Ray joins LLA from provider, more 2 life, and will be working across both the LLA and Equity Release Club propositions. Ray has a wide range of experience in financial services, in particular the retirement sector having previously worked for a number of equity release lenders and having run an equity release brokerage for five years.
The role of National Development Manager has been created to help deliver the LLA and Club messages to a wider cross-section of advisers active, and looking to participate, in the later life sector.
Ray’s new role will have a number of responsibilities and objectives including: identifying key benefits for advisers working in the ‘at retirement space’; ensuring the LLA and Equity Release Club deliver real value for members; recruiting, developing and supporting LLA members to enhance their awareness of business opportunities; working alongside the senior management team to develop the Academy proposition for ‘guidance’ in retirement and developing a consumer-facing support package for advisers; ensuring current and future club members understand the benefits of membership and how they can progress in the sector; and supporting and designing training and development initiatives for members.
The LLA was launched at the start of 2014 and offers later life advisers across product areas such as funeral planning, equity release, long-term care, and annuities, with access to training and sales support.
At the same time it is developing lucrative commercial opportunities for members through its relationships with Product Ambassadors. It has already announced a number of Ambassadors including Equilaw, Hodge Lifetime, the National Association of Funeral Directors (in association with Ecclesiastical), Skandia, and Stonehaven.
The Equity Release Club is a distribution proposition for equity release advisers. It offers its 3,500 members enhanced commission terms from providers via its bulk distribution capability.
Stuart Wilson, Managing Partner of Equity Advice and Later Life Academy, commented:
“We are very pleased to welcome Ray to our expanding team here at the LLA and Equity Release Club. Ray comes to us with an industry pedigree and will be familiar to many within the later life space. In appointing Ray we are setting about implementing our development plan for the coming year and achieving our growth targets over that timescale. Ray’s skills are ideally suited to the vision we all share for the expansion of both the LLA and Club brands and it is important we have on board someone who clearly understands the challenges advisers in the retirement market face today.
"This appointment is all about helping advisers develop their business within the variety of later life sectors and Ray will be out on the road meeting and supporting those firms who want to become more involved, cover off more product bases, and have strong growth ambitions. We want to ensure advisers are completely prepared for the ongoing changes taken place in the retirement market and believe our propositions will go a long way to firms fulfilling their clients’ requirements and helping them develop their advice offering.”
