Liam Richards, currently head of sales at Owl Financial, the specialist protection business of financial adviser network Openwork, is to succeed Owl sales director Pat McKenna, who is retiring in March.
Richards, who will now report into John Cupis (pictured), Openwork’s mortgage director, joined Owl Financial in November 2019 and has previously held key roles at St James’ Place, Nationwide and Santander.
The appointment is one of a number of changes at Openwork, which has introduced the new role of chief commercial officer (CCO).
Mike Morrow has been promoted from wealth & platform director to CCO to lead on proposition development across the business as well as the development of the wealth platform and contractual relationships with adviser firms and third parties.
Morrow starts his new role from the end of January.
Claire Limon, currently director of learning and acquisition, joins the Executive Committee and will become wealth director as part of the changes. She will remain responsible for wealth adviser recruitment as well as retaining responsibility for the network’s Academy and Learning and Development.
Openwork chief executive Philip Howell said that the changes will position the organisation well for its growth ambitions across the business and its “specific focus” on expanding its wealth proposition.
He said: “I congratulate both Mike and Claire on their new roles.
“We are sorry to see Pat retire and thank him for his considerable contribution to the development and success of Owl, from its early beginnings to a position where it now protects over 400,000 households across the UK.
“I am confident Liam and John will build on the success of Owl Financial as part of these changes.”
Morrow has run Openwork’s wealth channel since 2015 and previously worked for Ascentric as sales and marketing director and was head of insurance and investment at HSBC.
Earlier in his career he was head of platform and distribution at AXA.
Claire Limon joined Openwork as head of national sales at Owl in 2017 before being promoted to director of learning & acquisition in 2019. Previously she was retail director for Countrywide, and head of insurance at Halifax Bank of Scotland