PFS appoints Succession’s Lord as president

Ms Lord is Chief Client Officer for Succession Wealth and is responsible for the client and brand strategy.

With a passion for developing future talent within the business, she also chairs the Succession Wealth NextGen Steering Group.

With nearly 20 years of experience in the profession, prior to joining Succession she was a Partner at Mazars, a top 10 UK professional services firm, and before that she was a Partner at Killik & Co, heading up the Wealth Planning operation in both the UK and the Middle East.

Having achieved Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, Chartered Financial Planner and Chartered Wealth Manager status, Sarah is one of the highest qualified female financial planners in the UK.

In 2016, she was elected to the Board of the Personal Finance Society and has featured in International Adviser’s Top 100 Most Influential list following a period advising outside of the UK.

Commenting on her election at the PFS virtual annual general meeting today (16 September, Ms Lord said: “2020 has been an unprecedented year for society and our profession. Now, more than ever, there is a need for professional financial advice.

“United as a profession, we have a role to play in ensuring that clients have confidence in their financial future.  I am really looking forward to my year as President of The Personal Finance Society; my theme for the year will be to focus on building a strong and sustainable future for our profession.  Aspire, the financial adviser development programme, will be at the heart of my presidential theme.”

Keith Richards, Chief Executive of the Personal Finance Society, said: “We are delighted to welcome Sarah as President of the PFS. Sarah’s experience of both our profession and work encouraging the next generation of personal finance professionals will be invaluable in supporting our ongoing commitment to evolve as a modern professional body and equip our members with what they need to best serve clients.

“I would also like to thank past President Adam Owen, a passionate advocate of technology, for his insights, guidance and contribution to the Society over the past year. We will continue to build an inclusive and united profession making greater use of technology in the years to come.”

At the AGM, the Personal Finance Society’s accounts for the year ending 31 December 2019 were approved.

The Personal Finance Society increased its membership base for the seventh consecutive year in 2019, maintaining its position as the leading professional body for the personal finance sector.

Membership increased to 39,953 (2018: 38,635) individuals at the end of the year and 24,903 (2018: 23,835) Statement of Professional Standing certificates were issued in 2019.