Zurich launches IFA advisory panel

Zurich has launched an IFA Advisory Panel in a bid to gain greater insight and understanding of the key concerns of the IFA market.

The panel will be chaired by Richard Howells, intermediary sales director at Zurich UK Life, and consists of eight advisers from different firms across the country.

It will offer the insurer and advisers a forum for regular debate about the challenges facing the insurance market.

Members of the panel will also be invited to provide regular feedback on all aspects of the provider's proposition.

The founding members of the Panel are:
• Gary Neild, Managing Director - Blue Sky Financial Planning;
• Mike Robinson, Group Managing Director - Clarkson Hill Group;
• David Watson, Director - KML Financial Services;
• John Metcalf, Client Services Director - Pearson Jones Ltd;
• Andy Bracken, Associate Director - Timothy James & Partners Ltd;
• Mitch Hopkinson, Technical Director - Towergate Financial;
• Gavin Wise, Director, Wise Financial Consulting;
• Marcus Maisey, Director - K D Wright;
• Robert Wyatt, Principal - Wyatt IFA.

The panel will meet quarterly and membership is for one year, after which Zurich will review it in line with the original objectives.

Commenting on the launch, Howells says: "By setting up the Advisory Panel, in conjunction with several respected IFAs from across the country, we are confident we will get a clear understanding of their concerns which will help inform our long term business strategy as well as develop our proposition in light of adviser needs."

Robert Wyatt, principal at Robert Wyatt IFA, said, "The panel gives an opportunity for IFA businesses to critique the service offered by providers, including Zurich's own proposition.

"More importantly, it represents a forum to address some of the harder hitting issues affecting the industry today, such as the countdown to the RDR, provider services, the emerging importance of platforms and the long-term impact of technology on advisers, consumers and providers."