Chairman's Foreword

Looking to the future

Happy New Year!

They say that time flies when you are enjoying yourself and in my case I still find it amazing that a whole year has gone by since our inaugural conference in January 2018. In that time we have established FIBA as a natural home for specialist property finance professionals, created a first class lending panel, as well as the popular Professional Partners Panel, run a year long series of roadshows and participated in events and seminars across the UK.  

But as they say in the fashion world ‘That is so last year’ and while 2018 saw FIBA firmly on the map, 2019 is here. Building on the platform that has been created, we are going to push on with the development of the Financial Intermediary and Broker Association as the trade body and resource for finance professionals in our sector. Whether looking for real representation at the highest levels within government and regulators, or the practical support in the shape of a comprehensive list of funders and services to enhance their ability to build their businesses, FIBA is the place to be for those finance professionals.

Looking after our growing membership is, of course, a priority, and the emphasis will be on taking what we created last year and making our proposition even better. By finessing the FIBA offering, we will also attract new members. Membership is the lifeblood of any organisation and the more members we attract, the better our services can become.

We have a lot to do. The transition of those members who were part of the original trade association and the opportunity for existing SimplyBiz members to enjoy membership is an important part of our growth. We intend to make this achievable by building from the groundwork we do today.

So, my main aims are to improve our offering to enhance the experience for existing members and act as an overwhelming reason for new members to join us.

On the agenda this year are the following:-

• Expand the lender panel: We still have room for a further 20 lenders to join us and I am already in talks with a number who will fit right in to our comprehensive and broad based lender offering.
• Events Programme We are planning a particularly strong events programme in association with our lender, media and service partners, which again will be nationwide, and aim to visit venues which we were unable to reach last year.
• Industry Focus Groups An opportunity for members and non-members to get involved with industry specialists regionally to discuss and expand on topics such as initial enquiry standards, the role of our professional panel, regulation, funding and profile.
• Opening membership in Scotland and Northern Ireland for 2019
• Westminster representation Like last year, I will be heavily involved in working with stakeholders in the SME sector to raise the profile of SME access to finance to build on the report and survey, which I presented at Westminster in November.

As advisers, we all face a challenging year. However, being part of FIBA already gives you a huge advantage to help clients and add to the services you offer.