Guardian talks protection: Recent Episodes
This podcast is intended for protection industry professionals only
Welcome to Guardian's podcast. Hosted by financial journalist, John Lappin, we’ll be talking to senior Guardian professionals and other industry experts about the protection issues that really matter to intermediaries and their clients. Ranging from the impact of the ongoing pandemic, through to measures the industry can take to change for the better, these podcasts are designed to engage and inform anyone who writes, or is thinking about writing, protection business.
John talks to our Head of Claims, Phil Deacon, about how product innovation makes such an important difference at point of claim
In this podcast, John and Phil explore Guardian’s approach to claims. Using real-life examples, Phil explains what makes Guardian different and how these things improve the claims experience. He talks about the role of product innovation and how the right design makes paying claims easier and faster.
He also discusses HALO, our claims concierge service, and shares his view on why having a bespoke claims process is so valuable to clients.
This podcast is useful for anyone wanting to understand how Guardian supports clients through this most sensitive of times.
For full details of our product features read our policy terms and conditions here: https://content.guardian1821.co.uk/literature/policy-terms-conditions.pdf
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In this podcast, John talks to Phil Deacon, Head of Claims at Guardian, about this major milestone.
Discussing both the claim statistics and the experience of claiming with us, Phil explains how we were able to pay 100% of our Life and Terminal Illness claims in 2023, as well as why he believes transparency is fundamental to building trust.
In this feature-length podcast, John talks to Alan Lakey, Founder and Director of CIExpert and our Head of Marketing Rachael Welsh about the findings of CIExpert’s Critical Thinking Report 2024.
Co-sponsored by Guardian, the report contains the most comprehensive research into the UK’s critical illness market that’s been done to date. Surveying over 5,000 consumers and 300 advisers, it’s packed with industry insight that can help both advisers and insurers grow the critical illness market. Here Alan and Rachael discuss its results and implications
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 160 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In this podcast special, John talks to Head of Marketing Rachael Welsh about why Guardian is supporting charity Young Lives vs Cancer. Rachael discusses how advisers themselves have raised the issue of how difficult children's critical illness cover conversations can be, prompting new research showing the financial strain it can place on families after a child is diagnosed. Sesame's Emma Thompson, Paradigm Protect's Mike Allison and New Leaf Distribution's Dan Hobbs also give their expert views on how to raise the profile of children's critical illness cover.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 160 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In this podcast, John talks to our CEO, Katya MacLean, to celebrate the milestone of 5 years since our entry into the protection market.
Katya talks through our journey so far, including the positive reaction to our approach to product design and how we bring transparency and certainty at point of claim. She sheds light on our unique culture, our growth strategy, and what it means to be part of the Guardian team.
Katya also shares her insights on our recent adviser survey and our ambitious future goals and plans.
In this podcast, John talks to Guardian’s Head of Strategic Partnerships, Vincent O’Connor, about the new Consumer Duty regulation.
July 31 marks the deadline for whole of market compliance with the FCA’s new Consumer Duty guidance. In this podcast, Vincent discusses his views on the impact of Consumer Duty for the protection market and why he thinks it is an opportunity for the sector.
He talks about the process that Guardian went through to meet the duty requirements for product manufacturers in April, and how the resulting output can help advisers to be compliant. He also shares his thoughts on the size of the task for the advice community and highlights some examples which, in his view, are reasonable interpretations of the duty.
In this podcast, John talks to Guardian’s new Head of Strategic Partnerships, Vincent O’Connor, about his career to date and what he hopes to achieve in his new role at Guardian.
For listeners who don’t know Vincent, the podcast gives a background to his career, which spans the advice and provider side. He shares how protection has always been core to his approach and how he will be working to build and deepen Guardian’s strategic partner relationships.
Vincent describes how the role is so varied and highlights the needs of different adviser segments. He also discusses why Guardian is so well positioned to help advisers meet the needs of their clients. The podcast sums up with his thoughts on the main challenges facing the advice community today and how advisers can overcome them.
In this podcast, John talks to our Sales Director, Hilary Banks, about the market’s reaction so far to our new Income Protection.
Hilary shares the positive feedback we’ve received from advisers, including the overwhelming immediate response on social media. She talks through the features advisers have welcomed most – including our ‘own job’ definition, premium waiver at 28 days as standard, and the product’s flexibility – and shares her views on why these have been so well received.
John and Hilary also discuss the current market context for both mortgage advisers and protection specialists, the shape of our Income Protection sales to date, and Hilary’s view on the role of Income Protection within a wider menu recommendation. She sums up with her take on the opportunity ahead for Guardian.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In this podcast, John talks to our Head of Claims, Phil Deacon, about our new Income Protection which went live at the start of April.
The new Income Protection cover – like our Life, Critical Illness, Combined, and optional Children’s Critical Illness covers – has been designed to give more certainty at claim. John and Phil discuss our use of an ‘own job’ definition, as opposed to the more traditional ‘own occupation’, and talk about the flexibility provided at claim.
Phil also explains more about the thinking behind our decision to include Premium Waiver as standard at 28 days regardless of deferred period. He describes how this helps us provide better support, identifying where customers may need help before they make a full claim, and talks listeners through examples of the bespoke rehabilitation support provided through HALO.
In this podcast, John talks to Guardian’s Head of Marketing, Rachael Welsh about the firm’s On The Front Foot white paper, designed to help advisers rise to the challenge of the cost of living crisis.
During 2022, prices were rising fast and through the course of the year it became apparent that they weren’t transitory. The cost of living soon became the most talked about topic in the protection industry, as everyone tried to assess its impact on the protection market.
