Whether it is recruiting, training and retaining people with the appropriate skills and qualifications, or coming to terms with the complex dimensions of financial planning, for your internationally mobile customers. We know you have a tough job on your hands.
We also know that it takes a lot of resource and time to build a top class advice business and we appreciate that you need to invest heavily in training your people, not only to maintain your authorisation, but also to find new customers and manage your existing customer base.
This is why – as part of our strategic plan to add value for our distribution partners – we have launched the FPI Financial Adviser Academy.
We have a long standing reputation for providing a superior level of support for our advisers, and many have benefited from our expertise when structuring their customers’ offshore investments, savings and protection plans.
Initially available in the UAE, and aimed at advisers working with expatriate customers, the Academy offers you access to our specialists who – working in tandem with our regional sales managers – can share their expertise to help you to develop suitable financial planning solutions for your customers. Ultimately, each region in which we operate will have its own Academy, which will provide relevant support for both local and expatriate customers.
In the UAE, we’ve recruited several top class specialists in their field, who we think are without equal, in the international financial services market. They are ready and willing to support you in the areas of tax, trust and estate planning, funds and investments and sales training.
We recruited Scott Hood as Regional Technical Manager for the Middle East and Africa, earlier this year.
A Chartered Financial Planner and Fellow of the Personal Financial Society, Scott holds a law degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. He is experienced in both dispensing and auditing UK regulated financial advice and is regularly invited to present on financial planning aspects of life assurance, trusts and pensions. Scott is an expert in SME business protection and has broad experience in financial services having held Technical, Product, and Market Development Manager roles at other large financial institutions.
Lina Taher also joined us this year as Regional Funds and Investment Manager. Lina holds a double major in Finance and Accounting Information Systems from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.
Lina’s role is to help with funds and investment training for our business partners, to keep them updated on fund strategy and performance and to share with them the latest market insights from the various asset managers we work with.
Neil Hay is our Regional Sales Training Manager. Neil has 18 years’ industry experience, including nine years as a sales consultant in the UK and Dubai. Neil’s role principally looks at the impact of regulatory changes on the industry, in the UAE. He also provides training and co-ordination to help keep our key business partners ahead of the curve.
Neil is responsible for the delivery of value added training – working with our key business partners on the additional training requirements they need to support the growth of their business and the development of their teams. In addition he oversees our Masterclass concept, delivering soft skills training to help advisers gain trust and commitment from their customers.
In some cases, the Academy can offer another unique service to certain business partners, by giving them access to our Customer Insight team. This team can help with quantitative and qualitative insight, analytical models, predictive modelling and data on existing customer bases.
Underpinning the support the Academy offers, is a dedicated section of our website, which will evolve to provide you with the latest information on taxation, trust and estate planning, funds and investment, as well as details on the latest sales training we can help with.
Over time the Academy will also include additional support and insight on other areas, such as management consultancy – to help you to move to more profitable models – and a section for our underwriters to share their expertise, which, in turn, will help to make your life easier.
We believe we are unique, as the only international life insurance company to offer this holistic support service. In time, we hope that the Academy becomes your one stop shop for all the information and support you need.
To find out more about our dedication to supporting your professional development, please visit our website or speak with your regional sales manager.
