PARADIGM PROTECTION NEWSLETTER SPRING 2024 www.paradigm.co.uk/protection
CONTENTS 4 Protection Market Update Paradigm Protect Mike Allison 8 Cirencester Friendly The loneliness of illness Rebecca Hill 10 Paradigm How encouraging employees to bring their whole selves to work can benefit your business... Riona Mulherin 12LV= How prepared is your client for the unexpected? Carl Heard 14 Accord Mortgages Embracing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: My Reflections on Race Equality Week Gurpreet Chahal 16 Paradigm Consulting Meet our Policy team! Carmen Bews
Welcome to the first edition of the Paradigm Protect Newsletter for 2024! As ever, we try to bring you some different perspectives via a range of topical articles from Providers. This edition focuses on not just the reasons for clients having Income Protection (IP), but also explores how illness can result in loneliness. Indeed, despite how much time we spend with colleagues as part of our working days, alienation from work colleagues is often overlooked as a symptom of illness. Of course, alienation can take place in many forms, and another of our articles highlights the importance of embracing inclusion and diversity. I hope you’ll find this edition useful - let’s get started! The Market During the pandemic, I used to keep an eye on Google searches for both Life and Income Protection to see whether there was a raised level of interest or activity in either sector. Unsurprisingly, there was in both areas, as people looked for solutions to what may have been a major issue - dampened eventually by the provision of the furlough scheme. Interestingly there was a 2-3 month spike in activity, and then it reverted to normal. From January last year, I started to see there has been another - albeit not as significant - spike in the activity again, repeated again this year in January - perhaps as people start to understand the vulnerability of their own financial positions as prices rise and the economy is, at best, flat - leading to a great deal of uncertainty. This bottom-up demand for IP seems to have significantly manifested itself in IP sales in 2023. Whether you look at premium growth or policy sales, IP outperformed sales of all other mainstream products we associate with mortgage sales. This could be as a result of consumer demand, perhaps driven by the increase in difficulty of acquiring a property or an increased focus on IP by advisers, partly as a result of Consumer Duty implementation, or indeed, a combination of the two. Mike Allison Director of Protection Paradigm Protect Protection Market Update 04 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER
Either way it appears as though IP sales will soon outstrip Critical Illness (CI) sales if it continues at the same rate in the coming years, perhaps highlighting the value it brings to clients when relating to the percentage chance of claiming or the ‘risk’ of clients needing financial support. Indeed, Consumer Duty wants to highlight the risks to clients of not taking insurance linked to their mortgage, and the implications therein. The table on the previous page gives an indication how each product sector fared in 2023 according to Gen Re; a good benchmark to use against your own client base. I know from our own MI that Paradigm IP business is significantly up on this time last year. Healthcare Another area of the market experiencing significant ‘bottom up’ demand based on Google search data, and backed up by evidence from our Strategic Partners, is healthcare. Whether it be individuals looking to protect themselves or SME firms looking to add the increasingly valuable healthcare benefit when attracting and retaining staff, we are seeing huge demand for “new to market” schemes. This is a similar trend to that which we saw when we entered into the Group Risk space, which also proved to be an overwhelming success. What we know is that for a while the demand will continue to grow – some key reasons: • NHS struggling to meet demand and the heightened awareness of this via the media • NHS Waiting Lists are at an all time high, meaning clients will pay for services “on demand” from their savings – putting extra pressure on the private sector (and potentially having impacts on AUM for wealth firms!) • Private sector being used in some instances to cover NHS patients causing further demand to pull for private hospitals and causing blocks in treatment • Provider Product Development – covering areas the NHS can’t hope to meet in the foreseeable future such as Child Psychological treatment – many can wait months for a first assessment on NHS • Medical advances – meaning treatments are available worldwide which are not necessarily available via the NHS We have established a panel of 5 Providers in this space, namely Bupa, Axa, The Exeter, Vitality Health and National Friendly, all of whom are happy to help those who are new to healthcare to “hand hold” you through the process. Click here to view our dedicated PMI healthcare page. Those three little words… The Consumer Duty It’s definitely not “one and done” A lot of our activity on the Mortgage and Protection side of the business over the past few months has inevitably been around helping firms moving from the implementation phase of Consumer Duty to the reporting phase. Firms must have their first annual report ready for the July 2024 deadline. Recent output from the FCA highlights that through their own research, many small to medium firms are struggling with the implementation. To assist you with this, we have recently launched another in our video series “On Film” to help firms understand what their reporting requirements are and how they may go about pulling them together ready for regulatory scrutiny. Coupled with that we have produced a second Consumer Duty eBook entitled “Life under the Duty” which complements the film, and adds further support to firms wanting to understand their responsibilities and how to make sure they are ready to meet the various deadlines. Finally, we are running an additional session of our extremely popular Essential Skills Workshop that first ran in 05 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER Continued on next page...
