Peter mann skandia biography of abraham lincoln

Financial services veteran Peter Mann famously reserved a chair at board meetings to represent the client, his view being the only thing that really matters is whether they have been served. Mann identifies common properties in his work throughout his career. He has to have a strong connection with the people he works with, he wants to innovate and he relishes disturbance.

Considering the school of thought that artificial intelligence will make the people element of workforces less important in the future, does Mann think his focus on people could be anachronistic? To him, artificial intelligence is really only the sum of the human ambitions creating it. He passionately believes successful advice is rooted in the intimate relationships that an adviser forms with clients.

So what does he think about the march of the robos? Does he not believe it could be a new dawn for democratising advice? While he recognises the arguments in their favour, he just does not agree they can work without the human element of advice. But technology does have the power to change the way the industry does things, even if it cannot outdo us in the field of emotional intelligence.

For Mann, the biggest game changer has been the introduction of platforms.

The insightful and vibrant

Indeed, platforms have offered advisers the flexibility to create and adapt portfolios at the touch of a button. At their very best, they make advice firms more profitable, as well as help advisers look good in front of their clients and avoid some of the pitfalls that could leave them on the wrong side of the regulator. Increasingly, they offer a convenient service to clients too, giving them greater visibility of portfolio performance and valuations.

Yes, you could argue that we created an interesting and clever tool. Underwriting has been revolutionised by improvements in the way we interpret data, and data from smart devices has helped manage risk by changing customer behaviour, making them healthier. Mann sees an opportunity to improve customer outcomes.