In this podcast John talks to Rachael about the thinking behind Guardian’s white paper on this topic, including its research across 700 advisers, the insights from interviews with 13 industry experts, and the key takeaways which it hopes will give advisers useful information to help them get on the front foot to get and keep people protected.
In the next of our 4-part HALO mini-series, John talks to Meg Kirby, Founder of legal charity, Legacare. The charity supports people who are critically ill, terminally ill or bereaved, to help them put their affairs in order.
When a person receives a life-changing diagnosis or are told they only have a short while to live, there are often a mountain of legal implications to consider. Legacare is there for Guardian’s customers at this most sensitive of times, to guide them through what they need to put it in place.
In this podcast John and Meg discuss the types of legal considerations that people may have, depending on if they are critically ill, terminally ill or bereaved. Meg shares some moving feedback from a person the charity has helped; and explains how, when it comes to claim, helping customers achieve peace of mind is just as important as the payout.
In the next of our 4-part HALO mini-series, John talks to Jo Throp, Clinical Director of Krysalis Consultancy, about their specialist occupational therapy. This is offered free as part of HALO to Guardian’s customers suffering from neurological conditions.
Krysalis and Guardian both agree that a protection insurance claim should be a time to look at the individual and their rehabilitation needs. When it comes to neurological conditions or brain injuries, specialist occupational therapy can help people come to terms with how their brain has changed, as well as stop problems from escalating.
In this podcast, John and Jo discuss why occupational therapy can be so important to someone’s quality of life following a neurological diagnosis. Jo explains why specialist support is so valuable, particularly when it comes to the brain; and explains how it works when a person with a neuro diagnosis makes a claim with Guardian.
In the second of our 4-part HALO mini-series, we talk to Christine Husbands, Managing Director of RedArc, about their personal nurse service. This is offered to all customers who’d benefit from it as part of HALO.
RedArc share Guardian’s belief that a claim is more than just a payout and also that the support provided at this time needs to be bespoke. Their personal nurses provide a listening ear and help customers with whatever it is they need.
In this podcast, John and Christine discuss what RedArc’s personal nurse service can do for Guardian’s customers, share examples of how RedArc has helped people, and explain how it fits together when a person makes a claim on their Guardian policy.
Welcome to the first of a 4-part mini-series featuring Guardian and its HALO partners. HALO is Guardian’s bespoke claims service, and these podcasts help bring to life the huge value the service provides to our customers.Phil introduces the thinking behind the protection challenger’s HALO service. He tells us how a claim is so much more than a payout and shares examples of how Guardian has been able to help customers at claim.
In the first podcast of this mini-series, Guardian’s Head of Claims, Phil Deacon, introduces us to HALO and the thinking behind the approach. He shares examples of how we’ve helped our customers; as well as what advisers can expect their clients to receive from Guardian if they need to make a claim.
As Guardian scoops one of the highest accolades for service for the 3rd year in a row, COO, Duncan Mosely, shares his views on what it takes to keep customers happy.
In this podcast, Duncan and John discuss Guardian’s recent 5* award at the Financial Adviser Service Awards. It’s something the challenger has achieved every year since launch, so what’s happening behind the scenes at Guardian to provide this consistently good level of service?
They chat about the crucial role of culture in driving the right outcomes and how to hold onto that as a business grows. Duncan also shares his thoughts on where technology sits in the mix, both now and in the future; why listening is so important; and what he’s looking at right now to reduce adviser effort.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In our latest podcast, John talks to our Sales Director, Hilary Banks, as she completes her third month in the role. Responsible for our growth, she gives us a potted history of her career to date and talks about the things she’s learned along the way. We get her view on the crucial role of financial advice in protection and what she thinks the industry needs to do to help advisers land the protection conversation every time.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
For the first podcast of 2021, we’re joined by Martin Reynolds, Chief Executive of SimplyBiz Mortgages, and Rachael Welsh, Head of Marketing at Guardian. Discussing the resilience of the mortgage advisory market when faced with last year’s challenges, Martin and Rachael draw insights from Guardian’s adviser research and share their views on the significant protection opportunity for the year ahead. This podcast is useful for any mortgage adviser hoping to grow their protection sales during 2021.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In this podcast, Katya MacLean, our CEO, talks about what it’s been like to come to market as a challenger. She discusses the highs and lows of Guardian’s journey to date, and why winning adviser hearts and minds is so important. Delving into some entrenched industry norms the business is seeking to tackle, this podcast is useful for any adviser who wants to understand more about the protection market and how it’s evolving.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In the 2nd of our podcast series, we speak to Andy Peters, Guardian’s outgoing Distribution Director. Andy’s had a long and distinguished career in protection which, most recently, involved building the hugely successful distribution and marketing team which brought Guardian to market. In this podcast, he discusses some of the insights he’s gathered during his career; the people and approaches he admires; and shares his view on the future for distribution. This pod is a must-listen for anyone who’s had the pleasure of working with Andy over the years.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.
In the first of a series of podcasts, Katya Maclean, Guardian CEO, talks about what it’s been like to lead a business through the Covid pandemic. In what’s been a testing time for the whole of society, she shares her insight into how the protection sector has coped, what impacts were short term, and which changes may persist. With topics ranging from underwriting, to technology, and changed client sentiment, this podcast is a must-listen for advisers making sense of the ‘new normal’.
Guardian Financial Services Limited is an appointed representative of Scottish Friendly Assurance Society Limited. All products are provided by Scottish Friendly, an insurer with over 150 years’ experience in providing financial products and services.