Sesame Bankhall Group has today announced further details of the senior team that will lead the business following the formation of the new group on 16 October.

In addition to the recent appointments of executive chairman Ivan Martin and chief operating officer Stephen Young, two further appointments to the new Sesame Bankhall Group board have today been confirmed:

• Michael Couzens, previously compliance director for Sesame, assumes responsibility for compliance and risk management in the expanded group.
• Mark Wadelin, previously Sesame's finance director, takes up the same role in the new group.

Both Michael and Mark will report to Ivan Martin.

Reinforcing the group's commitment to retain and strengthen its three market-leading brands, senior appointments have also been made in the operating businesses. The appointments are effective immediately and report to Stephen Young:

• David Golder becomes managing director of Bankhall and assumes overall responsibility for developing and delivering a full range of support services for directly regulated advisory firms.
• Nick Kelly becomes managing director of Sesame and, in addition to his current development role, will also be responsible for network customer service functions.
• John Malone becomes chairman of PMS and will continue to lead the development of the UK's largest mortgage club.
• John Cupis becomes managing director of PMS and will also have responsibility for developing the group's mortgage, protection and general insurance offerings for the Sesame network and all directly authorised customers.

Commenting on the appointments, Stephen Young, chief operating officer for Sesame Bankhall Group said: “Our strategy is to provide a comprehensive range of adviser propositions delivered via strong, reputable and recognised brands. We have a senior leadership team with proven track records and a depth of experience that will ensure we can continue to provide the very best support to adviser firms.

“Bankhall, Sesame and PMS will each have a dedicated operating board to ensure that they have the resources to be able to focus on the needs of the customers that they serve. I will chair the operating boards for Sesame and Bankhall, and I am delighted that John Malone has agreed to become chairman of the PMS operating board. As chairman of PMS, John will give us the benefit of his enormous experience in the mortgage market and help us to maintain its position as the leading mortgage distributor in the UK.”

New senior RDR role created to help drive and support adviser transition

It has also been announced today that Mark Penton has been appointed to the role of director of Sesame Bankhall Group's Retail Distribution Implementation Project. Mark takes up the role on 2 November and will report to Ivan Martin.

Mark has a wealth of experience in financial services where he has held positions at Norwich Union and in recent years as a director of Beachcroft Regulatory Consulting and chief executive at Pass Ltd.

Commenting on Mark's appointment, Sesame Bankhall Group executive chairman Ivan Martin said: “In light of the changes and challenges that the RDR will bring in reshaping our industry, it is essential that we are able to provide the valuable support that our customers will need to guide them through the transition. We are investing in a solid infrastructure to deliver our Retail Distribution Implementation Project and Mark's appointment demonstrates our commitment to this key business imperative. I would like to welcome Mark and wish him every success in his new role.”