The Impact of the RDR

Barry O’Dwyer

Deputy Chief Executive, UK & Europe, Prudential

Biography

As Managing Director of Retail Life and Pensions at Prudential, Barry O'Dwyer is responsible for the P&L performance of what has consistently been the UK's highest-margin retail life company. His remit covers investment bonds, pensions and retirement income products in the UK and Europe.

Barry joined Prudential in January 2009 from HBOS Financial Services where he was responsible for investment, pension and protection products through the Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Clerical Medical Brands.

Prior to that, Barry was Managing Director of Marketing at Standard Life during a period of significant change for that company, which involved a complete overhaul of its product strategy.

Barry is an Actuary with over 20 years of experience of the financial services industry.

Tony Stenning

Managing Director, UK Retail Business, BlackRock

Biography

Tony’s service with the firm dates back to 2000, including his years with Mercury Asset Management and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which merged with BlackRock in 2006. Tony plays an active role with a number of industry bodies, frequently engaging with regulatory authorities and government on a range of industry issues/ initiatives. In addition to heading the UK Retail business Tony is also a member of the Leadership Committee and Chairs the board of BlackRock Fund Managers Limited. Tony is also a regular speaker on various industry topics.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Tony spent several years in private client fund management with a particular focus upon collective investment schemes. Mr Stenning holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Ed Dymott

Head of Commercial, Fidelity Worldwide Investment

Biography

Ed Dymott is Head of Commercial at Fidelity Worldwide Investment. He is responsible for the longer term business planning for the UK Business and represents both Fidelity's, and our client's, commercial interests in regulatory issues. Ed is also responsible for managing the commercial relationships that Fidelity has with the Fund Groups who use its UK Platform.

Ed joined FIL in September 2000, the year Fidelity FundsNetwork launched, and has held several roles specifically within that part of the business. He was also responsible for developing a number of key adviser propositions. Ed has since worked in a number of Commercial and Strategy functions, the most recent being Head of UK Fund Partners.

Ed holds a BEng in Automotive Engineering from Loughborough University and an Executive MBA from Cass Business School.

Neil Denton

Regional Manager, Standard Life

Biography

Neil has over 20 years’ experience with Standard Life and has held a range of IFA relationship management and business development roles.

For the past eight years, as a Regional Manager, Neil has focused on key regional intermediary partners to develop their client and service offerings. Prior to becoming a Regional Manager, Neil was aligned to large national accounts such as AWD/Chase de Vere and RBS Group.

Neil is currently a senior member of Standard Life's RDR project team, highlighting the views of advisers and the challenges they face. Neil entered Financial Services straight from Manchester University and after two years with C. T. Bowering joined Standard Life.

Away from work Neil is a Vice President of Wimbledon Rugby Football Club, who he played for from 1988-1998.

Dominic Holmes

Product Propositions Director, AEGON UK

Biography

Dominic commenced his career with AEGON Scottish Equitable in 1990 as a trainee broker consultant in London Covent Garden attached to the Holborn branch. Rising quickly through the sales ranks Dominic held sales management roles in Birmingham and Watford before moving in 2002 to the newly created Head of Sales (specialist pensions) role where he focussed on Retirement Control, AEGON's Drawdown and Phased personal pension.

In 2004 Dominic took on the responsibility for the development and sales of the entire AEGON individual pensions and annuity range as Head of Sales ( Individual Pensions) before moving to a role as Head of Marketing & Distribution(Individual pensions) in 2006 where he oversaw the AEGON's Aday sales and marketing strategy.

In 2008, Dominic returned to sales as Head of Sales & Distribution (Individual Pensions). At the forefront of developments of the AEGON Individual and At Retirement Pension ranges, Dominic was involved in researching and developing new retirement solutions as well as assisting the AEGON sales force in the distribution of the product ranges.

In 2010 Dominic took on a newly created role as Head of Individual Sales Development, adding AEGON protection, on and offshore Investments as well as the suite of Secure products to his Individual and At Retirement Pensions remit. Dominic and his teams specialised in each of AEGON's Individual propositions and concentrated on delivering excellence to their various customers.

