Ian Ibbertson has joined the First Complete network as an area compliance manager from Personal Touch FS.

He has worked in compliance and field monitoring for 23 years, spending almost a decade at Personal Touch where he was a risk assessment manager managing a team of field assessors which he set up when he joined the company.

Before that he spent 13 years in a field monitoring role at AXA.

Ibbertson says his aim for First Complete is to turn compliance into “business as usual for advisers rather than an enforced necessity”. He believes that many people perceive it as a barrier, but instead he says “It is an enabler to a successful business, it’s about explaining why something needs doing, the benefits to your business and how it protects you.”

He believes that once people understand what compliance is about, why they need it and how it helps and protects them that they think of it in a completely different and positive way.

Donald Fraser, First Complete’s head of compliance, said: “Ian rejoins his former PTFS colleagues Martin Igoe, Hannah Tasker and Paul Petrie who have all settled in tremendously well at First Complete. Ian has vast financial services knowledge and experience; he is an engaging personality with a ’can do’ attitude – which is exactly what we look for in our staff, whether head office based, or working, as Ian will be, on a face-to-face basis with our network members.”

Ibbertson said: “I am both excited and pleased to be joining First Complete and am looking forward to being part of such a forward thinking, dynamic business. First Complete puts its advisers before anything else which is a rare strategy in our industry nowadays. First Complete has great ambitions to grow and I aim to help them grow sensibly and compliantly.”