July 11, 2019

A New Year and a New Strategic Vision

In the traditional manner of repeating what will likely be the umpteenth time you have said or had said to you over the course of January…we wish all our members a very happy new year and hoping that 2018 is not only prosperous but filled with good health and happiness!

As we enter yet another fresh new year on the back of a record breaking 2017where we saw lending reach £3.06bn with annual growth at a 15-year high, we look forward to forging ahead with plans to fully build upon the successful growth and increased appetite for equity release as a fully accepted mainstream solution.

The thrust of which is to continue to represent you, our members, and equity release and its many uses in the wider context of retirement or later life planning.

We kick off the year by getting on the road to visit many of our members in the comfort of their own offices and locations across the country to discuss your own plans and better understand how we can support you. David Burrowes, our new chairman and I, are keen to visit members throughout the year, and where possible identify opportunities for more local or regional engagement with stakeholders such as local MPs, LGAs or media in your area. If any of you would like to talk to us about that then please get in touch.

For those who attended the Council meeting in December, you will have seen an overview of our strategic plans for the next two-year period to focus on 3 key themes of: Positive thought leadershiprepresentative lobbying, and leading and setting standards. The overarching aim being to

  1. better understand the customer of today and tomorrow
  2. ensure that we have a clearly defined view, set of standards and messaging for the sector, and
  3. a relevant communication programme that delivers on that view.

As your trade body we continue to use the depth of experience in the later life sector to discuss, debate, educate and lobby on your behalf across all stakeholder groups against that clearly defined messaging programme.

There will be numerous opportunities for input and collaboration, so I would ask that you keep a watch on your emails for information and notifications of any events that may take place. For a little more background, please do visit the members’ area of the website and have a look at the minutesand presentation delivered at the Council meeting. Further updates will be communicated, and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Annual General meeting on Wednesday 25th April 2018 in London at the fantastic venue of Eversheds Sutherland, where we have great line up of speakers.

It only remains for me to let you know that our highly respected adviser to the council, Kate Davies, will after 5 years be leaving to take up her role as Executive Director at IMLA. We wish Kate all the very best for the future, thank her for her ever reliable support and of course her encyclopaedic knowledge of MCOB which she downloaded on demand from memory regularly which I always found astonishing! We welcome in her place, Jim Dredge who will join us from February. Jim has over 30 years experience across financial services with the likes of Lloyds, Barclays and his time at the FSA. He has also been an independent member of the standards board since its launch in 2012 so he knows us well. I look forward to working with him and introducing him to you.

Donna Bathgate, COO

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