Every month, we share some highlights of what’s been happening in and around KBA.
This month we’re celebrating professional success in the team, as Matt Marsh passes yet another exam, Karen is promoted to Operations Lead, and Sarah Hogan and Emma Bell receive nominations for multiple Women in Finance Awards…
Winning ladies – Sarah Hogan and Emma Bell are up for multiple awards
This month, Sarah and Emma were both thrilled to receive nominations for the Professional Adviser Women in Finance Awards.
Sarah was nominated for three categories:
- Financial Adviser of the Year – North West. Sarah won this award in 2019 and was noted as highly commended in 2023.
- Role Model of the Year (small/medium firms). In 2023, Sarah was shortlisted for this but missed out on the top spot, so we have everything crossed that she wins this year.
- Team Leader of the Year (small/medium firms). Another 2019 win that Sarah hopes to repeat again this year.
Meanwhile, Emma was nominated for two categories:
- Marketing Influencer of the Year. Emma made the shortlist in 2023, and is very much hoping to win pole position this year.
- Rising Star (None Advice). This came as a complete surprise to Emma and made her smile wide 😊
And, in another massive surprise, the whole company has been nominated for the Outstanding Support Initiative!
Shortlists will be announced in the next few months, ahead of the glittering awards dinner in London on Wednesday 6 November. Watch this space for more news…
Karen Fogg is stepping up to become our Operations Lead
We were thrilled to see Karen step into the role of Operations Lead in April 2024. The promotion is greatly deserved. Her dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to KBA have truly set her apart.
With more than 20 years of invaluable experience within our company, Karen’s deep understanding of our operations makes her the perfect fit for this pivotal role.
Here’s what Karen had to say about her new role…
“In my new role, I’ll be overseeing a team of two members, marking my first experience in a managerial capacity. Additionally, I’m excited about potentially assuming tasks from Jack, our Operations Director, to support him in focusing on essential business initiatives.
“Having spent two decades with KBA, I’m thrilled to leverage my wealth of knowledge about the company and its clients to guide my team on their KBA journey.
“The prospect of managing a team and delegating tasks presents a significant learning curve for me, particularly as I tend to handle tasks independently. Adjusting to this shift may be one of my biggest challenges.
“I’m looking forward to fostering stronger team dynamics and embracing the new challenges that lie ahead. I’m immensely grateful for this opportunity and eager to demonstrate my capabilities in this new role while earning the trust and respect of my Operations team, which is still in its early stages.”
In her new role, Karen will play a critical role in driving the continued growth and success of KBA alongside our leadership team. We have every confidence in her ability to lead our operations team to new heights.
Congratulations, Karen! We’re incredibly proud to have you on our team and look forward to all the great things ahead under your leadership.
Matt Marsh passed another exam
If you read our monthly team updates, you may recall that Matt Marsh has been studying hard towards gaining his CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.
Earlier this year, Matt passed the R05 exam on financial protection. Now he has R04 exam in the bag too, proving his knowledge on pensions and the importance of retirement planning and understanding all the different rules and the everchanging environment of pensions.
Not letting him off the hook, we coaxed Matt to sit down for a cuppa and asked him for more info…
What was the hardest part of preparing for this exam? And the easiest?
The hardest part is always soaking all the information from the exam study book and to be prepared to study long hours out of work time to give myself the best opportunity at passing. The landscape of pensions and retirement planning has always been everchanging, so it is important to know every aspect of this to give myself the best opportunity at a pass.
The easiest part was probably that I already had some knowledge of pensions and retirement due to my current role and the day-to-day work I do, so some crossovers really helped me understand some parts of the module.
How was the exam itself? Did you have to go somewhere to sit it or was it done online?
The exam was like many others I’ve passed, in a concentrated controlled area in Manchester. The exam was an hour long with 50 questions to answer. 39 of these questions are standard multiple-choice questions and the next 11 are multi-response questions.
What does passing this exam mean for you professionally?
Passing this exam gets me one step closer to achieving the CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning. Passing the exam already expands on my knowledge and allows me to practice what I have learned in my job role as a trainee financial planner.
Are you now working towards the final qualification, or are you taking a break before diving into the next challenge?
I will be working towards the final qualification of R06. I have taken a little break now just to reflect, but I am determined to keep working to ensure that the knowledge stays cemented, and I can keep building to achieve the diploma, which can then open up new doors.
I will hopefully be looking to take the R06 in the summertime.
Having been promoted to Trainee Financial Planner at the start of the year, 2024 is shaping up to be a winning year for Matt. We’re all cheering him on for his last exam and will keep you posted as he progresses towards completing this critical qualification.
