a deep understanding of both Retirement Mortgage and Wealth Management customers, having led National Advice Distribution networks at both L&G and Aviva.

In addition to significant Intermediary and D2C experience, Nick understands the challenges of meeting customer needs across all sectors. He is a member of the Equity Release Council Standards Committee.

Ken Scott

Lead Proposition Actuary, Royal London.

Ken is an actuary with over 20 years industry experience across a broad range of commercial areas, including senior roles leading Royal London’s pricing team and, more recently, heading up its investment solutions team.

Ken currently works in the individual wealth and retirement proposition, where he has recently developed Royal London’s example advice frameworks for retirement and for estate planning, and is leading work on the development of Royal London’s Guided Retirement proposition. He spends a lot of his time thinking about customers’ retirement needs and how providers can best support these in both advised and non-advised settings.