What I wouldn’t give to hear the sort of anecdotes John van Der Wielen is going to share with his fellow Australians about his time in the UK when he gets home. The former Clerical Medical MD has been on a sort of a job share with Andy Briggs, who is moving to the general insurance bit of Widows replaced on life, pensions and investments by Phil Loney.
There has of course been plenty for them both to do in the merger. Van Der Wielen may not have been the only Australian involved in UK financial services but I can’t help thinking it is a shame that we have lost someone in a leadership role with a very strong insight into the Australian market given that the UK market is going to shape into something very similar in a few years time with fees, wraps and something close to compulsory pensions. Advisers will also be a bit concerned that someone with Brigg’s decades’ worth of experience is moving to another part of the business. Most IFAs, certainly those at the roadshows I chaired for Widows earlier in the year, would have thought that one of them would have got the job and will be disappointed that it is neither. That is no slight on Mr Loney who may well be excellent – but advisers like to know the people they are dealing with even as far as the rarified heights of MD within a big bancassurer. However organisations such as these have their own inner logic. It could simply be policy to move top bosses around to make sure there is always a selection of internal candidates with wide experience of the business in case they move on to higher things with the firm. Indeed it would have been a much bigger blow from the adviser’s point of view if the brains trust featuring the likes of Ian Naismith and Anne Young had been broken up instead.
