The Women’s Wealth Alliance (WWA), a taskforce created by the Consumer Duty Alliance, has selected its first board members as it seeks to drive ‘sector change’ in the profession.
The board includes senior leaders in personal finance, wealth management, risk and regulation.
The Consumer Duty Alliance, led by former Personal Finance Society CEO Keith Richards, says the board will help, “in accelerating female representation in the sector and championing women’s financial independence and resilience.”
The board members are:
Vanessa Barnes (Chair), a Chartered Financial Planner with over 40 years in the sector and founder of Hannay Wealth, an all‑female Financial Planning firm.
Ranila Ravi‑Burslem, a FTSE 100 leader with more than 20 years’ experience driving business transformation, commercial growth and digital innovation across financial services and the non‑profit sector.
Samantha Secomb, an award‑winning Chartered Financial Planner and director of Women’s Wealth, dedicated to making Financial Planning more appealing and accessible to women.
Alison Verlander. She has led and developed compliance and risk functions across the UK’s largest institutions over the last 25 plus years. An ex-regulator, her experience in risk, compliance and governance strengthens the WWA’s focus on Consumer Duty professional standards and practical, business led change, the WWA says.
John White is a Financial Planner and founding director of Real Wealth, and a former President of the Personal Finance Society (2018–2019). He has more than 35 years’ experience as a planner, partner, director and CEO across partnerships, private companies and PLCs.
Cherie‑Anne Baxter‑Blyth is an exit partner at Melo and former financial advice‑firm owner, specialising in succession planning and acquisitions for financial advice businesses. She brings experience in firm leadership, business coaching, recruitment, M&A, marketing and sales. She will support the Women in Wealth Alliance’s focus on practical firm support and accelerating female career progression within the profession.
Keith Richards, CEO of the Consumer Duty Alliance, a long term campaigner for higher professional standards in UK financial services.
Emma Bull (secretariat) is head of engagement at the Consumer Duty Alliance, with over 25 years’ experience in financial services PR and communications. She coordinates WWA delivery, partnerships and external relations.
The WWA was formed last year after a major research project into women’s career journeys in personal finance, conducted independently by YouGov and supported by IBOSS, LV=, Royal London and Quilter. The resulting Women, Wealth and the Workplace white paper included insights from over 500 women and identified three initial priority actions for industry change:
• Publishing a career guide that demystifies roles and routes into the sector
• Developing a professional framework and CPD programme for financial coaching
• Creating a digital hub for development, mentoring and the sharing of good practice
Chair of the WWA, Vanessa Barnes, said: “We’re delighted to have such a wealth and breadth of experience on our Board. Their insight will be invaluable in shaping our strategy, guiding our delivery and holding us to account. From the outset, I’ve been clear that the Women’s Wealth Alliance must not become a talking shop.
“If we want to shift the dial for women — both working in the sector and relying on it — we must deliver meaningful, measurable change, and every Board member shares that commitment.”