Media > Press Releases > Archive > Jim Smith appointed as director of Origo
Jim Smith appointed as director of Origo
13 January 2010
Jim Smith, Group Distribution Director at Royal London, has been appointed as a non-executive director of Origo Services Limited.
Commenting on the appointment, Paul Pettitt, Managing Director of Origo, said:
"I'm delighted that Jim Smith has agreed to join the Origo Board. He has considerable experience of the distribution side of the industry, including having worked as an adviser.
"We will particularly benefit from Jim's strategic perspectives on changes in the distribution landscape and on the effective use of technology by providers and financial advisers."
Jim Smith said:
"I'm very pleased to be joining the Origo Board and look forward to making a positive contribution to the very important role that Origo has established for itself within the life and pensions industry.
"Although most of my career has been in sales roles, I've always had a strong interest in technology, and was head of e-business at Scottish Life for several years. As an emerging bigger player in the market, it's important that Royal London, and especially our intermediary businesses, help Origo deliver significant efficiencies and savings to the industry."
- ENDS -
For further information please contact
Scottish Life
Alasdair Buchanan, Head of Communications
0131 456 7133
Polhill Communications
Sally Biggs
020 7655 0520
Origo
Paul Pettitt, Managing Director
0131 451 5181
Editor's Notes:
Origo was launched by 16 of the UK's leading life assurance companies in June 1989 to facilitate the development of electronic trading between principals and agents for Life, Pensions and Collective Investment business. In February 2006, the scope of Origo's activity was extended to include mortgage business.
Origo's main purpose is to address cost and efficiency issues for the UK Life, Pensions, Investment and Mortgage sectors by delivering common eCommerce services and standards. Origo drives the adoption of eBusiness by creating a standards-based, competitive and secure trading environment in which industry goals are being met.
Origo brings different industry groups together, including product providers, lenders, advisers, portals, software companies and others to collaborate on identifying and addressing cost and efficiency issues in a non-competitive environment.
Origo's Services include; Standards, Unipass, Adviserwise.com, Agency Registration, Agency Administration, Options Pensions Transfer and Origo Data Matching Service.
For further information please visit: www.origoservices.com or email enquiries@origoservices.com
Scottish Life was founded in 1881 in Edinburgh as a proprietary company, becoming a mutual company in 1968.
On 1 July 2001, Scottish Life demutualised and transferred its business to The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Limited. Scottish Life is a division of Royal London and is the specialist pensions business within the Group, providing individual and group pensions to the market via intermediaries.
Scottish Life and Royal London's other intermediary businesses are based mainly in Edinburgh where 1,140 staff are employed, with 710 working in other parts of the UK and overseas.
Royal London Group is a specialist financial service provider. Its businesses focus on those sectors of the market which value quality propositions, operating through a number of brands:
- Scottish Life - UK pensions market
- Bright Grey - UK protection market
- Scottish Provident - UK protection market
- Royal London 360� - offshore investment markets
- RLAM - fund management
- RLAS - life and pensions administration
- Fundsdirect / Ascentric - funds supermarket; Wrap platform
Royal London also distributes life and pensions products through Santander's UK branch networks.
Royal London is the largest mutual life and pensions company in the UK with Group funds under management of £35.5 billion. Group businesses serve around 3.6 million customers and employ 2,800 people. Figures quoted are as at 30 September 2009.
