Testimonials_

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Testimonials

Press Testimonials

Simoney Girard, FT Adviser
Derek has been an excellent contact for FTAdviser and Financial Adviser. He has provided comments, written opinions, contributed to educational pieces and penned lengthy features on all aspects of an adviser's business.

He was a staunch supporter of the IFA pre-RDR and since then he has been an advocate for fairer and more proportionate regulation.

Derek has always been a pleasure to speak to and deal with, and I am exceptionally grateful for his help and input over the years in which I have known him.

Michael Wilson, Editor, IFA Magazine
“… Panacea Adviser, the online community and resource for directly regulated financial advisers and paraplannners, started working for an advisor community that was really feeling the pressure a little bit. Because 2007 was, you may recall, a bit of a rough patch, and the regulator was floundering just a little bit.

Since then, of course, we’ve had a few more changes to work through. And the importance of defending the adviser, though collaboration, consultation and (not least) collegiality has been critical. It’s a good question how many struggling IFAs would have quietly accepted defeat if it hadn’t been for the redoubtable Derek Bradley and his faithful crew. Derek, we salute you.”

Nic Cicutti, Money Marketing
"...A few years ago a friend alerted me to a new phenomenon he claimed was likely to revolutionise communication among IFAs- the growth of forums where advisers can bypass commercial organisations by talking directly to each other,.....contrasting peer to peer operations with traditional media outlets where IFAs were talked to rather than doing the talking themselves. Among the websites he pointed out to me was Panacea Adviser, a portal aimed at smaller IFA firms with a platform for comment, debate as well as tools, research and support for their work. In the past three or four years I have popped over to the website every few weeks to keep an eye on things. During that time I have seen the site grow impressively, adding more and more functions and becoming a destination point for the IFA community". It delivers an eclectic mix of opinion and information which appeals to the many hundreds of its regular users".

Adviser Testimonials

Remy Wilson, Head of MarketingPenLife Associates
We base a lot of our content on your news stories and think you’re a great brand for IFAs to know and use! Thanks for reaching out!

Simon Mansell
In an industry where many take benefits out but very few pay benefits back, Derek has proved to be the exception.  Over the last ten years the financial services industry has faced many threats and Derek has been at the forefront of its defence and in particular the defence of the small directly regulated IFA. 

He has not sought fame or fortune he has done this most valuable work because he believe it is right and proper and in doing so he has proved himself to be "right and proper".
Derek has always spoken with a clear and common sense voice, a stance that has often seen him out on a limb when all around seemed to be operating/regulating in an industry alien to the everyday working practices of the directly regulated adviser.

I am proud to be numbered as a friend albeit at a distance. Well done Derek on ten years as the founder of Panacea and long may it be so.

Alan Lakey
The financial services industry is a disparate group of individuals who often pursue their own agenda regardless of the impact on others.  Therefore, when an individual stand out from the crowd because he does what is fair and right it makes one look around to see what is happening, to see whether a change has occurred.

Derek Bradley is one of those rare creatures who not only talk a good fight but also backs up his words with a hands-on approach that seeks change.  Too many talk then retreat behind their office windows, Derek goes out of his way to effect change and also galvanise those otherwise unwilling advisers to get up and do the same.

A genuinely nice guy who fights for the adviser and seeks to apply greater balance to the tilted vehicle that is the advisers regulatory burden. Those who ignore Panacea and fail to engage with the regulators, either verbally or from behind the safety of their computers, need to reconsider and learn from the example set by Derek.     

Paolo Standerwick, IFA & MD, MLP Wealth Management Ltd
I have known Derek for a number of years. As an IFA we have no real voice or body within our industry to represent us despite many small organisations trying to get us together over the years. Panacea has filled this vacuum within the industry by getting IFAs to share common ground, experiences and useful information. With approximately 20,000 registered IFAs its a good place to access information. Derek recently send an email to members on my behalf to help me place my PI insurance which was proving very difficult. The response was overwhelmingly helpful and has given me many more options where to buy my PI in future. Keep up the good work Derek and Panacea.

Ewart Matthias, Adviser & Business Consultant, Truly Independent Ltd
Derek, with you being available to Independent & Restricted alike it should bolster the site and after all you do more than AIFA in raising awareness and telling it as it is. Keep up the good work.

Product Provider Testimonials

David Holloway
“The team at Panacea are a joy to work with – a true and compatible extension of our own marketing team that adds expertise and audience knowledge to our communications both in terms of content and timing. MI is very detailed and usable and Panacea communications give us a very valuable platform to gauge the usefulness of our material as well as an insight into what the market wants to consume. The output is easily digestible and gives us another significant pipe to our existing and potential clients that complements our own mechanisms.”

Justin Harper
All the best with your Panacea enterprise - it’s proven an admirable and valuable enterprise and voice for advisers. Always a pleasure  working with you.

Andrew Lyons
I had the genuine pleasure of working with Derek for a number of years and you couldn't fault his passion.

Having spent so many years in the industry his drive to give back was self-evident. Never afraid of a challenge, his tenacity served as a real lesson. If something's worth fighting for - never back down! 

Derek - here's to another ten years!

