New Institute Directors appointed to PFS Board

 

The new Institute Directors, who will join the PFS Board for an initial period of one year, are: Andy Briscoe; Neil Buckley; Christine Elliott; Edward Grant; and, Catharine Seddon. The new Institute Directors will join two new Member Directors, Carla Brown FPFS and Daniel Williams DipPFS, who were announced by the PFS Board earlier this week.

Dr Helen Phillips, CII Group Chair, said: “The CII Group Board warmly welcomes all the new Directors – Member and Institute – to the PFS Board, as well as the rapid progress made by the PFS Board at its first meeting of this new era. I would also like to congratulate Anthony Ward on being appointed interim President of the PFS.

“The CII Group Board is pleased to be able to discharge its responsibility to our members and support the evolution of the PFS Board by appointing these additional high calibre professionals alongside the new Member Directors. These new appointments further enhance the skills and experience of the PFS Board, and we look forward to them being joined by additional Directors, as well as identifying a new independent Chair, later in the year. Together, they will draw up a new blueprint for governance of the PFS that will inspire confidence in all who have a shared interest in ensuring public confidence and trust in the financial planning and mortgage advice professions.”

Three existing Institute Directors – Azlina Bulmer, Mark Hutchinson and Gill White – who all hold roles on the CII’s Leadership Team will simultaneously step down from the PFS Board. They will now focus their time, energy and expertise on delivering the goals set out in the CII’s recent Strategic Plan, including in relation to building our excellent membership experience and delivering world-class learning.

Phillips, CII Group Chair, continued: “I would like to personally thank the three Institute Directors leaving the PFS Board for their dedicated service. Azlina, Gill and Mark are exceptional leaders and skilled professionals who have shown unwavering commitment to PFS members during a challenging period and resolute determination to enhance our membership offer throughout their respective tenures.”

Antony Ward, interim President of the PFS, said: “I am pleased to welcome these new colleagues to the PFS Board. They collectively bring vast, complementary experience to the existing Board Directors and I am looking forward to us working together – and with Helen and the rest of the CII Group Board – to advance our shared goals for the benefit of PFS members. I’d also like to warmly thank Azlina, Gill and Mark for their immense support, wise counsel, and deep endeavour on behalf of the PFS Board and for the benefit of the wider membership over their terms of appointment.”

 

The new Board members are:

Andy Briscoe is a former Chair of the Money Advice Service and Indesser, the joint venture between the Cabinet office and Equifax. He has more than 25 years’ experience leading firms in a variety of industries, including financial services and insurance.

Neil Buckley is an experienced non-executive director and chair of multiple organisations with extensive knowledge of professional standards. He is the former Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board and Director of Investigations at Ofcom. Neil currently holds roles with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (a Royal Charter body), the Valuation Tribunal Service and General Pharmaceutical Council.

Christine Elliott is the former Chief Executive of The Institute for Turnaround and Transformation and Director of Bletchley Park. She has a wealth of board experience, having held multiple executive and non-exec and chair positions over the past decade. Christine’s current roles include chairing the Positive Planet UK Advisory Board, the Sonas Group board, and The Health and Care Professions Council.

Edward Grant is a Director with St. James’ Place. He is a Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager and Fellow of the PFS. He is a past president of the PFS, serving six years on the PFS Board, and a past vice president of the CII.

Catharine Seddon has a wealth of experience from leadership roles across a broad range of professions, currently including the Gambling Commission, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Legal Services Board and Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service.

Phillips, CII Group Chair, concluded: “The appointment of new Directors means that all the time and energy of both our Boards is now focused on supporting PFS members in the best ways possible. We look forward to working hand-in-hand to build a strong future for both of the CII Group’s professional membership bodies.”

 

Biographies

Andy Briscoe

Andy has extensive experience of managing large organisations, start-ups and turnarounds in a variety of industries and in both the private and public sectors. He is the former Chair of Indesser, a joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Equifax, the Money Advice Service, The Policy Shop and IT Freedom. 

His non-executive and chair positions follow an extensive career as a CEO in the financial services sector, including with Life Trust Holdings and Compucard, and as a strategic advisor to private equity groups, including the Carlyle Group. He was previously Managing Director for AA Insurance Services, the UK’s largest general insurance intermediary, and Managing Director of Goldfish Credit Card. 

Neil Buckley

Neil is an experienced non-executive director and chair with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of professional and economic regulation in the consumer and public interest. He has worked in a diverse range of professions, including journalism, law, and health and is currently Chair of the Regulatory Board of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (a Royal Charter body), which holds actuaries to high professional standards of competency and conduct. He is also holds non-executive director positions with the General Pharmaceutical Council and Valuation Tribunal Service.

Neil was previously Chief Executive of the Legal Services Board. He was called to the Bar in 1987 and spent more than a decade as a solicitor before holding senior roles with Ofcom, including as Director of Investigations, and its regulatory predecessor, Oftel.

Christine Elliott

Christine has a rich depth of experience gathered over a career spanning financial services, leisure, journalism, culture, communications, education, property, healthcare, policing, and technology.

Christine currently holds non-executive roles with the ExCo Group, Positive Planet UK Advisory Board, Sonas Group, Independent Office for Police Conduct, The Health and Care Professions Council, and Editors’ Code of Practice Committee. Formerly, she was Chief Executive of The Institute for Turnaround and Transformation for a decade, and Director of Bletchley Park. She has a wealth of board experience, having held dozens of other executive and non-exec and chair positions. Her track record includes transformation, change, innovation, complex problem-solving, regulation, systems-thinking and collaboration.

Edward Grant

Edward is Director, Technical Connection at St. James’s Place, and a Finance in Society Research Institute advisory board member, a body formed in 2022 to develop high quality research to support policymakers and the industry to improve access to financial services and tackle financial exclusion.

A passionate advocate of the financial planning profession, Edward is a Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Wealth Manager, Fellow of the PFS with a Masters focused on supporting clients with vulnerable circumstances. He is a past president of the Personal Finance Society, serving six years on the PFS Board, past vice president of the Chartered Insurance Institute and Insurance Institute of London, Chair of the TISA Tax Committee, CII Pension Trustee and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Insurers. During his extensive career, Edward has sought to support, mentor and lead the development of initiatives to build consumer confidence and trust in the value of financial advice.

Catharine Seddon

Catharine’s wealth of leadership experience extends across television,  law, health, and pensions. She spent 20 years in television, first as a producer/director for the BBC and then running her own independent production company. Her films were broadcast on strands  such as Inside Story, Cutting Edge, To the Ends of the Earth and Everyman.

Catharine currently sits on the board of  the Legal Services Board,  Gambling Commission, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and  Children and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service. She also holds a range of  tribunal and quasi-judicial  appointments, and sits  as a presiding magistrate in central London.

 

The full list of PFS Board Directors is as follows:

Elizabeth Bastin, Lay Director

Andy Briscoe, Institute Director

Carla Brown, Member Director

Neil Buckley, Institute Director

Christine Elliott, Institute Director

Edward Grant, Institute Director

Sarah Howe, Institute Director

Catharine Seddon, Institute Director

Anthony Ward, Member Director, interim President

Neil Watts, Institute Director

Daniel Williams, Member Director