AIFA appoints policy director

AIFA has appointed Chris Hannant as policy director, replacing Andrew Strange who left in August.

Hannant joins from the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), where he was also policy director. He previously has previously worked for the Department for Trade and Industry, the Treasury, and the Association of Brokers and Insurers.

He said he would fight the Government and FSA to prevent them damaging IFA business with "short-sighted actions that impose burdensome regulatory requirements."

"The industry faces a challenging time with significant regulatory change taking place," he said. "I am looking forward to working with members and using my wide ranging policy experience to make a real impact on their behalf, both in the UK and in Europe.

"The financial advice and mortgage intermediary professions provide a vital service in helping consumers to navigate the complexity of financial services and enabling them to make the right decisions."

Director general Stephen Gay [pictured] said Hannant's Government knowledge would be "essential" to help AIFA represent the interests its members.

"This year will continue to be dominated by major regulatory initiatives such as the Retail Distribution Review and the Mortgage Market Review as well as wider regulatory architectural changes. There is still work to do in these areas, as well as a wide range of other pressing regulatory issues, in order to ensure we achieve the best outcome for members."

As well as policy director at AIFA, Hannant will also be responsible for developing policy at the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI) and the Association of Finance Brokers (AFB).