February, which is solely focussed on Consumer Duty reporting. This is taking place in May and costs just £99+VAT to attend. Please do not hesitate to get in touch to discuss the support we can offer in this area. We have already helped hundreds of firms with their preparations, and are highly experienced in doing so. Interestingly the more we talk to firms about the implementation the more questions get raised on responsibilities especially around business culture – an area the FCA is hugely keen to highlight but one that is not easily measurable. The “ingredients” as they see them are: Purpose of the company: What is the company trying to achieve? staying in business and making money is a given, it would be great to see more firms aligning their purpose to delivering the 4 outcomes under the Duty. Leadership: It’s about the leaders of the business setting the tone from the top, the SMFs in a business will very soon have to step up to the plate when they start to complete their Duty report, and they will need help and support from all their staff. Governance: Making sure the firm’s systems and controls are up to date, effective and continually being tested. People Management: About getting the staff involved, testing things, having them speak up and speak out freely, to challenge the ways things are done, and strive to create a culture of continuous improvement. CPD Academy and Test Zone As ever, we are continually adding to and updating our CPD Academy to ensure it delivers value for you. We have also added a number of new tests to our Test Zone over the past year, which now offers 17 tests and is forming a greater part of regulatory support for our firms. If you haven’t visited either in a while it may be worth doing so or registering for a first time. It is an easy way to learn on what is happening in Mortgage and Protection world, as well as being a convenient hub to record your CPD. Furthermore, our events are proving as popular as ever both face to face and online. We continue to focus on specific areas of demand, such as customer vulnerability. Click here to see what’s coming up near you and online as we enter Q2. As mentioned earlier we have had a strong start to the year from a protection perspective, and are consistently looking to add new products and services that will enhance the proposition you can offer to clients. We will add new Providers to our panel this year, so keep your eyes peeled for those opportunities and of course for the messages on existing Provider product and underwriting improvements. Providers are still looking to innovate within their own product areas, and we are seeing them broaden their own portfolios. Whilst we do see some merger activity in the Life arena (we should know more about the proposed AVIVA/AIG integration by June), others are looking for niches and product innovation to support awareness in the protection space. We are also in “claim stats” season for 2023, and don’t forget to collate them to show to clients. Provider Claims records have increased considerably in the past few years and the industry is doing much to dispel myths that Providers don’t pay out. So, I hope you have had a vibrant first 3 months of the year and thank you for your continued support of Paradigm Protect. If there is anything we can do to help, please get in touch. 06 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER
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08 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER The UK has a loneliness epidemic. Almost half of UK adults report feeling lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always1. Around 7.1% or 4 million people feel lonely often and always. This figure is rising, up from 6% in 2020. While many experienced feelings of loneliness during lockdown, these figures show the problem is getting worse and goes beyond the impact of the pandemic. Loneliness is closely linked to poor health and wellbeing. Loneliness can put people at risk of mental health issues, increased stress levels and elevated blood pressure. Conversely, illness or injury can also lead to isolation and loneliness, as people become cut off from their usual life – work, friends, the community around them. Often their world shrinks to just those that they live with. It can become a vicious circle, becoming very difficult to break and a barrier to a speedy, successful recovery. What is loneliness? Researchers define loneliness as “unpleasant experience that occurs when a person’s network of social relationships is deficient.” Basically, it means a person has lost connection with others around them, their interactions with people lack any sense of closeness or meaning. This can happen to anyone, of any age, but the chances are it is more likely to happen to those that are ill or injured. Their conditions mean they recede from their usual life, spending large periods of time at home and it becomes easy to lose those vital connections with the outside world. Why does loneliness matter? For anyone who is working, a significant proportion of their waking hours is filled by their job. For some that is in busy workplaces, surrounded by people, for others it may be more remote, at home but very few people work in total isolation. Their day is punctuated by interactions in person, on the phone or via emails or instant messaging. While many of these may be virtual, they still demonstrate that you are in demand and have worth to others. Suffering an illness or injury which means a person is unable to work means that all these connections are immediately severed. Their world shrinks Rebecca Hill Senior Manager - Marketing & Communications Cirencester Friendly The loneliness of illness
