The FPA Board and Compliance Committee
The FPA is a Community Interest Company, meaning we operate solely to protect customers. It also means our Board is fully independent from the industry, guaranteeing impartiality.
Our Board members and Compliance Committee members have many years of senior level experience in financial services, regulation and compliance, life insurance, and the legal sector.
Please see below for more information about our Board and Compliance Committee members.
Steve Winfield
Chairman
Steve has spent nearly 30 years in a variety of senior roles with leading companies in the Financial Services arena. Since 2007 he has been active as a Non-Executive Director. He is currently Chair of the Costs Lawyers Standards Board, and is a member of the Regulatory Panel of the Association of Residential Managing Agents. He also has a role as an Independent Director with Administration of Gambling on Tracks Ltd and runs a small stud breeding racehorses for National Hunt racing.
Graeme McAusland
Chief Executive
Graeme is a qualified actuary and has spent his working life in the life assurance industry. He has held various senior roles in that industry including most recently Chief Executive of a mutual insurer and UK Group Finance Director of another insurer. He also holds non-executive roles with an AIM listed stockbroker where he Chairs the Audit Committee. Graeme was appointed to the FPA Board in December 2014.
Deborah Cullen
Chair of Compliance Committee
Deborah has been a barrister both in private practice and as in house counsel for over 25 years, She has built a broad international and domestic commercial practice including advising on non-contentious matters, litigation and mediation. In her most recent roles she has been working with a number of financial services organisations in the fields of regulation, compliance and corporate governance.
Shaun Astley-Stone
Non-Executive Director
Shaun has over 30 years of operating at board and executive team level in the Insurance and Retail Financial Services sectors.
His former roles include; Global Managing Director - Thomas Cook Financial/Travel Services, Membership Director- BUPA and Retail Banking Director - Alliance & Leicester Bank plc
In addition to his general management roles, he has specialised in Risk and Compliance and his Non-Executive roles include; Senior Independent Director - CPP Group plc, where he also chaired the board Risk Committee and Remuneration Committee. In addition, he was a NED of the Professional Claims Management Association.
Alison Beeston
Non-Executive Director
During her long career in banking, life assurance, mortgages and property Alison has held a variety of senior roles responsible for people development and competence, customer service, compliance and risk. She holds advanced financial planning qualifications, a postgraduate degree in human resources and a variety of risk management and compliance qualifications.
She worked for a number of years in the equity release market which has some similarities to the funeral planning market, was a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Society of Later Life Advisers and previously a Non-Executive for Hermitage Housing Association. Alison maintains a strong interest in matters affecting the older customer market.
Deborah Cullen
Chair of Compliance Committee
Deborah has been a barrister both in private practice and as in house counsel for over 25 years, She has built a broad international and domestic commercial practice including advising on non contentious matters, litigation and mediation. In her most recent roles she has been working with a number of financial services organisations in the fields of regulation, compliance and corporate governance.
David Gulland
Compliance Committee Member
David is an experienced insurance professional who worked initially as a consulting actuary before taking on various senior executive roles within insurance companies.
David has always focused on the customer during his career and has carried out compliance work for various regulators. He is a member of Royal London’s Independent Governance Committee, and a non-executive Director of PG Mutual, in addition to various charitable and community roles.
Alan Middleditch
Compliance Committee Member
With over 30 years in the life insurance and pensions industry, during which he qualified as a Chartered Insurer and an Associate of the Institute of Management Services, he joined the Financial Services Authority for six years. After a variety of management, project and technical roles and a secondment to the Association of British Insurers, he concentrated on the reputational issues affecting the industry with particular interest in the fair treatment of consumers and their understanding of insurance and investment products. He specialised on the improvements required to consumer information and product disclosure and has produced clear language and layout guidance for the industry and for European regulators.