Answers in Retirement has published the speaker line-up for June’s inaugural National Later Life Conference.

The event which will be taking place on Thursday 21 June at the Gloucester Rugby Club Business Centre.

It will be sponsored by the Later Life Academy, the training organisation for later life advisers, and the Equity Release Council, the industry body for the equity release sector.

Speakers on the day include the following:

• David Burrows – former MP and current chair of the Equity Release Council
• Richard Graham – MP for Gloucester, former member of the Work & Pensions Committee and currently member of Parliament’s ‘Exiting the European Union’ Committee
• Tony Miles – director of Miles Associates Ltd and former head of Strategic Sales Operations at Partnership Assurance
• Jacqueline Berry, director, My Care Consultant
• Sophie Andrews, CEO, The Silver Line – national charity and helpline for older people.

The conference is targeted at advisers working in the later life market, dealing with mature consumers and looking to broaden their knowledge and expertise.

Topics under discussion during the day will include: changing products; consumer needs; political and economic challenges, longevity and advice needs; mental capacity and the future of social care; software and innovation, and many more.

The seminars will be chaired by Stuart Wilson, group managing director of Answers in Retirement Group. In addition to platform presentations throughout the day, there will be a number of ‘break out’ seminars, and the opportunity to speak face to face with a broad range of providers in the exhibitors’ area.

Wilson said: “Our aim in putting together this conference was to provide advisers with access to a range of views, opinions and analysis from a broad range of later life stakeholders, not just to be a ‘product pitch’ that attendees will have heard many times before.

“In announcing our first batch of speakers I think we have proved that the conference is doing just that, with some heavyweight speakers all with a wealth of experience in this market. We are especially pleased to have secured speakers such as Richard Graham MP, who will I am sure give great insight into the future for retirees, how the government views pension provision, and the key role advisers will play in supporting the needs of those customers.

“We are currently in the process of adding more speakers to the conference roster and will announce those in due course, plus we will have a broad range of providers supporting the event, all offering their expertise on how they can support the advisory sector in making the most of this burgeoning market opportunity.”

Graham added: “I wanted to speak here for a number of reasons. Firstly, we are an ageing society where each generation – at the moment – continues to live longer than the last.That means we need to plan as a country, a county and a city for the implications. We want Gloucester to be, not only a good place to grow up in, go to school and carry out an apprenticeship or a degree, not only a city with innovative and exciting working opportunities, but also a city that’s good to retire and grow old in, where dementia is understood and cared for. That means it’s safe – with good health and transport facilities – but culturally alive, with walks, cycle routes and other ways of exercising, plus plenty of restaurants and cafes and parks.

“Moving into later life means making decisions about work and income, savings and houses and providing a legacy. That requires good advice and quality options, and as someone who once worked in finance and ran a pensions business I see the changes taking place. It’s therefore a freer but more complicated landscape. So, let the discussion begin on the 21st June at the National Later Life Adviser Conference.”