Sovereign Employee Benefits

Malcolm has 30 years experience in Financial Services mainly in the employee benefits area. He advises many companies including some PLC firms and also some well known blue chip organisations, specialising in employee benefits and their communication strategy.

In addition he advises companies that are being acquired or merged with particular reference to advising HR Managers on staff benefit programmes. Malcolm was a main Board Director of a national employee benefits firm from the mid 1990's to 2002 and subsequently on the Senior Management Team of a Top 6 firm of Accountants. Malcolm takes ultimate responsibility for all our clients and the service delivery.

I joined Sovereign Employee Benefits Ltd in 1990 with 16 years experience of finding financial solutions for private clients, and for financial advisers, both as a manager and consultant.

In 1992 I was appointed a director of Sovereign and worked closely with the founding directors developing the pension and benefit services to small and medium sized businesses throughout the UK.

We launched our Pension Administration department in 1995 to bring down the costs and improve the service standards experienced by some smaller schemes. This also provided an alternative solution to the many Occupational Schemes we had co-managed with insurance companies since Sovereign was established in 1984.

The communication skills I developed in the early years of assisting clients from all walks of life have helped me to understand what business owners and their employees need when developing a staff reward structure, including pension and benefits schemes.

In the near future, the automatic enrolment of all eligible employees into a qualifying workplace pension arrangement will occupy every employer and we will be on hand to assist while the businesses carry on with their day jobs.

In summary, I have been installing "big business" benefit packages for smaller businesses for over 20 years.

Janet has experience in Financial Services incorporating both administration and financial advice. She joined Sovereign 8 years ago and became an adviser dealing with group and corporate schemes in 2006. Janet is the holder of the Chartered Insurance Institute Financial Planning Certificate and the Pension Papers CF9.

Janet has three children and enjoys walking in the New Forest with her dog Olive. She also speaks fluent French and have previously taught the language.

Jackie joined as a Pensions Administrator in 1992 having previously worked as a Branch Administrator for 9 years. She passed the Financial Planning Certificate in 1993 and the Chartered Insurance Institute Pensions Simplification CF9 in 2005. In 1999 she was promoted to Administration Manager reporting to the Managing Director and in 2002 she was promoted to her current position, Office Manager.

In her spare time, Jackie enjoys Pilates, eating out whenever possible and travelling.

Phillip Rose has used his vast experience working in a large corporate company to replicate the large company offering - providing in-depth specialist services and regional client focus on a national scale through IFA South LLP in Southampton, IFA North in Leeds, the specialist pension business in the pension partnership, the specialist employee benefit business in Sovereign employee benefits and Pro Sport Wealth Management LLP.

Pro Sport Wealth Management is a nationwide offering providing specialist advice to sporting professionals, and was most recently appointed as adviser to members of the Professional Football Association. Phillip has since acquired a dedicated pension administration business in Leeds and an employee benefit specialist business on the south coast. In addition, he and long-time business associate John Holt co-founded Chartered Financial Planning Company Independent Financial Advisor Limited in 2006 - which advises a wealth of high net worth clients.

Phillip’s successes include the establishment of his own sole trading business, which he subsequently sold to AIM listed accountancy practice Numerica. He spent three years on the financial services board of directors and when Numerica was subsequently purchased by BDO Stoy Hayward - one of the largest LLP’s in the UK - Philip earned a place on the Executive Board of Directors and gained first-hand experience on the workings of a multi-national company.

He was also one of the first financial advisers to achieve the coveted Chartered Financial Planner status and was one of the first advisers in the North West to gain the ISO 22222 accreditation; both qualifications promote consumer confidence and are the highest of standards of personal financial advice. His vast experience means he fully understands the issues and time constraints a business owner at every level must deal with when looking to manage personal and business wealth.

In his limited spare time Phillip enjoys holidays, going to the gym and fast cars.

John Holt co-founded Independent Financial Advisor Ltd in 2006, with long-time business associate Phillip Rose. John’s credibility in the financial services arena has been established over almost two decades, and his breadth of experience has been gained through the many years he spent working in a small independent IFA practice, as well as his time with serviced corporate clients in one of the largest worldwide accountancy businesses.

John provides bespoke independent financial advice and has established long term relationships with personal and corporate clients. He has a developed business network across reputable solicitor and accountancy firms in the North West, who are advocates of his services and regularly recommend him to their clients.

