After originally joining financial services as a web programmer, Alan was quickly tempted by the dark side of financial services and became a protection adviser. Alan now runs Cura, a multi award - winning protection intermediary, specialising in hard - to - place protection cases, such as people with health conditions. Alan is also the current Chair of the Protection Distributors Group (PDG), member of the Executive team at the Income Protection Taskforce (IPTF) and member of the Access to Insurance W orking Party.

Andy is Director of Strategic Partnerships at Vitality . He is responsible for the major network/service provider relationships, both the Life and Health Product Specialist teams, Vitality’s sales through online aggregators and manages the key relationships with market influences . He has been working at Vitality for 15 years , joining shortly after its formation originally as PruProtect . Andy has been in the industry for 36 years and before joining Vitality spent nearly 20 years with Legal & General working in numerous sales and account management roles most notably as an Account Director in Banks & Building Societies Division and managing the national Business Partnerships Recruitment team. He spent the formative part of his career as a Financial Adviser and a trainee Accountant . Andy’s experience and professionalism has been recognised with him having won ‘ Business Leader of the Year, Protection or General Insurance ’ at the prestigious British Mortgage Awards on no fewer than five occasions ( 2012, 2013 , 2014, 2016 and 2017 ) . These are often referred to as the “Os cars of the mortgage industry. ” He is married with two daughters , is a passion ate Tottenham Hotspur supporter and likes watching cricket.

With 35 years of financial services experience, Angela started her career at Barclays Bank, working 22 years before furthering her career as an independent mortgage and protection adviser. Progressing to become a business development manager at Royal London in 2014, and with Zurich in 2018, Angela started her own company ‘Passion for Protection’ in 2019 in which she provided protection sales training. Now settled into her new role as Head of Protection at Mortgage Intelligence, her mission is to support MI by fueling great protection conversations that will result in more clients being protected. An avid reader, Ted Talks follower and lifelong learner.

Christine is the Managing Director of RedArc, a specialist company providing personalised, long - term help and support to employees , individuals and families suffering from serious illness, disability or bereavement, through its team of highly qualified, registered nurses. RedArc was the first company to address the non - financial needs of protection customers and their families, something now integral to the majority of protection products in the group and individual markets . RedArc supports people via key protection players such as Royal London, Scottish Widows, Legal & General, Canada Life, AIG Life, Aviva and Aegon as well as via intermediaries and organisations in other sectors such as the Federation of Small Businesses and Unite trade union. RedArc ’s expertise covers a wide range of conditions including cancer, mental health, trauma, cardiac conditions as well as long - term condition s such as Parkinson’s, Diabetes and Long Covid. Specialist service features include Practical Help at Home, Face - to - Face Second Medical Opinion , Private Consultations and a wide range of specialised  External Therapies addressing specific physical and mental health needs . Christine spent the initial part of her career in financial roles within the chemical industry before moving into financial services. Since then, Christine has held several directorships and is a Chartered Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors. Speaking of Red Arc, Christine has said she is “proud to be helping so many people at often the most difficult times of their lives, whilst at the same time adding value to a wide range of clients across all market sectors. ”

Debbie was appointed Chief Executive Officer of LifeSearch in November 2021. She leads the largest protection adviser in the UK , following a career as a strategic and global financial services executive. Prior to joining LifeSearch , Debbie has built several protection businesses ; including re branding, new propositions and new operating models. She has a wealth of experience in the life insurance industry . She joined LV= as Protection MD in July 2019 from MLC Life Insurance, based in Melbourne, Australia where she was General Manager New Business & Change and was previously Chief Underwriting Officer. Debbie played a pivotal role as Group Head of Protection Strategy with Royal London. She was responsible for the successful re brand and launch of Royal London Intermediary Protection in 2014. Debbie has held a number of senior management positions at Direct Offices, Reinsurers and BPOs including Swiss Re, AXA and Capita. Her focus has been on creating innovative solutions for the Protection market. From  first to market predictive underwriting solutions , to the creation of a condition specific product for customers with diabetes and those requiring mental health support . Debbie has a keen interest in the power of digital and data science , to make propositions relevant and engaging for today’s customers as well as customers of the future. Debbie is an active supporter of the Protection industry and has Chaired the ABI Genetics Committee. She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Masters in Leadership and Management , with a particular focus on leading virtual teams

Katie is managing director of Tabei, a consultancy firm which supports providers with proposition development, actuarial services, marketing and communications. She is also co-chair of the Income Protection Task Force (IPTF) which works with all major insurers, reinsurers, service providers and distributors to grow the income protection market. Outside the 'day job', Katie runs The Risky Mix which aims to improve DE&I within the insurance industry.

Kevin Carr is Protection Review CEO and MD of financial services reputation management and PR agency Carr Consulting & Communications. A 2021 CII Public Trust Award Winner, Kevin is a protection insurance expert who has been qualified financial adviser and has held senior management positions at both LifeSearch and PruProtect (VitalityLife). A keen Arsenal fa n, Kevin also plays keyboards in industry covers band The Deadlines.