overnight. From having numerous links to colleagues or customers, these communication channels go quiet. While of course, it is possible to be lonely at work, in fact, around 1 in 10 works say they feel lonely often or always2, those with long-term health conditions are almost three times more likely to experience loneliness than those without them3. Illness can create a barrier, stopping people connecting with others and making them feel like outsiders. The antidote to loneliness is moving back into contact with people. But if you are suffering an illness or injury, this is far from straightforward. Your mobility is likely to be impaired and you may feel self-conscious about your condition, not wanting to talk about it to others, not feeling worthy of their attention. This can seriously affect recovery and your ability to get back to work. The longer you are away from that working environment, the more remote it feels. It is easy to imagine things have moved on without you, that you can’t catch up and you’re not able to do what you once took for granted. The longer that a person is off work, the harder it is for them to get back and the likelihood rises that they will never return at all. Keeping that connection going with the outside world is a vital part of aiding recovery, preventing loneliness from taking hold and creating a barrier to full recovery. 09 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER How income protection can help While the main purpose of income protection is to provide financial security to anyone who can’t work due to illness or injury, covering the essential bills, it can also do so much more than that. By providing a regular payment each month, it gives people the funds to maintain an element of their social life, maintaining that valuable connection with others during their recovery. Additional services, such as Friendly Voice also offer a lifeline. The confidential phone service to a personal nurse can offer emotional support and therapies helping to provide that vital link with another human, when contact to other people may be limited. Having this service available with an objective, trained professional helps to fight the feelings of isolation and loneliness, providing the motivation to get back to their former fitness. The key to growing awareness and interest in income protection may be talking about the full benefits of having cover, demonstrating the whole value of the package has to offer. Emotional wellbeing is key to recovery from illness and injury and we need to find a way to show that income protection can do more than protect the essentials, it can help provide that vital connection to the outside world. 1 - Facts and Statistics | Campaign to End Loneliness 2 - Facts and Statistics | Campaign to End Loneliness 3 - Loneliness at work report | research | British Red Cross
Workplace wellbeing A recent report from Unum showed that only 51% of companies have a ‘strategic approach’ in place for employee wellbeing. However it also showed that mental health is the UK’s fourth-most common cause of short-term sickness absence and the biggest cause of long-term sickness absence. So it seems like a good time to explore workplace wellbeing and how we can improve upon workplace culture and environment. We know that by taking care of employees’ mental health, we can reap the benefits with not just improved staff wellbeing but also potentially lower absenteeism, higher productivity, greater staff retention and establishing a reputation for being a caring employer and a good place to work. If you are interested in exploring this more and are looking for ways you can offer more support to employees, Unum have a whole host of resources readily available here. Closely linked to this topic, earlier this month, we were pleased to take part My Whole Self Day, a campaign created by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England to promote inclusive and supportive cultures where employees can bring their whole selves to work. I thought it would be useful to look in more detail about what it means to bring your whole self to work, and why it’s important for mental health and wellbeing. What is My Whole Self? My Whole Self is the idea that we all have multiple aspects of our identity and experience that make us who we are, such as our background, sexuality, religion, gender, health, and mental health. These aspects are not separate or fixed, but rather fluid and interconnected, influencing how we think, feel, and behave in different situations. When we bring our whole selves to work, we are able to express ourselves authentically and openly, without having to hide or suppress any part of our identity. We are also able to recognise and appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of others, which in hand makes it easier to build meaningful and respectful relationships with our colleagues, managers, and customers. It’s important to recognise that we don’t want to force people to talk bring their whole self to work if they don’t wish How encouraging employees to bring their whole selves to work can benefit your business... 10 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER Riona Mulherin Director of Marketing & Operations Paradigm
to share certain things; the My Whole Self campaign is about creating the right environment at work for people to bring their whole self, if they wish to do so. Alarmingly, research from MHFA England who recently surveyed 2,000 employees in February, showed that: • 1 in 5 employees said discriminatory or exclusionary behaviours had a negative outcome on their mental health • 1 in 7 employees have considered quitting their job as a result of discriminatory or exclusionary behaviours Why is “My Whole Self” important for mental health and wellbeing? Bringing our whole selves to work has many benefits for our mental health and wellbeing, as well as for our performance and productivity. We all deserve to feel valued and empowered to be our 'whole self' at work, which can help drive innovation and excellence from individuals. According to MHFA England, some of these benefits include: • Reducing stress and anxiety • Increasing engagement and motivation • Enhancing creativity and innovation, driving positive change and growth. How can we make a change? One of my main take aways from My Whole Self Day is that we all need to take action to address the root causes and issues that are creating these barriers in some workplaces, resulting in people not feeling comfortable to bring their whole self to work. We should be questioning whether our workplace offers a safe, non-judgemental environment for employees and what more can be done to improve this. MHFA England created a range of free resources for this years’ event, including some tools to help companies get involved, including this guide which you might find useful if you’re unsure where to start - My Whole Self: Guide to creating inclusive workplace cultures. It provides a range of practical tools for you to help create workplaces where everyone is respected and valued, and covers topics such as psychological safety, allyship, inclusive language, and mental health support. I hope you found this article useful and that it may spark some ideas on how you can work on enhancing your workplace culture for the benefit of both your team and your business. If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on [email protected]. 11 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER
