Standard Life’s workplace and intermediary adviser businesses have come together under the leadership of Gail Izat who has been appointed to the newly created role of managing director of workplace and retail intermediary.
Izat’s remit extends to include Standard Life’s Retail Intermediary business, following Chris Hudson’s retirement.
She has led the recent rapid growth of Standard Life’s Workplace business, which recorded 83 per cent year-on-year inflows to the half year in 2024.
Izat says: “We are well positioned for the year ahead in our chosen markets. While the retail intermediary marketplace remains extremely competitive, we have strong propositions and relationships in the off-platform SIPP, Off-Shore Bond and in specialist Private Client markets.
“Across these propositions, we are continuing to strengthen our offer for advisers by investing in our digital offer, distribution, and technical teams to enhance the support available, and this focus will continue in 2025.
“We also plan to bring further retirement income choice to the adviser market by building on the success in 2024 of our smoothed fund, in partnership with Fidelity, and the launch of a fixed term annuity for clients looking for income certainty for a set period of time.
“Our Workplace business has gone from strength to strength, and we have an extremely strong pipeline which will help consolidate the hard-earned momentum created in 2024.
“In realigning our Workplace and Retail Intermediary teams we also anticipate greater collaboration as both business areas face off to many of the same advice firms and intermediaries, and this development will better enable us to share resources and expertise within the function.”
