Expert speakers

Nick Cann

Nick Cann CFP has been Chief Executive of the Institute of Financial Planning for 10 years. He also sits as a delegate on the Financial Planning Standard Board CFP Council. He has served as Chairman of the European CFP Council and the International Marketing and Communications Committee. He has overseen significant change in the Financial Planning world and has strong views on the subject.

He sat on the FSA’s Distribution Review working group looking at Professionalism and Reputation and continues to sit on relevant panels and working groups including the Professional Standards Group. He is a previous winner of IFA Personality of the Year at the Professional Adviser awards and voted most influential person working with IFAs in 2008. He is a regular speaker at conferences and also occasional after dinner speaker.

Graham Ashby

Head of UK Equities

Graham Ashby is Head of UK Equities at LV= Asset Management and is the lead fund manager of the LV= UK Equity Income Fund. Prior to joining LV= Asset Management in August 2009, Graham was Head of UK Retail Equities at Credit Suisse Asset Management, which he joined in October 2007. Previously, he was Head of Equity Income and UK Equities at Sarasin Chiswell and a senior UK equity fund manager at Deutsche Asset Management / DWS Investments. Graham holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics from the University of Nottingham and is also an Associate of the Society of Investment Professionals.

Mike Barrie

Michael Barrie is Director of Legal & General Property Division. He is responsible for several Client Funds including the L&G UK Property Trust, L&G Linked Life Property Fund, L&G Linked Pensions Property Fund, L&G Managed Property Fund and Leisure Fund LP.

Michael joined Legal & General Property in 2005 having previously been a Director of F&C Property Asset Management and the lead Fund Manager for ISIS Property Trust and ISIS Property Trust 2. Michael is a Director of Legal & General Property Partners (Operators) Limited.

Michael holds a degree in Land Economics, a post graduate diploma in Property Investment and is Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).

Note: Mike Barrie will be speaking in Edinburgh, Harrogate and Manchester.

Chris Burvill

Chris joined Gartmore in December 2002 as Head of UK Equity Income.

Chris joined Gartmore from Investec Asset Management where he spent 10 years. Whilst there, he managed a number of successful funds including the prestigious Cautious Managed Fund.

Prior to this, Chris was with Commercial Union as a UK equities investment analyst and was promoted to sector manager in 1985. From 1987 to 1990 he was fund manager of the CU Income Fund. On the acquisition of Royal Trust's unit trust business, he assumed responsibility for the Royal Trust High Yield and Equity Income Funds.

Chris graduated in Economics from University College, Cardiff in 1981 and became a management trainee with National Mutual of Australia.

Richard Hodges

Richard is Head of High Alpha Fixed Income. He is responsible for managing the UK Retail Corporate Bond Funds and other high alpha credit mandates, which includes L&G Dynamic Bond Trust; Fixed Interest Trust; Managed Income Trust and Monthly Managed Income Trust.

He joined LGIM in 2007 from Gartmore Investment Management where he was a Senior Investment Manager and Head of Pan European portfolio construction between 1998 and 2006.
Between 1991 and 1998 Richard managed a number of bond fund products in the quantitative investment department.

Richard started his career in the debt capital markets in 1986 with Chase Manhattan before moving to Natwest Investment Management in 1989 prior to its merger with Gartmore Investment Management.

Note: Richard Hodges will be speaking in Birmingham, Bristol and London.

Don Jordison

Don is the Managing Director of Threadneedle Property Investments - the UK property investment arm of Threadneedle. He is in charge of the Strategic Property Unit Trust (since 2006) and the Threadneedle Property Unit Trust (since 1998). He also manages the Threadneedle UK Property Trust, the Threadneedle European Property Fund, the Threadneedle Capital and Income Fund and the Zurich Assurance Ltd AP Property Fund. Don began his career in 1982 with Prudential. He joined Allied Dunbar Property Funds as a trainee property manager in 1984 and became an associate member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. In 1991 he was promoted to director responsible for the Zurich Assurance Ltd AL Property Fund. Don graduated in 1984 with a first class honours degree in Urban Estates Surveying from Nottingham Trent University. In 1988 he obtained an MBA from City University London.

Note: Don Jordison will be speaking in Birmingham, Bristol and London.

Alastair Mundy

Alastair is Head of the UK Contrarian team at Investec Asset Management having joined in August 2000 from Morley Fund Management. Alastair manages a number of retail funds including the award winning Investec Cautious Managed Fund, Investec UK Special Situations Fund and Investec Capital Accumulator Fund, and also manages the Temple Bar Investment Trust. Alastair graduated from City University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science.

Mark Pearce

Mark Pearce joined Threadneedle in 2006 as an Investment Specialist and is responsible for providing clients and prospective clients and consultants with detailed information on Threadneedle's capabilities and investment views with regard to emerging market and corporate debt. Prior to joining Threadneedle, Mark worked for Fidelity International as Head of Fixed Income Fund Analysis and as a Fixed Income Product Manager covering Europe and the United Kingdom. He has also held positions at Pacific Investment Management Company and Macquarie Funds Management, where he worked as an Associate Portfolio Manager within the Asset Allocation Group. Before joining Macquarie, Mark was employed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a Corporate Tax Consultant. He holds a MComm in Accounting and Finance and also a BEc in Accounting from the Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Note: Mark Pearce will be speaking in Edinburgh, Harrogate and Manchester.