The definition of financial resilience is the ability to cope with a sudden unexpected change to finances, such as a temporary loss of income. Essentially, it’s about whether bills can continue to be paid, food put on the table and loved ones supported. In today’s climate consumers are even more aware of their need to be financially resilient, but do they realise protection could provide that solution? Our second Reaching Resilience report* explores the views of UK working adults on their financial resilience and challenges their perception of what makes a good plan B if they couldn’t work because of illness or injury. Here are three key takeaways from the report that you can use within your protection conversations: Almost half of the working population said they’d rely on savings This is a common objection to protection that I think most of us can relate to. Almost half of workers surveyed said they would rely on savings if an illness or injury left them unable to work. Yet our research showed that 4 in 10 workers don’t have the suggested 3 months of average outgoings saved (around £5,000 for the average household**). Exploring this further: • Around 4 in 10 have less than £5,000 saved • A quarter have less than £1,000 • 1 in 10 have no savings at all This isn’t a sustainable safety net for most people, especially when you consider, according to LV= claims data from 2023, the average LV= Income Protection claim lasted for 5 years, 2 months. Sharing this with your client can get them to think about how far their savings would get them. Unless specifically an emergency fund, it’s also unlikely your client’s original saving goal was to cover outgoings due to an unexpected life event. How prepared are your clients to dip into these hard-earned savings? Plenty think they could rely on others to get by Another common theme was the assumption that they could rely on a partner, parent, or other family members to cover this loss in income. However, when we asked ‘who else relies on your income’ the most common response was their partner, and 52% of working couples said they need both incomes to meet their outgoings. This statistic is even higher for younger working couples and first-time buyers. In fact, according to our research the average worker is supporting 3 people with Carl Heard National Account Manager LV= 12 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER How prepared is your client for the unexpected?
their income (including themselves). Losing an income often has a domino effect, and it’s always good to remind your clients that an Income Protection policy is more than just about protecting them. Ask your clients who are couples: • How would you cope financially with just one income? • What about if it’s the primary earner whose income stops? • If you can cover essential outgoings, how prepared are you to sacrifice other aspects of your lifestyle? • How many people are you supporting with your own income? What would be the impact to them if you couldn’t work? Over half of the working population said they’d feel more financially resilient with Income Protection or Critical Illness cover If there’s one message to focus on, it’s the opportunity that’s out there for advisers. We asked how financially resilient they’d feel with insurance that pays a lump sum for a serious illness or covered their income if they couldn’t work due to illness or injury. Over 50% could see the benefit of these types of protection in providing peace of mind for their financial future. When we specifically mentioned product names, 1 in 4 workers who don’t currently have protection would like to have either Income Protection or Critical Illness cover. Clients aren’t always aware that protection is the solution, or even in some cases that it’s an option. As an adviser, you’re uniquely placed to demonstrate the role that protection products play in building financial resilience. Read our Reaching Resilience report Our latest Reaching Resilience report is packed with insights that can really help you to frame the protection conversation. It also dives into some core groups you might come across, specifically first-time buyers, families with children and the selfemployed, providing insights to tailor your conversations. To read our report and find other resources, visit our Reaching Resilience hub. You can also contact your LV= account manager to arrange a 1-2-1 session. *The data used in our Reaching Resilience report comes from a survey of 4,000 nationally representative adults conducted for LV= by Opinium between 23 November and 3 December 2023. **Average outgoings is based on data from our LV= Wealth and Wellbeing Research – June 2023. Moneyhelper suggest a good rule of thumb is to have 3 months of outgoings in savings. 13 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER
HEADQ YEARS OF PARADIGM PROTECT 10In January, Paradigm Protect cele been offering our comprehensive directly authorised firms. In a rel and now stand out from the crow cember 2023, we were proud to b Protection Review Awards. Thank you to everyone who has s the way! See below for 10 (of man award-winning proposition. CPD Academy & Test Zone Our award-winning CPD Academy is FREE to members and covers a wide range of topics. We have also developed our Test Zone to support firms and demonstrate that advisers are fit and proper to perform their role. Protection Panel With no registration or membership fees, we have established one of the most comprehensive Protection and GI panels in the DA space. CP Eve Throughout the a wide range o help you gain in important topi relevant marke information. Our full 2024 c currently live h Technology We currently work closely with several technology providers whose tools can help protect your business, and help you comply with the FCA’s requirements. Visit our Technology hub here. Soft Skills Following member feedback, we partnered with Aviva to develop a series of soft skill events to deliver support that will help enhance your client communication and engagement. These sessions can be found here and we hope to bring you more of these sessions soon. Making a d As a team, we t something bac can, whether th Day to Make a our involvemen Diversity and In Finance Forum fundraising act
QUARTERS ebrated our 10 year anniversary! Since 2014, we have e Protection & General Insurance (GI) proposition to latively short time, we are proud to have achieved this wd in terms of the level of support that we offer. In Debe recognised as ‘Best Protection Network/Club’ at the supported us on this journey and worked with us along ny!) benefits our members receive from using our PD ents e year, we run of events which nsights on ics and hear et and product calendar is here. Bespoke Compliance Our compliance packages, which start from £135+VAT per month, can be tailored to meet your firm’s specific requirements and regulatory needs. We have been at the forefront of Consumer Duty support and have a dedicated hub here. Protection Helpdesk Paradigm offer a highlycommended Protection Helpdesk service to help our members place complex protection cases. Get in touch either via email or by phoning 0330 053 6061 (option 3). difference try to give ck where we his is via our Difference, nt in the nclusion m (DIFF), our tivities. Commercial Terms As a major distributor of Protection products in the UK market, we have over 950 firms now benefitting from our superior proposition and commercial terms. Find out more here. Going the extra mile In many instances where agencies are currently held direct with Providers, moving to Paradigm can have a significant effect on your income, with increases of up to 40% in some cases!
As I sit down to reflect on the significance of Race Equality Week, I find myself grappling with a myriad of emotions and thoughts. As an individual from an ethnic minority and a member of a diverse workforce within Accord Mortgages, I understand and can personally relate to the importance of fostering an environment where individuals from all racial backgrounds feel valued, respected, and empowered. Race Equality Week, which took place on the week of 5th February, served as a strong reminder of the strides we have made in promoting racial equality while also highlighting the work that still needs to be done within the industry that we all work in. The essence of Race Equality Week lies in its ability to create a safe environment to spark conversations and drive meaningful change. It serves as a platform for individuals and organisations and the mortgage industry to come together, share experiences, and explore ways to combat racism and promote inclusivity. From panel discussions to workshops and awareness campaigns, the week was filled with activities aimed at raising awareness, generating curiosity and fostering understanding. One of the most impactful aspects of Race Equality Week is its ability to shine a spotlight on the challenges faced by minority communities in the workplace. As a person of colour myself, I have experienced first-hand the subtle biases and systemic barriers that can hinder professional growth and development. Whether it's being passed over for opportunities in the past, being asked to repeat my name as Gurpreet is an “unusual name” or attending an industry event and feeling like an outsider in predominantly white spaces where bonds and circles have remained for decades, the impact of racial inequality can be deeply felt. However, Race Equality Week offers a glimmer of hope by providing a platform for individuals to share their experiences and advocate for change. By amplifying diverse voices and perspectives, we can challenge existing norms and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace. This not only benefits employees from minority backgrounds but also enriches the organisational culture as a whole and can really help us to drive our industry forward. Embracing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: My Reflections on Race Equality Week 14 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER Gurpreet Chahal Corporate Account Manager Accord Mortgages
One of the key ways in which Race Equality Week can impact the workplace is by fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment among minority colleagues. When individuals feel valued and respected for who they are, they are more likely to contribute their best work and actively engage in the goals of the organisation and the wider mortgage industry. This sense of belonging is not only beneficial for employee morale but also translates into tangible business outcomes, including increased productivity and innovation which is fundamental for our industry. Moreover, Race Equality Week serves as a catalyst for organizational change by prompting companies to reassess their policies and practices through a diversity lens. From recruitment and retention strategies to leadership development programs, organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of creating a level playing field for all employees. By implementing initiatives aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion, companies can foster a culture where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. But we do need everyone to play their part and allyship is a fundamental part in creating that level playing field. Committing to and turning up to events, showing curiosity and seeking to understand whilst also not being a bystander are just some of the ways an ally can help and support in creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive mortgage industry. There is a lot of great work going on within the industry, whether that is internally in organisations or industry led like the work of AMI and IMLA (Working In Mortgages - Shaping the future). However, we need to continue to build on this work and elevate it further if we’re to reach our ultimate goal of creating a truly diverse and inclusive mortgage industry, which means we need everyone across the industry on this journey together. So the question to ask yourself is – are you playing your part? 15 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER
In the words of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “There is nothing permanent, except change”. Since joining the Policy team 18 months ago, that has definitely been the case in respect of regulation! The Policy team examine a staggering amount of information from the FCA, Information Commissioner's Office, Financial Ombudsman Service, Prudential Regulation Authority, Pensions Regulator and HM Treasury, along with many other sources. We also attend conferences, workshops, working groups and webinars. Each week we consider collectively new information, consultations, policy statements and how it will impact our firms, as well as how best to communicate this to you. But, who are Paradigm’s Policy team? Let me introduce myself first. I have been in the financial services industry for over 25 years starting in call centre customer services/support roles. I have worked as a mortgage adviser, financial adviser, paraplanner, file reviewer and also in regulated complaints liaising with the FOS. Many of my roles have included training new recruits, creating training plans, and deputising as manager. My passion is good customer service, or I guess we should call it good customer outcomes now! I started at Paradigm in 2019. You may be familiar with me, having previously been part of the file review team! I moved to the role of Policy Supervisor in 2022 when we brought together a Policy team across different parts of the business to give a more rounded approach to our firms’ needs. My role is to supervise all the work that goes through the Policy team. My claim to fame is that I once travelled by police escort on the Deportivo football team coaches to Old Trafford when they played Manchester United in the 2001 Champions league and won! Meet our Policy Team! 16 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER Carmen Bews Policy Supervisor Paradigm Consulting Christine Newell Mortgage Technical Director Christine started her career in financial services in 1990. Her roles have included, mortgage and endowment adviser, field and regional trainer, District mortgage sales manager, BDM and a National manager supporting packaging and subprime lender relationships within a large banking group. Christine joined Paradigm at its infancy in 2007 as a relationship manager and became Mortgage Technical Director for Paradigm in 2014. Christine is a natural
relationship builder and looks after our larger mortgage firms helping these firms with their business decisions as well as mitigating risk in their business. Christine brings an overview of the mortgage, protection and general insurance markets to the Policy team. Christine’s claim to fame is her Great Grandfather, Eugen Sandow, was the Strongest man in the world and the first body builder of the time and physical education adviser to King Edward Vll and Queen Alexandra. The Mr Universe trophies that body builders receive as awards are based on Eugen Sandow. 17 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER David has over 36 years of financial services experience, 22 of which have been spent in compliance roles. In his career, David has been a mortgage adviser, a mortgage manager, a financial adviser and has held various compliance management roles. David joined Paradigm at inception 17 years ago as Technical Services Manager, with responsibility for building Paradigm’s Head Office compliance team (Technical Helpdesk/File Review Team/Policy Function). Since then David has been made a Partner in the business and currently holds the title of Head of Proposition where he continues to ensure the continued development and delivery of high quality regulatory support to Paradigm firms. David also manages Paradigm Consulting’s third party strategic relationships with providers, fund houses and software suppliers. David is very much an all-rounder with knowledge and experience in many areas, especially compliance rules and their practical application. David Ryder Head of Proposition Graeme Stewart Head of Consultancy A little known fact about David is he was once paid to play football for Wrexham FC and he was also in a band whose support act was Gary Barlow!! Graeme joined the Financial Services industry just after the stock market crash in 1987 and worked as a Broker Consultant. After four years he joined an Independent Financial Advisory firm and quickly started on the Training & Competence side of things. He then moved to a National Network and was soon promoted to Regional Manager. Graeme has been at Paradigm from day 1. His main tasks are in relation to presenting at our CPD events whether that is our Forums, Best Practice online events, Essential Skills Workshops or our Mortgage and Protection events. He also runs the Paradigm supervisor courses. With the continuous change in FCA rules and expectations, as well as the different needs of the attendees, no two courses have ever been the same in 16 years! Graeme loves attending live music events whenever he can. His claim to fame is he did manage once to grab Bev Bevan’s (from The Move and ELO) drumstick as he threw it to the crowd. Despite 6 hands on it, Graeme was not letting go and describes it as “priceless” to him! Matthew Blackburn Consultant (Technical Helpdesk) Matthew has worked in financial services since March 1997. This has included roles in a stockbroker, an insurance company as well as Paradigm. In that time, he has Continued on next page...
