Neilson Financial Services (NFS), UK provider of direct to consumer life insurance, has bolstered its executive team with the addition of 3 senior hires and announces the launch of its whole of market advice arm, Neilson Place.
Pippa Keefe, previously Head of Sales and Marketing at UnderwriteMe, joins NFS as Partnerships and Strategy Director to focus on developing a new partnerships channel. Sam Thurston, formerly at the Post Office, joined NFS as Commercial Director earlier this year to manage commercial relationships with insurance and reinsurance partners. Taking up the role of Senior Partnerships Manager is Elton Holmes who came from BGL Group in March.
Gavin Donnelly, Group CEO of NFS comments ‘NFS launched in the UK in 2012 with direct to consumer brands British Seniors and Smart Insurance. We are now thrilled to announce these recent additions to our senior team to support our expanding distribution within the partnership and advice segments. Pippa, Sam and Elton bring with them a wealth of experience of the UK protection market and I am confident their appointment will help drive forward our exciting growth plans.’
As part of this expansion, NFS are excited to announce the launch of a new, whole of market, advised protection business called Neilson Place on Monday 18 May, formed of 26 experienced protection specialists.
On the rationale for the new business Gavin comments ‘At NFS we are incredibly passionate about the need for people to financially protect their families which is even more crucial in the current climate. Everything we do is underpinned by our effort to provide consumers with access to protection products however they want to buy, and then provide them with excellent customer service.’ He continues ‘As well as having built in-house, online customer journeys complemented by our guided contact centres, the launch of Neilson Place widens our proposition to include a team of expert, whole-of-market advisers. This step recognises that everyone has different product and buying needs and means that consumers can now access vital protection in a way which suits them best including through high-quality advice. I am truly excited by this continued expansion of our market leading proposition.’
Founded in 2012, Neilson Financial Services (NFS) is a UK specialist provider of life insurance currently selling thousands of proprietary policies per month in the UK*. NFS provides insurance products directly to consumers via the retail brands British Seniors and Smart Insurance as well as offering a partnership proposition including white-labelling capability. Having a full suite of distribution and policy administration capabilities in house, as well as a bespoke, proprietary IT platform, means NFS can offer closely synchronised online and call centre operations to provide a complete omni-channel customer experience. NFS now also offers a fully advised protection service through its independent advice firm, Neilson Place launched in May 2020.
NFS was founded by Gavin Donnelly, who previously co-founded Greenstone Financial Services (GFS) in 2007 which is now the largest life distributor and aggregator in Australia, selling 10,000 policies per month. GFS represents 42% of the direct life market (61% of media driven new business) and 45% of the aggregator market through its ‘Choosi’ brand.*
*All figs as at end April 2020
This information is for authorised intermediaries only and should not be presented to, or relied on by, retail customers. It is approved and issued by Neilson Financial Services Limited. Neilson Financial Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and entered on the Financial Services Register under reference 594926. Registered Office: Landmark Place, Windsor Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 1JL. Registered in England and Wales, number 07986483.
