"As the PDG continues to grow, I’m excited to see what further difference we can make, especially around delivering better customer outcomes and educating fellow advisers."
- Charlotte Rogers, Protection Specialist at Radcliffe & Co
Following the AGM earlier this month, the Protection Distributors Group (PDG) has announced various appointments & departures to its Board.
Alan Lakey, Co-Founder of CIExpert, has been a member of the Board since the inception of the PDG, providing detailed technical insight for the group – particularly in discussions with the Association of British Insurers (ABI). He has stepped down from this role, to concentrate on other business areas, but remains a member of the PDG.
Jo Miller, who’s provided operational support for the group is also stepping down after four years to focus on other roles.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Rogers, Protection Specialist at Radcliffe & Co, has joined the Board. This appointment follows last year’s addition of Chelsea Warren, Executive Director – Head of Financial Protection at SPF Private Clients.
READ MORE: PDG appoint Chelsea Warren to its Board
Charlotte is “delighted to join the Board and support the PDG in continuing to improve customer outcomes. The work the PDG has done already is fantastic and I’m looking forward to using my passion for protection to help make a real difference to the protection market.”
Alongside this addition, Emma Thomson, who served as the inaugural PDG Chair from 2016-18, has been appointed to the newly created role of Vice-Chair. She will focus on member and sponsor engagement, promotion of PDG activities, and expanding resources to assist advisers.
“Being on the Board is a privilege and I’m proud to have contributed to initiatives such as the Claims Charter which we know has a positive impact on customers. I’m delighted to be appointed as Vice Chair to help drive forward even further our work to improve customer outcomes,” she said.
Commenting on these changes, Neil McCarthy, Chair of the PDG, noted that “2025 looks like it’ll be another busy year for the PDG. We’re still understanding and reacting to how Consumer Duty is being embedded and embraced by protection distributors.
“The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) market study will start to get more detailed output, and the potential ramifications will be considered to see how they impact on ensuring positive consumer outcomes.
READ MORE: PDG welcomes FCA looking at protection specifically and not “lumping it in with General Insurance”
He said: “We’ll be working with insurers to release the 2025 Claims Charter, and I’m hoping that more insurers will be able to sign up to its terms and deliver consistently high service standards in the area they control. We’re currently undertaking a new project to try and agree on some standardisation of Management Information to support the Product Governance demands that could potentially take out significant duplication in the market.
“We also want to help more people find the protection they need by encouraging insurers and intermediaries to deliver better consumer outcomes. By providing resources, education, and advocacy, the PDG strives to raise the standard of service and advice in the sector, ensuring customers are well informed and properly protected,” Neil concluded.
