Meet the Management Team

I studied physics and has background in big technical businesses and have spent time as a director of several blue chip companies, both in the UK and France.

I consulted professional advisors about a career change to estate planning in 1999 and they all said words to the effect of “don’t touch it with a barge-pole”, although not all expressed it so politely! I ignored them and have never looked back.

Virtually every day I remind myself how lucky I am to have a job that I really enjoy. I am equally happy protecting a multi-million pound estate for future generations, or advising a single mum of modest means. I am very hands-on in my small business, seeing nearly all clients myself and as a result I feel I can relate to the smaller member firms within the Institute. I remember how others in the profession helped me in my early days I’m keen to reciprocate.

My mission is to change the culture in the UK so that when a member of the public thinks about doing a Will, their first thought is to consult an Institute member, by ensuring that the Institute brand is synonymous with technical competence and fantastic service.

My professional career began as a Chartered Management Accountant in manufacturing and we all know where that industry went - overseas. Fortunately for me the migration to Willwriting and estate planning has been a logical one having strong analytical skills to fall back on. Starting any new career or venture is an uphill battle and after three years of running my own company I can see the light, in fact it has been a thrilling life changing experience! As a newbie, I understand the challenges new members face and still have a way to go myself if I am to catch up with some of the more experienced members. Seeing the effort that goes on behind the scenes as a Council member has been an eye opener that makes me proud to be able to make a contribution to its integrity and future.

I have been running my own Willwriting business and stand-alone document storage Company since 1987 and have a wealth of experience in training and supporting a large network of novice Willwriters and managing a large, national client bank.
I joined the Institute in 2003, was elected onto the Institutes Council in 2004 and became Vice Chairman in 2007.

I have been responsible for the design and delivery of a training manual and course with exam for Associate members joining the IPW.

I am also author of a basic guide to marketing a Willwriting business and a basic guide to taking Lasting Power of Attorney instructions.

I have been running a Willriting and estate administration business for the last 20 years. I joined the Institute in 1994 and became an elected council member in 2009.

As a council member I am responsible for IPW Services Ltd and relish my role of promoting the Institute and its values to potential partners and service providers.

Things have certainly changed and developed during my time as an Institute member but one thing that has always remained constant is its core principles: professional, ethical, competent.

I have been writing Wills and Estate Planning up in Scotland for over six years following a 30 year career in the hospitality industry where I always prided myself on giving great customer service. I have brought this over into the people facing Willwriting profession.

I have a passion for helping people and am always very gratified when clients say I have put their minds at rest and given them a clear understanding.

It was an honour to be asked to join the council of Institute as the delegate for the ISPW and I take this role very seriously, helping my colleagues in Scotland have a voice and making sure the ISPW is in the forefront of the legislation and regulation that the Scottish Parliament is pioneering.

I started The Will Writing Company in 1990. Our firm has had a member representative of the Institute since its inception in 1991 and I personally joined in 1998. I am currently serving my second elected term of office on the Council and hope to serve a third term if re-elected in 2011 AGM.

The IPW and its members have always stood for what is right and proper within the sector and are ready and able to meet the demands of regulation when and it if comes, be it light touch, or formal. The attainment of the approval from the OFT of its Code of Practice being the first visible demonstration of our appetite to do the right thing and set ourselves apart.

It is vital in today’s demanding society that all businesses should not only treat its customers fairly, but also be able to show and demonstrate how they treat customers fairly. It is my view after 21 years in the sector that only the only organisation able to do so effectively so far is the Institute.

As a Will Writer of 20 years plus, I still know there is plenty to learn and keep on top of! As a member of the Institutes training team, I deal with a lot of new Willwriters and am always happy to share my ideas with them. Customer service is top of my agenda for my clients, and I always try to do my very best. Being a member of the Institutes Council can be very time consuming but I feel honoured to have been elected by the members.

My background was originally in new product development and quality assurance systems for the Boots Company. In 2004 I attended the IPW’s Introduction to Willwriting course and, duly motivated, decided to leave Boots. My wife and I went on to develop our own practice, which has ultimately led to working with and developing a major national estate planning company.

I have never lost sight of the fact that ultimately it’s about providing clients with excellent customer service, regardless of the size of business. Although being involved in both small and national companies has provided such hugely differing challenges in applying the same Code of Practice into such radically different business models, I firmly believe the Institute has set a unique benchmark for estate planning businesses, to enable the provision of excellent customer service through the Code.