As Chief Operating Officer (COO), Liz is responsible for Unum’ s service operations for brokers and customers. She drives the strategic development of Unu ’ s broker servicing, claims and rehabilitation propositions to deliver the highest levels of service excellence to every customer. Liz considers ensuring her team feels valued, respected and equipped to deliver excellent customer service vital to her role. Liz has been with Unum for 28 years, moving from the US Sale s Organisation team to the UK in 2012. Before becoming COO, she ran the Key Accounts Sales Team and was the UK HR Director.

Rachel Eason-Whale is a transformational leader in the financial services industry, recognised for her unwavering commitment to driving positive change and achieving exceptional outcomes. With 14 years of experience at the UK’s largest mortgage and protection broker L&C, Rachel has become a trailblazer in customer support, diversity, and inclusion - earning numerous prestigious awards, including COVER WIP Woman of the Year: Customer Support 2023.

Rachel’s remarkable journey includes establishing the Customer Care function at L&C in 2017, leading the Retention and Claims team, and becoming L&C’s Vulnerability Strategic Lead. Her current role as Head of Impact and Inclusion showcases her dedication to shaping a more equitable and inclusive industry. In this capacity, Rachel spearheads strategies that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), support vulnerable populations, and advance sustainability and community initiatives. Her outstanding contributions to DEI were celebrated with the Diversity and Inclusion Champion of the Year award at the COVER WIP Awards 2023 and awarded Diversity Hero at the Barclays DEI Awards 2024.

As a trusted voice for customers, colleagues, and industry peers - her work bridges the gaps between business priorities and human impact and inspires others to champion positive outcomes and collaborate for a better future - where everyone can thrive.

Rupinder Bahra is a highly experienced, multi - award - winning trainer and sales professional with over 23 years of sales and management experience within the Financial Services and Insurance industry. Rupinder has w orked at MetLife for over 10 years. She is currently a consultant working within MetLife’s Global Learning and Development Team and looks after 7 countries within the EMEA region consulting on and managing projects across Agency, Independent Brokers, Direct to Consumer & Bancassurance channels. She is a key ambassador for Women in Sales and is part of the leadership team for MetLife’s Global Women’s Business Network and more recently Wise (Women in Sales EMEA) connecting women across EMEA and supporting t hem in their career journey. Rupinder has regularly and consistently been recognised for her professional achievements, from being named Best Salesperson at the Prudential at the start of her career to winning the Best Women in Field Sales for Europe at T he Women in Sales Awards 2016. More recently she picked up two awards at the Cover Women in Protection and Health Awards for Best Business Development Manager and Women of the Year, Intermediary Support

Shelli is highly experienced in the Protection market, having held a number of sales focused roles within the industry since 2007. Shelli joined Royal London as face - to - face BDM for the South West in 2014 and was subsequently promoted to Regional Distribution Manager for the South in 2017 and currently holds responsibility for a team of 8 BDMs. Shelli is a proud member of the Women in Protection Exec Committee which aims to help more female consumers buy protection insurance and encourage women to start and develop careers within the protection industry.

Vanessa Sallows is the Claims & Governance Director at Legal & General and has over 30 years’ experience working in the NHS, private industry, and the protection market. Vanessa has responsibility for the claims and clinical area within Legal & General’s Group Protection business, oversight of the Group Protection medical underwriting philosophy and operational oversight of the Retail Protection income protection claims. Vanessa is passionate about the psychology of work, what prevents individuals from working during periods of ill - health and helping people return to ‘good work’. Vanessa developed the early intervention, pro - active claims management and vocational rehabilitation approach that Legal & General use to assess & manage their Group and Individual Income Protection claims. Vanessa led the implementation of the Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) within Legal & General and in conjunction with col leagues developed and delivered Legal & General’s Not A Red Card campaign and the Be Well, Get Better, Be Supported framework

Vicky Churcher has been in the financial services industry for nearly 30 years. She is currently an Independent Non - Executive Director at Cirencester Friendly and Co - Chair of the IPTF (Income Protection Task Force). She left AIG in July 2023 where she was the Intermediary Director for five years. Prior to that Vicky was Head of Sales for both Ageas and Bupa. Vicky has had three notable accolades this year from the industry: Winner of Outstanding Industry Contribution 2023 – Women in Protection/Cover, Lifetime Achievement friend of Lifesearch 2023 and more recently Lifetime Achievement 2023 at The Protection Review

Zanele Sibanda is Head of Internal Markets at Towergate Health & Protection. Zanele is a respected industry leader with 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry, specialising in business protection and employee benefits. Recently crowned the Mentor of the Year at the Cover : Women in Protection and Health awards, Zanele ’s role in Towergate sees her responsible for delivering commercial partnerships across the Group. Towergate is the UK’s leading independent insurance broking platform and forms part of The Ardonagh Group , an international network of over 100 offices and 7,000 people which incorporates leading brands in both Lloyd’s of London and global markets. Zanele is also a qualified member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a member of the Personal Finance Society and the Society of Mortgage Professionals.