John's success is owed greatly to the pride he takes in his work, his meticulous attention to detail and efforts in establishing long term client relationships by guaranteeing a high level of service and client satisfaction.

John holds an individual Chartered Financial Planner status, and ISO 22222 qualifications and is further developing his advanced level knowledge of the industry. He will soon become a Fellow of The Personal Finance Society, which highlights his dedication to the wider profession.

Away from the office, John is a keen sportsman, with football, squash and golf among his interests.

Adam is a new addition to IFA (North) LLP, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and qualifications. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Personal Finance Society, holds the Certified Financial Planner status and is also an IMI Securities Representative.

During the last 15 years, Adam has been responsible for managing the regional private client operations of several leading accountancy practices and employee benefit consultancies.

Adam’s role and expertise covers a broad range of private client services including discretionary investment management, tax deferral/mitigation planning, specialist pension structures and lifetime cash flow modelling. He is also heavily involved in advising a wide range of corporate clients on their employee pension schemes including implementing employee benefit IT systems, transitioning employees from defined benefit (“DB”) schemes to defined contributions (“DC”) schemes, designing and delivering new DC schemes and rationalising multiple DC schemes into a single replacement modern web based DC arrangement.

In his leisure time Adam is a keen sports fan and rides both mountain and road bikes, as well as playing golf. He admits that on certain rare occasions when feeling suitably devoid of any common sense he is also known to venture down the odd pot hole.

Kevan Pearson joined IFA Ltd in August 2010 from an independent national network, bringing with him a wealth of experience gained over a 27 year timeframe in the UK Financial Services Industry.

Kevan holds a Certificate in Financial Planning, and advises clients on a wide range of financial issues as well as working closely with other professionals such as accountants and solicitors.

Philip Pearson has more than 22 years’ experience in the UK financial services industry and holds the Certificate in Financial Planning and the Mortgage Advice Qualification. He became associated with Independent Financial Advisor Limited in August 2010 after being with an independent national network.

Philip advises clients on a wide range of financial issues as well as working closely with other professionals such as accountants and solicitors.

Paul Mullin joined Pro Sport Wealth Management after retiring from professional football at the end of the 2010-2011 season following a period of 10 years at Accrington Stanley, where he became their record appearance holder. Paul is a qualified Chartered Financial Planner and was one of the first ex professional footballers to achieve this qualification. He has more than seven years’ experience within financial services, and is an Associate of the Personal Finance Society. Paul offers a bespoke advisory service to individuals, companies and company directors. His sporting background has given him a valuable insight into the unique financial issues facing sportsmen and women.

Paul has learnt first-hand that a career in sport is relatively short, and as such it is essential to protect assets and formulate a plan to aid the smooth transition to the next life stage. Paul and other Pro Sport Wealth Management advisors understand this, predominantly from experience, and so are perfectly placed to create a tailor made solution for those with careers in sport.

With 14 years under his belt as a professional footballer in all leagues outside of the premiership, Gareth is well placed to deliver independent financial advice to those clients in the sporting domain. Gareth co-founded Pro Sport Wealth Management LLP with Phillip Rose, and his insights as a fellow sportsman, coupled with the duo’s Corporate Chartered Status, means clients in this area can benefit from a unique and fantastic proposition.

In addition to sport, Gareth’s achievements include a First Class Honours degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University. After setting his sights on financial services, he went on to gain his Financial Planning Certificate and CeMAP qualifications whilst still playing football. Gareth was a delegate for the Professional Footballers Association for seven years and in the last four years of his career served on the Management Committee of the PFA, reporting directly to chief executive Gordon Taylor, OBE, and senior members of the management board. Committee responsibilities included the preparation of financial statements for each financial year, selecting suitable accounting policies and applying them consistently.

Since 2006, Gareth has been working as a qualified Financial Adviser with a core client base of footballers, managers and coaches. In 2008 he was elected as a Trustee of the PFA funds. His experience has given him intimate knowledge of player issues and highlights the need to maximise their earnings potential. He has an extensive network of contacts covering the Premiership, other leagues and related professional advisers. Most recently Gareth has extended his knowledge and skills to other sports and is advising international rugby union players and providing educational seminars for members of the rugby football league.