Mark Steers
It has been great to see a business dragged into existence by a clear vision, sheer willpower, dogged determination and power of personality. It was my pleasure to contribute albeit a microscopic amount in comparison. 

Lauren Mills
Over the years that I have known Derek, he has worked tirelessly to support the Financial Adviser community, building a hub of activity all dedicated to helping its audience; bringing together the latest technology and forward-thinking to provide the essentials and more. It’s been a pleasure working with Derek and the team at Panacea, and I look forward to doing so in the future.

Lynette Scanlon
It’s been great working with Derek over the past few years.  Creative and innovative, he has successfully showcased our campaigns through Panacea. He has also been a great guest editor on our M&Gazine! He is a pleasure to work with.

Tom Gordon
"Working with Panacea enables Prudential to communicate with a wider range of actively engaged Financial Advisers. It provides a highly effective way of getting our messages out into the marketplace. Panacea offer a flexible package enabling us to provide support and information to Advisers on a variety of topics to help them and their clients."

Panacea Strategic Partners

Geoff Greensmith, Autus Data Services
I have worked with Panacea for 10 years. They have created an excellent community enabling Asset Managers, Life Companies and Platforms to market their propositions to a wide range of financial advisers and paraplanners. Furthermore, they provide comprehensive management information with actionable insights for their clients. Panacea are a great fit for those wanting to increase their distribution reach.

Mike Goldsmith, Wizard Learning
I have known Derek since he first started Panacea Adviser back in 2007 and have seen it go from strength to strength over these 10 years. 

Well done on reaching your 10-year anniversary, your success is largely down to all the hard work you and your team have put in over these years.  Wizard Learning have worked with a number of business over these years and Panacea Adviser is the only one that has been there constantly over the period, well done and we looks forward to our association continuing for many more years to come.

John Glover
I’ve known Derek and his infectious enthusiasm and passion for Panacea Adviser for the past 10 years. 

His tireless determination to ensure its role supporting and enhancing the worth of all advisers by providing easy access to provider content, education and innovation, is the benchmark for all those seeking to do the same. 

John Joe McGinley, Glassagh Consulting
Vision is a rare thing and when you come across someone that processes this quality it is a privilege indeed to word with them. Derek has created Panacea with a vision of the evolution of not only the adviser community but also the way in which we communicate as individuals.

His knowledge of our market and his drive to champion the cause and execution of quality affordable advice is a joy to behold and I have been lucky enough to work with him over the last ten years since the inception of Panacea.

Long may Derek and Panacea continue the good work.

Garry Heath, Libertatem
His website Panacea not only provides an easily accessible area for technical information but also allows advisers a secure area to discuss concerns.

Panacea has collected a huge number of adviser responders and this has provided one of the best platforms for adviser surveys. Both the Heath Report and Libertatem have been able to use Panacea’s surveys to define advisers’ opinions on a range of issues. This information has been invaluable and its surveys have been used both within regulation and Whitehall.

He has been brave too. Derek has often taken initiatives before the issues become newsworthy. A good example would be the potential removal of trail commissions. The regulator wanted those funds in platforms to move from renewal contracts to service contracts. This was a relatively modest issue.
However, it created a principle which opened up the potential for historic renewal commission to be removed across the board. Panacea’s surveys make it clear to both regulators and providers that this could have profound consequences and the widening of the original idea has not happened.

Derek has encouraged discussion across the adviser sector and has the experience to understand the issues and more importantly ensure they are properly discussed. Whilst Panacea has not wished to become a trade association; Derek realised the need for one and has been active in the promotion of Libertatem.

Congratulations Derek on a decade of service to the adviser community and here is to another decade.

Geoff Mills, Rayner Spencer Mills
I first met Derek shortly after he established what was then Panacea IFA back in 2007. His idea resonated with us at RSMR as we were trying to position our rated funds and research with the same segment of the advisory community. Our relationship has, I think, gone from strength to strength and we have worked to promote our respective services during this time and bounced ideas off each other along the way. 

Derek has an undoubted skill in grasping the key points of some really important issues that affect advisers; the cost of regulation, the role of FOS, the impact of the 'sunset clause, to name just a few he has championed over recent years. He can articulate his view in a mature, logical and often a humorous 'tongue in cheek' way. 

He has made people sit up and take note. The adviser community owe Derek Bradley a well-deserved pat on the back, together with all the team at what is now Panacea Adviser. 

A man who sees the glass is half full plus a 'can do' attitude. 

Here's to the next 10 years Derek.

Paul Holland
Derek has been able to realise his dreams for Panacea through tireless enthusiasm and passion whilst still remaining humble and modest.
As Confucius once defined it, humility is “the solid foundation of all virtues” — and possibly the key to achievement.

Roger Edwards
Derek has created a unique community giving financial professionals support, marketing ideas and inspiration. I’ve enjoyed working with Panacea, both when I worked for Bright Grey and over the last 3 years as an independent consultant. Derek’s dedication to the community and to the financial adviser profession is remarkable. He doesn’t hold back in his content either. Derek’s articles are hard hitting, critical of bureaucracy and show a detailed understanding of the issues advisers face. 

I look forward to working with Derek and Panacea for another 10 years and beyond.