RAISING STANDARDS TOGETHER
The 2025 series of five regional conferences with the FCA generated fantastic feedback:
- 994 attendees
- 91% likely to recommend the event to a colleague
- 95% intend to make changes based on the FCA sessions.
New events for 2026
We aim to build on this success in 2026 and are delighted to announce a new programme for the year ahead. These offer the same direct interaction with the FCA, alongside real‑world insights from expert practitioners and subject specialists. And all are free-to-attend with at least four hours of CPD.
Dedicated to the dynamics and needs of directly authorised firms and appointed representative firms, the day’s content is focused on sharing good practice, helping firms evolve and achieve greater success.
As well as the ability to interact directly with the FCA, these events also offer opportunities to network with other financial professionals and our professional partners.
Spaces are limited and filling fast. Reserve your seat at the venue closest to you:
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Gatwick - Airport Hilton: Tuesday, 24 March
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Manchester - Hotel Football: Wednesday, 22 April
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Exeter - Sandy Park: Thursday, 21 May
Click on the bar below to learn more about the event agenda.
Every conference will follow a similar structure with the same FCA involvement. Some non-FCA speakers and sessions may vary according to location but will always be of equivalent callibre. The agenda for the next regional conference on Tuesday 24 March at the Gatwick Hilton is shown below. It's packed with a variety of current topics and insightful speakers, and includes over four and a half hours’ structured CPD. 08:30 REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS 09:30 Welcome and Introduction Martin Lines (Development and Events Director, Just) Consumer Duty – Empowering Positive Evolution Keith Richards (CEO, Consumer Duty Alliance) New Era of Regulation Sarah Woodroffe (Head of Consumer Investments at Financial Conduct Authority) A Focus on Vulnerability Interactive session and case study, hosted by Patrick Cassidy and Kevin Oh (FCA) Technology in Practice Jane Hodges (CDA Board member) 11:20 REFRESHMENTS, NETWORKING AND EXHIBITION From Industry to Profession Vanessa Barnes (CDA Board member) Foreseeable Harms in the Advice Process James Macaulay and Maureen Purvis (Senior Pension Transfer Specialists, FCA) Navigating IHT Planning in a Changing Landscape A panel chaired by Vanessa Barnes, with Gillian Hepburn (Head of UK Adviser Solutions and Sales at Vanguard), Joanne Coan (Strategic Partnership Director at L&G), and Nel Isaac (Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships at Foresight). 13:15 LUNCH, NETWORKING AND EXHIBITION Building meaningful, collaborative relationships Robin Melley (Chair of the Financial Vulnerability Taskforce) Is it time to drop the V word? Tony Miles (Technical Director at My Care Consultant) Succession Planning and a New Talent Alliance Tom Hegarty (Chair, New Talent Alliance and CEO, Simplybiz) Myth Busting Consumer Duty Panel featuring the FCA, Michael Lawrence (Consulting Lead at Ocorian), Cecilia Furner (Distribution Director, Retail Retirement at L&G) and Robin Melley. 15:40 Closing remarks Martin Lines and Keith Richards EVENT ENDS, REFRESHMENTS ON DEPARTURE
with other professionals
Thanks to our Conference Partners for their support
Just is the UK’s leading providers of specialist financial services solutions, completely focused on meeting the needs of people thinking about, approaching, or in retirement. We provide products and services to help our customers achieve a better later life and believe that financial intermediaries are best placed to help people with the choices they need to make to achieve this.
We’re delighted to be working in collaboration with the Consumer Duty Alliance again this year. These events offer a great opportunity to connect with Alliance members who share a commitment to good practice and positive customer outcomes, as well as with industry experts and the FCA.
Established in 1836, L&G is one of the UK's leading financial services groups and a major global investor, with £1.1 trillion in total assets under management.
L&G’s Retail business helps create brighter financial futures for all our customers. The division covers the savings, protection and retirement needs of our c.12.8 million retail policyholders and workplace members.
As Foundation Affiliates of the Consumer Duty Alliance, we’re a proud partner of the regional conferences. We look forward to meeting you and discussing the role of guaranteed income in retirement planning.
Albemarle is a trusted investment management partner for independent financial advisers. With a disciplined, academically robust approach, we're committed to enhancing advisers' propositions, supporting long-term business growth, and delivering consistent outcomes for clients. Albemarle strives to provide excellent service, ensuring value for money without compromising on quality.
Partnering with the Alliance supports our commitment to upholding the FCA’s Consumer Duty, placing client outcomes at the heart of our proposition and governance processes.
Request a copy of Investors' Guide to Markets, designed to help advisers have better client conversations.
BNY's goal is to build and manage investment strategies that meet the ever-changing needs of our clients. BNY Investments’ model offers specialist expertise from our forward-thinking seven investment firms, with solutions across every major asset class, backed by the strength, scale and proven financial stewardship of BNY.
The past decade has seen a wave of economic, political, and regulatory change, and we're excited to partner with the Alliance on these events to hear how we can help support financial advisers to navigate changing environments and assist them in delivering the client and commercial outcomes they are seeking.
Download our latest Retirement Advice Report.
Brooks Macdonald Group plc is a leading UK wealth management firm, headquartered in London. Since its founding in 1991, the company has grown to manage over £18 billion in client assets, as of March 2025. Brooks Macdonald offers a range of innovative investment solutions, including bespoke and managed portfolio services, financial planning, and responsible investment options.
Committed to exceptional client service and strong personal relationships, Brooks Macdonald looks forward to active participation in the Alliance's national events and working groups. This involvement aligns with their dedication to sharing best practices and navigating pivotal regulatory and commercial changes in the industry.
Foresight Group, founded in 1984 and now a FTSE 250 company with an AUM of over £13Bn, is an Investment Manager specialising in the Tax-Efficient space and Infrastructure. With offices across the UK, Europe and Australia, we leverage our global expertise to drive best outcomes for our clients and valued partners. This could be via our suite of OEIC’s, VCT’s or our market leading Inheritance Tax Solution.
As Consumer Duty continues to take centre stage for advisers, we’re committed to supporting best practice and helping to prevent foreseeable harm to investors.
Quilter is pleased to partner with the Consumer Duty Alliance, recognising that Consumer Duty is pivotal to our success. This transformative regulatory shift ensures that customer interests are deeply embedded in our company's culture and operations.
Our commitment shines through in Quilter's financial planning, where we offer high-quality advice and bespoke investment solutions tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers, fostering compliance with new standards and enhancing trust and transparency.
Simplybiz is the leading provider of technology, business, and regulatory support to the UK retail financial services industry, helping financial professionals operate more effectively and deliver better outcomes for consumers.
Supporting thousands of intermediaries, our end-to-end platform connects and enables the sector to help it evolve to its greatest potential. Driven by our belief in the value of professional financial advice, we exist to help intermediaries create better consumer outcomes.
We look forward to speaking to as many of you as possible at the Alliance conferences, sharing ideas, best practice, and insight as we work towards our shared goal of shaping a better financial future for all.
Vanguard is a different kind of investment company, founded in the United States in 1975 on a simple but revolutionary idea: that an investment company should manage its funds solely in the interests of its clients.
This is a philosophy that has helped millions of people around the world to achieve their goals with low-cost, uncomplicated investments.
We stand for value to investors and partnering on these events allows us to engage first-hand with advisers and work together on supporting clients to reach their goals.