18 SPRING PROTECT NEWSLETTER have taken orders to buy and sell shares, made alterations to insurance policies, provided new business call centre support to financial advisers, and advised clients on pension switches and transfers. Matthew has been at Paradigm for over fourteen years and helps firms with technical queries. He has been a valuable asset to the policy team particularly with his pension knowledge. Matthew is involved in updating the Compliance manual, issuing Regulatory guides as well as providing technical knowledge. Matthew’s claim to fame is meeting the former French President, François Mitterrand. Although, Matthew was ten at the time and had no idea who he was! Sharon Ardern Consultancy Manager Sharon has 31 years industry experience starting as a cashier then moving into mortgages. Her roles have included being a tied adviser then moving across to the IFA sector carrying out a variety of roles including Paraplanner, Adviser, and Office Manager. More recently, she spent the last 10 years working within SJP Practices as an Operations Director before moving to Paradigm. She has just completed her first anniversary with Paradigm! Sharon works very closely with our firms to offer practical support and guidance by helping to identify the specific areas where assistance is needed. She brings the firm’s perspective to Policy as she manages our file review and consultancy team. Sharon is currently one exam away from Chartered and Fellow with the CII and also holds The Institute of Leadership & Management qualifications. Sharon’s fun fact is her dad used to play football with George Best before he became fully professional! Stuart has been involved in financial services for over twenty five years, having begun his career as an administrator. He’s worked mainly for small IFA practises in a variety of roles including Paraplanner and Adviser. Stuart joined Paradigm as a Technical Helpdesk Consultant in 2012 and then later became the Technical Helpdesk Manager. As well as Helpdesk Manager, Stuart is a pension transfer specialist as well as assisting firms with Direct Authorisation and Variation of Permission applications to the Regulator. Stuart brings his all round technical knowledge, pension knowledge and authorisations experience to the Policy team and is involved in the Policy team meetings as well as writing or advising on our more technical compliance updates. A funny story about Stuart is at the age of 11 he won a form prize in his first year at grammar school and his mother bought a new hat to celebrate!! Stuart said the only other time he gave her cause to buy a hat was his wedding day! We hope you enjoyed this little introduction to the team! Our Regulatory Policy team provide the information you receive through a range of Paradigm Consulting's support, including the compliance manual, compliance updates, technical updates, Target articles, Hot Topics, Technical guides and workshops. If you are not yet subscribing to Paradigm Consulting's services, please get in touch with your Relationship Manager to find out more. Alternatively, you can request a callback here. Stuart Shelton Helpdesk Manager
NEW Threshold Conditions test on our CPD Test Zone Added three Lenders to our Lender panel, including: TAB, The Loans Engine and Penrith Building Society BRAND NEW eBooks: • A Consumer Duty eBook titled "Living under the Duty" • An eBook partnered with Triple Point titled "Tax-efficient Investments" New Consumer Duty episode of Paradigm On Film focussing on the reporting phase Joined the Consumer Duty Alliance as an Affiliate Member! We celebrated International Women's Day! Celebrated 10 Years of Paradigm Protect! NEW Strategic Partner! New Technology Partnership! Our full 2024 Events Calendar is now live. Throughout the year, we will be hosting a range of online and face-to-face events across the country. Thank you for your continued support!
www.paradigm.co.uk/protection/ 0330 053 6061 [email protected]
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