Standard Life appointed Dean Butler to the newly created role of managing director of retail direct.
Responsible for leading the retail direct business, Butler will focus on building upon Standard Life’s existing guidance service and enhancing its pension consolidation offering for customers.
The role will also include a focus on acquiring new individual customers and follows Standard Life’s recent high-profile programme of brand investment.
Colin Williams, managing director of pensions and savings at Standard Life, said: “Dean’s extensive experience and track-record when it comes to providing customer-centric services speaks for itself, and I’m delighted to have him as a member of my leadership team.
“We now have leaders in place across our three main trading channels, workplace, retail adviser and direct.
“Looking ahead to the rest of the year and into 2023, our leadership team is perfectly placed to move forward with our ambitious agenda, as we focus on ways to support customers across our key channels.”
Butler will be one of three leaders looking after trading channels within pension and savings, and joins Gail Izat, managing director for workplace and Chris Hudson, managing director of retail intermediated, the latter of whom joined in May this year.
Butler joins from M&G Plc where he was head of digital strategy and delivery in M&G Wealth and brings extensive experience from wealth management and retail banking having worked for a number of organisations including HSBC.
Butler added: “I am excited to start a role in which I can help ensure customers are in the best possible position to make informed decisions about their savings.
“This is a priority for many people as they review their finances and spending habits in a difficult economic environment, and our goal is to support customers during this period with innovative solutions and guidance.
“There’s also scope to build on recent activity designed to raise the profile of the Standard Life brand and examine how we position Standard Life as a destination for people looking to consolidate their pensions.”