2011 saw Dominic return once again to Marketing initially as At Retirement Director focusing on the development of AEGON's At Retirement Platform and then as Packaged Products Director with responsibility for all of AEGON's Work Place and At Retirement propositions.

Dominic is married and lives in Warwickshire with his wife and three children.

Stephan Mohan

Managing Director Operational Services, Cofunds

Biography

Stephen Mohan joined Cofunds in October 2005 and is Managing Director Operational Services, which includes the leadership of the Institutional business line (selling to and servicing wealth managers) and the corporate change programme as well as operations and client service.

Within the investment community, Stephen chairs the UK Platform Group CEOs (the CEOs of 6 Platforms representing over 80% of the UK industry by assets), which leads to many discussions with FSA. He is also working with TISA on the drive towards the industry wide adoption of a legal framework for re-registration.

Originally an Army Officer, he later joined ICL selling to financial institutions. Since then, Stephen's career has included an MBA and working for Gemini Consulting, IT Director of RBS Trust Bank Ltd, Managing Director UK Retail Funds for Bank of New York and Managing Director of Retail Funds for M&G and Prudential. Stephen's interim roles include Chief Executive of Royal London Servicing and Executive Director, Fidelity and Funds Network.

Stephen is married with three children and is working with his wife, Jane, to re-establish an Essex vineyard. He is a Liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

Kevin Mountford

Head of Banking, Moneysupermarket. com

Biography

Having worked for over 17 yrs in financial services, joined Moneysupermarket in Feb 2007. During my time working in the banking world I have been employed by a number of large UK brands including Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Birmingham Midshires, where I was Head of Sales and Marketing for their Savings business. My early days were focused on Business Banking however back in 2001 I was appointed as 'Head of Affinities' for HBOS. This resulted in me being responsible for a broad range of third party relationships, providing credit cards, loans and savings products to the likes of AA, Aviva, Sony, British Gas and many others

Since joining ms.com I have developed the savings, current account & credit card channels. There are two primary focus areas;

1. Looking to build commercial relationships with FS institutions to deliver quality, low cost acquisition business. The aim is to become the partner of choice.
2. As industry spokesperson, promote ms.com via media including press, radio and TV.

Tony Byrne

Financial Planning Director, Wealth and Tax

Biography

Founder of Wealth And Tax Management

Specialist in asset management, wills and trusts and lifetime cashflow planning

Certified Financial Planner and Fellow of The Institute of Financial Planning

Past winner of FT Money Management’s Group Pensions Planner of The year award

Author of the book “Wealth Magic” and the booklet “97 Money Tips”

Regular IFA View columnist for Money Marketing

Keen distance runner having completed 24 marathons in the last 11 years.  Goal is to run 100 marathons by the age of 65 in 12 years time.

Keen charity fund raiser.  Aim is to raise £1 million for The Alzheimer’s Society by age 65.

Nick Bamford

Chief Executive Officer, Informed Choice

Biography

Nick is Chief Executive of Informed Choice Ltd a firm of Chartered Financial Planners based in Cranleigh, Surrey. Informed Choice is a family owned and managed business created in 1994 by Nick and his wife Andy who is Client Services Director. In 2003 they were joined by their son Martin who is now Managing Director.

In 2000 Nick became a Board Director of SOFA and in 2001 was elected Vice Chairman. He was appointed as Chairman in 2002 and served in that position until SOFA merged with the Life Insurance Association (LIA) at the end of 2004 to form the PFS. He has subsequently served on the CII Examiners Committee and the Financial Services Skills Council Accreditation Committee.

Nick is a Chartered Financial Planner and in November 2006 graduated from Napier University with a BA Hons Degree in Financial Services. He is often quoted in both the financial services and national press and has appeared on Radio and TV commenting on financial matters.

Between 2004 and to date Nick has been reengineering the change of the business into one which looks robust in light of the Retail Distribution Implementation Programme. Fee charging, highly qualified advice and service orientation, backed up by a team of People, Systems and Processes, Brand values and building AUM

His typical week is spent running the business, spending time with his grandchildren and trying to watch as much football and rugby on Sky Sports as he can possibly get away with!!.

