The Protection Distributors Group (PDG) has announced a number of board changes for 2025 following its annual general meeting (AGM) earlier this month.
The changes, effective from the start of the year, see Alan Lakey and Jo Miller step down, while Emma Thomson is appointed vice chairwoman and Charlotte Rogers has joined the board.
Lakey, a board member since the inception of the PDG, has stepped down from the board to concentrate on other business areas.
He remains a member of the PDG and will continue to support activity through Highclere Financial Services.
Emma Thomson, who was the original chairwoman of the PDG, has moved to vice chairwoman in a newly introduced role to provide wider support to the group.
Thomson will be focussed on member and sponsor engagement, promotion of PDG activities and expanding resources to help advisers, in addition to her usual involvement in PDG initiatives.
Thomson said: “Being a board member 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 chairwoman to help drive forward even further our work to improve customer outcomes.”
Charlotte Rogers, protection specialist at Radcliffe & Co, who has joined the board, said: “I’m 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 really looking forward to using my passion for protection to help make a real difference to the protection market.
“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.”
Jo Miller, who has provided operational support to the group is also stepping down after four years to focus on her other roles, particularly the IPTF (Income Protection Task Force) and Protection Review.
Neil McCarthy, chairman of the PDG, said: “2025 looks like being another busy year for the PDG.
“We are still understanding and reacting to how the Consumer Duty is being embedded and embraced by protection distributors.
“The 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.
“We will 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 areas they control.
“We are currently undertaking a new project to try and agree 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.”
