Three award categories are open to adviser votes and nominations – they are:
Lender of the Year - to be voted for by advisers who can choose from a shortlist of nine lenders. Votes can be cast by visiting here - and close on 3rd April.
Provider of the Year and Lender of the Year (non-equity release) – these are currently open to adviser nominations until 31st January. Following this a shortlist will be created and voting will commence between the 7th February and the 3rd April.
A further eight Awards will be given out, all of which will be decided internally by teams within Air Group. The categories are:
CEO’s Adviser of the Year - this will be given to the adviser who has increased their business volumes the most in the last 12 months.
Air Mortgage Club Adviser of the Year - this will be allocated to the adviser who has engaged with the mortgage club team most, has accommodated the team’s requests, and engaged with the customer service support on offer, as determined by the customer service team.
Air Later Life Academy (LLA) Adviser of the Year - this will be given to the adviser who has best utilised the services offered by the Air LLA training and development initiative. The chosen adviser will have shown effort and determination to actively engage with the Academy and all it offers.
Best Newcomer (Air Mortgage Club) - this will be presented to the adviser who has most recently joined the club and instantly shown an effort and engagement with the many services offered.
Best Newcomer (Air LLA) - this will be given to the adviser who has recently joined the academy and shown instant engagement with the academy’s various services.
The ‘Tech Talker’ Award - this will be given to the member the Group feel provides the most feedback to its Air Sourcing system, which has value and relevance to shaping the future of the system.
The Diamond Award - this will be presented to the member who has given 10-plus years support to Air Group. They will have actively continued to support what the Group does from its initial Equity Release Club beginnings right up to now.
The Platinum Award - this will be given to the member who has written the most completions via Air Mortgage Club in the 12 months leading up to the presentation evening.
The Awards take place in the evening after the National Later Life Adviser Conference, which is being held at the National Space Centre in Leicester, and will have a full conference programme including up to 24 industry speakers and celebrity key-note addresses covering a range of later life issues through presentations and panel discussions.
Topics to be covered at Conference include: a focus on education and support in entering the later life advisory space; information and resources for newly-qualified later life advisers on how they can start to operate successfully; plus later life experts will cover areas such as developing a marketing strategy and how best to advance skills.
The Conference is free for all delegates – tickets can be booked here. Booking a ticket will incur a £10 charge however this will be refunded back to the delegate within 48 hours of their attendance at the event. Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day.
Providers and lenders who wish to sponsor a table/category/welcome drinks at the Awards, or who wish to book an exhibition space, should e-mail: dw.conference@answersinretirement.co.uk
Danielle Wilson, Head of Marketing at Air Group, said: “Today we start the quest for our inaugural Air Awards winners, from the best providers and lenders in the marketplace, to the firms that use the services we offer within the Group. These Award categories have been designed to recognise the very best our market has to offer, and we would urge advisers to make their voice known via votes and nominations to ensure we get the most deserving winners.
"Our Awards will also give us a chance to reward the very best advisory practitioners, from our newest member firms to those who have supported us from day one. It promises to be an excellent night, following a full day at the Adviser Conference – we hope that all later life stakeholders will be able to join us to celebrate this highly important and growing sector.”