Adrian Furnham

Professor of Psychology, University College London

Biography

Adrian Furnham was educated at the London School of Economics where he obtained a distinction in an MSc Econ., and at Oxford University where he completed a doctorate (D.Phil) in 1981. He has subsequently earned a D.Sc (1991) and D.Litt (1995) degree. Previously a lecturer in Psychology at Pembroke College, Oxford, he has been Professor of Psychology at University College London since 1992. He has lectured widely abroad and held scholarships and visiting professorships at, amongst others, the University of New South Wales, the University of the West Indies, the University of Hong Kong and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has also been a Visiting Professor of Management at Henley Management College. He has recently been made Adjunct Professor of Management at the Norwegian School of Management (2009)

He has written over 1000 scientific papers and 70 books including The Protestant Work Ethic (1990) Culture Shock (1994), The New Economic Mind (1995), Personality at Work (1994), The Myths of Management (1996), The Psychology of Behaviour at Work (1997), The Psychology of Money (1998), The Psychology of Culture Shock (2001)The Incompetent Manager (2003), The Dark Side of Behaviour at Work (2004), The People Business (2005) Personality and Intellectual Competence (2005) Management Mumbo-Jumbo (2006) Head and Heart Management (2007) The Psychology of Physical Attraction (2007) The Body Beautiful (2007) Personality and Intelligence at Work (2008) Management Intelligence (2008) Dim Sum Management (2008) The Economic Socialisation of Children (2008) 50 Psychology Ideas you really need to know (2009) The Elephant in the Boardroom: The Psychology of Leadership Derailment (2010) People Management in Turbulent Times (2009) The Psychology of Personnel Selection (2010) Body Language in Business (2010) Bad Apples (2011) Leadership: everything you want to know (2011) People Management in a Downturn (2011).

Professor Furnham is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and is among the most productive psychologists in the world. He is on the editorial board of a number of international journals, as well as the past elected President of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences. He is also a founder director of Applied Behavioural Research Associates (ABRA), a psychological consultancy. He has been a consultant to over 20 major international companies, with particular interests in top team development, management change

performance management systems, psychometric testing and leadership derailment. He speaks regularly at academic and business conferences and is noted for his motivational speaking.

He is also a newspaper columnist previously at the Financial Times, now at the Sunday Times. He writes regularly for the Daily Telegraph and is a regular contributor to national and international radio and television stations including the BBC, CNN, and ITV. More details in the latest 'Who's Who'.

Since 2007 he has been nominated by HR magazine as one of the 20 Most Influential People in HR. He was nominated to the 7th most influencial thinker in 2011. He speaks regularly at academic, business and training conferences around the world being well known as approachable, well-informed and entertaining. He also runs in-house workshops for various blue-chip companies

Like Noel Coward, he believes work is more fun than fun and considers himself to be a well-adjusted workaholic. He rides a bicycle to work (as he has always done) very early in the morning and does not have a mobile phone. Adrian enjoys writing popular articles, travelling to exotic countries, consulting on real-life problems, arguing at dinner parties and going to the theatre. He hopes never to retire.

Andrew Power

RDR Lead Partner, Deloitte

Biography

Andrew Power is a Partner of Deloitte’s Consulting group, who specialises in working with Retail Financial Services companies.  He has over twenty-five years of consulting experience, on strategic, organisational, operational and technology issues, spanning the UK, Continental Europe and North America

Andrew has extensive experience assisting life insurers, wealth managers and investment managers around strategic and regulatory development, marketplace changes, industry economics and operational model transformation. He is the sponsoring partner of Deloitte’s RDR initiatives and has assisted a number of clients determine their RDR strategy, review RDR programmes and model the economics of RDR.

Paul Yates

Strategy & Business Development Director, Avelo

Biography

Paul joined Vertex Financial Services in 2004 from Misys PLC where he held the position of Sales Technology Director. Prior to joining Misys, he was Associate Director at CMG.

Paul moved to Vertex to develop and execute The Exchange's business strategy, leading to the acquisition of 1st Software in 2006, N4 Solutions in 2010 and Screen Business in 2011 . Paul currently retains responsibility for Avelo's strategy, as well as marketing and product development.

Paul has extensive market insight across Financial Services, with particular subject matter expertise in distribution.