As the paraplanning profession goes from strength to strength, Caroline Stuart explains what the Paraplanner Practitioner Panel is doing to support that growth
In the last few years, it feels like the paraplanning profession has grown exponentially. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the vibrant and welcoming paraplanner community has also continued to develop, with more people joining all the time.
The PFS has long recognised the profession and is keen to ensure it is providing the right support to its strong and ever-growing paraplanner membership.
To assist with this, the Paraplanner Practitioner Panel was created in 2015 with members from all areas of paraplanning, to give guidance and feedback and help the PFS to create the right events, learning content and support for paraplanner members.
Panel members work across a wide range of areas of the paraplanning profession, so they have a good understanding of what paraplanners are looking for and will get most value from. The panel members are: Caroline Stuart, Alan Gow, Martin Green, Rebecca Tuck and Megan Miller. Joining this year are Catherine Esland, Lyndsey Fraser and Sasha Wakefield.
Caroline Stuart
I have worked in financial services for more than 20 years, with 18 of them in various paraplanning roles. In 2019, I set up my own outsourced paraplanning business.
I have been on the panel since it began and joined the PFS board of directors in 2018, becoming vice-president last year. I got involved as I wanted to help develop the support for all existing and new paraplanners, and gain greater recognition for our brilliant profession.
Alan Gow
I was a financial complaints investigator at Prudential, before becoming a paraplanner in 2005 and starting an outsourced paraplanning business in 2010.
I have spoken at national events, including the PFS Paraplanner Conference.
I joined the panel to help spread the word about paraplanning and to make sure paraplanners’ voices are heard at the PFS.
Catherine Esland
I am a Chartered financial planner and a Fellow of the PFS, with more than 20 years’ experience in financial services. I am currently a senior paraplanner at Succession Wealth.
I have been repeatedly impressed by others within the paraplanning community sharing their experiences and knowledge over the years; hopefully I can play a small part in ensuring similar support for the next generation.
Martin Green
With 22 years of financial services experience, achieving Chartered status and award recognition, I have been proud to play a part in the development of the paraplanning profession.
Joining the PFS Paraplanning Panel with the other original members, the aim was to give a platform to paraplanning and a presence within the profession. The panel helps to support others.
Rebecca Tuck
I started paraplanning in 2013 and I’m still not bored of it more than eight years later – but I know it is not always easy to convince other people that paraplanning is exciting! As part of the panel, I hope to help shape content to inspire and educate new and existing paraplanners, as well as find some new ways to encourage more people into the profession.
Sasha Wakefield
I am a Chartered financial planner and a career paraplanner heading up the paraplanning team at the Paraplanning Hub. I wanted to put myself forward for the panel as I hope I can give something back to the community by sharing my enthusiasm, knowledge and experience, in the same way others have helped me.
Lyndsey Fraser
I have been a paraplanner for 16 years, since I joined Tilney.
I immediately started studying, gaining ACII and Fellowship of the PFS in 2012, before joining Rathbones Financial Planning in 2018. I joined the panel as I want to help raise the profile of paraplanning and keep developing as a paraplanner.
Megan Miller
I’ve been working at the PFS since 2018. I started getting involved with the Paraplanner Practitioner Panel at the end of 2020 in my role as programme development and partnership manager. I am really enjoying working with the panel to champion the role of paraplanners and ensuring we can support and develop them as valued members.
What does the panel do?
The panel helps the PFS with events, content and anything else that is relevant in supporting the paraplanner membership.
Since it began, the panel has helped organise the Purely Paraplanning conferences. Although they have been taken online for the last 18 months, the PFS Purely Paraplanning events just keep getting bigger and better every year. There is a highly experienced team at the PFS that organises them, and the panel helps with speaker suggestions, topics and content ideas, along with feedback from the paraplanning community.
The panel is also particularly proud of the Getting Started in Paraplanning booklet, which aims to help people new to, or considering joining, the profession.
The panel members have set up a range of channels so that paraplanners can easily get in touch – they can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook:
- PFS Paraplanner HQ
- @PFSParaplanHQ
- PFS Paraplanner HQ
Plans for the future
The panel is busy getting things organised and making plans for next year. The members have some great ideas and are really excited about what is in the pipeline for paraplanners.
They will be keeping you up to date through Personal Finance Professional and the panel’s social media pages, so keep your eyes peeled and there will be some news soon.
Caroline Stuart is vice president of the PFS Board and outsourced paraplanner at Sparrow Paraplanning
