Weekend Essay: Reflecting on my first year at Money Marketing

I can scarcely believe it has been a whole year since I joined the brilliant team at Money Marketing.

The past 12 months have absolutely flown by – and looking back it’s not hard to see why.

Sometimes you get so caught up in the day-to-day tasks that you forget to take a breath, sit down and reflect on the things that have happened.

My first week on the job was eventful to say the least – and probably should have been a sign of things to come!

It started when SJP announced it was scrapping its controversial exit fees on the same day as our flagship conference, MMI London.

This was quickly followed by attending the Headlinemoney Awards, the work summer party and various getting-to-know-you coffees and lunches with those in the profession.

Since then, it feels like it’s been non-stop, but fortunately that’s just the way I like it.

I’ve covered four Budgets (including a nice and quiet one this week), a change of government and changes in regulation.

There’s been the proposed simplification to the FCA rulebook, the announcement of a pensions review, value for money framework and the advice guidance boundary review.

There’s the ongoing issue of how to close the advice gap, advances in technology and how to get more young people involved in financial advice.

What does the future look like for platforms? Will we see more consolidation? Will the consolidators start consolidating?

Will targeted support and simplified advice make it easier for people to seek the help of a financial adviser?

There are so many questions we don’t know the answer to yet, and it will certainly be interesting to see what the next 12 months bring.

In terms of personal highlights, there are a few things that stand out for me.

I managed to break the news that Hargreaves Lansdown has accepted a £5.4bn takeover bid from a private equity-backed consortium (on the train at 8pm).

I also wrote a joint cover feature about advisers’ mental health alongside MM’s chief reporter Lois Vallely.

With increased regulation and other factors affecting wellbeing, it was great to explore and tackle such an important and sensitive issue in detail.

I’ve also played a part in the production of 10 magazines now and still get a real buzz from seeing it being put together.

In those magazines I’ve had numerous articles published, from analysis pieces to opinion pieces and interviews with business leaders.

I’ve attended many conferences, from London to Birmingham, the latter of which I was able to carry out a one-on-one interview with the FCA – another highlight.

However, I think the achievement I’m most pleased with is chairing my first panel discussions at MMI London and MMI Leeds last month.

I’m absolutely terrified of public speaking – I never had to do it in my previous role as a local news journalist – and I’ll admit I was shaking like a leaf before I went up.

Seeing 150 faces staring up at me was daunting to say the least, and so far out of my comfort zone.

But with the help of the panellists, who really put me at ease, I managed to get through both relatively unscathed!

In fact, once the nerves had settled, I enjoyed talking about the future of advice and how advisers can revise their platform strategies to achieve better results.

I was also asked to present the ‘Best Sipp Provider’ award at the MM Awards in September, where the host – comedian Lucy Porter – referred to me as ‘Cooperman’.

She was a lot more brutal with some of the presenters and audience (especially poor Lewis Byford, who got absolutely torn apart all night), so I guess I’ll take that.

However, one of the things I have enjoyed most about the role is the amount I have learned, and so much of that has been down to the people I’ve met.

From CFOs to CEOs to business owners, PR teams and fund managers, everyone has been really friendly and supportive, and it’s been a pleasure getting to know you all.

I’m not from a financial services background, so I had a definite case of imposter syndrome when I first started.

But those I’ve met have told me to pick up the phone if I ever need help understanding something (there’s no such thing as a stupid question, apparently).

Without sounding like an Oscars’ acceptance speech, I just wanted to finish by saying a huge thank you to the Money Marketing team.

You welcomed me into the MM family with open arms and for that I’m hugely grateful.

I feel very fortunate to be working with such great people and being a small (no height joke intended) part of this wonderful profession.

There’s no doubt it’s an incredibly challenging time for the sector, but also a very exciting one too.

I’m really looking forward to meeting many more of you and seeing what happens in the next 12 months.