Meet the Succession Alliance Board

Ben Wright (Chair) - Chief Innovation Officer, Melo

Ben is Chair of the Succession Alliance and Chief Innovation Officer at Melo, bringing over 20 years of experience across the financial advice profession. He began his career as a financial adviser and has since worked extensively across sales, marketing, compliance, reg-tech, learning and development, events, and fund management, giving him a well-rounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities within the profession.

As co-founder of Melo, Ben has helped build one of the UK’s leading sell-side brokers for financial planning firms, supporting advisers through some of the most important transitions in their business lifecycle. His work at Melo has given him direct insight into the realities of succession, from best-in-class planning to the consequences of poor preparation.

Ben is deeply passionate about the financial advice profession and believes strongly in giving back. Through his work at Melo, he’s seen first-hand the impact that succession, done well or badly, can have on advisers, clients, and firms alike. Ben created the Succession Alliance to raise standards, improve outcomes, and help firm owners approach succession, whether internal or external, with greater clarity and confidence.

Ben is a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society and holds a Master’s Degree in Financial Planning and Business Management.

Debbie Dry – Acquisitions Director, Loyal North

Debbie has over 25 years’ experience in financial planning and wealth management, with a particular specialism in mergers and acquisitions. She has held senior acquisition and operational roles across multiple firms, including Integration Director at national consolidator Succession Wealth, where she oversaw the acquisition and integration of 57 advisory businesses with more than £8bn in combined assets under management.

As Head of Business Development at JustFA, Debbie draws on her extensive M&A and operational experience to work with advisory firms on sustainable growth strategies. She focuses on how technology can improve efficiency, client segmentation and profitability - helping firms build stronger, more scalable businesses and ultimately enhance long-term exit value.

As Group Acquisition Director at Loyal North, Debbie works with business owners to manage all aspects of the acquisition and integration process.

Steve Gazard – Chief Distribution Officer, Quilter

Steve is a versatile, persistent, focused and people orientated business leader. Succeeds by building great teams, cultivating talent and driving companies to deliver long-term sustainable models and become relentlessly client-focussed.

A financial planner by training with subsequent broad background in financial advice, operations, recruitment, sales management, marketing, governance, change & crisis management, restructure, merger, acquisition and sale.

Steve has experience in owner managed, AIM listed, provider owned and FTSE 100 / 250 trading environments delivering both growth and corporate restructures. He’s also a self confessed gadget geek with a clear focus on technology as a true enabler of better outcomes.

Morven Grierson – Compliance Director, MKC Wealth

Morven Grierson is a senior leader in the UK wealth management and financial advice sector with 22 years’ experience, specialising in scaling regulated businesses through disciplined growth, acquisition and integration. She is a Fellow of the International Compliance Association (FICA), holds Senior Management Functions under SM&CR, and acts as MLRO, with direct accountability for governance, risk, compliance and financial crime oversight within FCA-authorised firms.

As Compliance Director, she supports business growth by embedding robust, sustainable control frameworks that enable expansion in a controlled and defensible manner. Her remit includes oversight of change-in-control processes, SMF transitions, regulatory permissions, capital adequacy considerations and the alignment of group propositions with Consumer Duty requirements.

Her expertise centres on strengthening enterprise risk management, clarifying first and second line accountability and enhancing operational resilience. She builds proportionate, data-led compliance infrastructure that enables firms to scale without compromising regulatory integrity, financial crime controls or client outcomes

Eugene Onwuka – Corporate & Strategy Development Director, 7IM

Eugene has spent more than 17 years helping organisations navigate change with clarity and purpose. His career across financial services has seen him lead major transformation programmes in M&A integrations, risk, and technology, working with teams at Lloyds Banking Group, Benchmark Capital (part of Schroders), and now at 7IM.

In his role as Corporate & Strategy Development Director at 7IM, Eugene leads core M&A integrations playing a central role in shaping the firm’s long term strategyand ongoing transformation. Colleagues value his ability to bring people together, simplify complexity, and ensuring clients and employees remain central to critical decisions.

Eugene’s leadership style is thoughtful, collaborative, and grounded in integrity. He is passionate about building resilient organisations, strengthening governance, and ensuring teams feel supported and empowered through periods of change. His broad experience -spanning transformation, risk, technology, and cultural integration - allows him to bring balanced, practical insight to even the most challenging situations.

Keith Richards – CEO, Consumer Duty Alliance 

A recognised leader within the financial services sector, with over 35 years’ experience operating at executive level across manufacturing, distribution, financial planning and regulation. He previously led the successful evolution of the largest professional membership body for personal finance in the UK and internationally, the Personal Finance Society (PFS).