Jim has a wide experience of investigative matters commencing with service as a Section Officer in the British South African Police Criminal Investigations Department based in Zimbabwe. In 1980 he moved to the United Kingdom from where both his parents originated.

Jim spent a brief period in general investigation before setting up his own company specialising in the investigation of disability insurance claims in 1984. In 1993 at the invitation of a leading re-insurer the Health Claims Bureau was formed and Jim became its Chief Executive. Jim became Chairman and Chief Executive in April 2008.

Professor Sir Mansel Aylward CB is Director of the Centre for Psychosocial and Disability Research at Cardiff University which offers a unique opportunity to extend knowledge and understanding of the psychosocial, economic and cultural factors that influence health, illness, recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration.

He is also the first-ever Chair of Public Health Wales – a new unified NHS Trust responsible for the delivery of public health services at national, local and community level in Wales. He was Chair of the Wales Centre for Health, an Assembly Government Sponsored Body established to be the ‘hub of connected organisations’ and to communicate better health messages to the people of Wales.

In October 2007 Professor Sir Mansel Aylward, in his capacity as Chair of the Wales Centre for Health, was asked by Edwina Hart, Minister for Health and Social Services to undertake a review of Health Commission Wales’ functions, including its decision-making processes and appeals mechanism. Under this arrangement, a report on key findings and advice (including the making of recommendations) was provided to the Minister in June 2008.

Professor Sir Mansel Aylward was also asked to advise the Minister on the healthcare provision in Merthyr Tydfil and surrounding areas. In December 2008, during the 60th year of the NHS, the Minister asked Professor Sir Aylward to head the membership of a new independent group, the Bevan Commission, to help ensure that changes in the NHS structures set Wales on the path to a world-class health care system.

In 2005 he was elected to the new Queen’s Birthday Honours Committee, designed to make the system more transparent. In September 2008 he was formally re-appointed for a further 3 years. He is also Patron of The Shaw Trust which provides training and work opportunities for people disadvantaged in the labour market due to disability, ill health, or other social circumstances.

From 1996 to April 2005 he was Chief Medical Adviser, Medical Director and Chief Scientist to the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions. He was also Chief Medical Adviser and Head of Profession at the Veterans' Agency, Ministry of Defence. In 2001 he was appointed as The Royal Society of Medicine's Academic Sub Dean for Wales. He was knighted in the Queen's New Years Honours 2010 for services to healthcare.

Eoin, a Commerce graduate from University College Dublin, has over 30 years experience in the Financial Service Industry. During his career with Norwich Union and Hibernian Groups he operated at Director level, until his retirement in 2005.

His responsibilities included all Operational Divisions with specialisms in Business, IT and Process Solutions and Implementation, Legal and Compliance, Underwriting and Claims.

He served on many Industry panels and Boards including panels in the Irish Insurance Federation and the Insurance Ombudsman Board. He joined Health Claims Bureau in 2007 and was appointed to the Board in 2008.

John started his career as a pensions consultant with Legal & General and went on to spend ten years with the US based Cigna Corporation eventually becoming their National Accounts Director responsible for relationships with major UK employers. This work involved helping employers reassess their workforce healthcare strategy with the use of pioneering risk management tools such as Managed Care. He Joined Noble Lowndes & Partners (now part of the Mercer Group) in 1993 to help them set up a new Healthcare Consulting Practice and was subsequently recruited by Watson Wyatt to do the same for them. For six years John managed their health and risk consulting team dealing with diverse areas such as managing the cost of ill-health early retirement under pension funds, sickness absence management generally, design of health related insurances and the sourcing of appropriately qualified occupational health advice.

John now provides consulting services in his own right. His work for clients has included strategic reviews of the UK disability insurance market, advice on benefit design and Equality Law compliance and long term absence management generally. He has also recently been appointed as an expert witness in a High Court case involving a dispute about Group Income Protection Insurance and its role in contracts of employment.

He is a Director of RADAR Promotions Limited (the commercial arm of the Royal Association for Disability Rights) which campaigns for the rights of disabled people. He is also a member of the Income Protection Task Force Executive Committee, an industry body representing insurers, consultants and lawyers who specialise in health related benefits.

John holds an Honours Degree in Law and is designated a fully qualified Chartered Insurance Practitioner by the Chartered Insurance Institute. In 2008 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Mark spent 10 years as a Medical Underwriter at Confederation Life before setting up, developing and managing a specialist Claims Department to handle the assessment of IP, GIP & contentious Death claims. He was also responsible for a Pensions Department for both Individual & Group pensions.

In 1995 Mark joined Sun Life of Canada as Client Service Director. He had responsibility for 350 staff located in 44 sales offices providing administrative support & compliance checking for the direct sales force.

Mark then joined HCB to handle Claim visits before becoming lead contract assessor for IP, GIP, TPD, CI, Death & Waiver claims.

He was appointed Operations & Technical Director in September 2011.

Al is a recognised expert and world leader in disability claims management.

He has a degree in mathematics from Boston College and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire. Al worked for Unum for 23 years in a variety of capacities, including two years in the UK, followed by two years managing a private consulting firm specialising in disability insurance. He has been Senior Vice President for disability risk for Prudential Financial in New Jersey for the past five years. Al brings a wealth of international expertise to the Board.

Peter is one of the best-known consultants in the life and health insurance sector. He began his career at Commercial Union (now Norwich Union), moved to British and European and latterly went to Swiss Re, where he was initially head of underwriting and later became head of UK marketing.

He left in 2001 to set up an independent consultancy, Le Beau Visage, which focuses on differentiation in the protection sector. Since starting Le Beau Visage, he has regularly co-authored the Protection Review and the Redmayne Report on Reassurance. He runs a strategic discussion group called The-Net-Work and, in 2005, he set up the Income Protection (IP) Task Force with Clive Waller to promote greater awareness of the value of the product. The task force produced a White Paper on IP in 2006. Peter is a non-executive director of several companies and he is a passionate believer in the value of protection.

David was Chief Underwriter for the Medical Sickness Group, where he was responsible for both Underwriting and Claims, from 1981 to 1997. In 1997, he became Claims Manager for Permanent Insurance Company. He was Permanent’s representative on the Association of British Insurers Income Protection and Critical Illness Forum and a member of the Industry Working Party liaising with the Government’s New Deal project.

He retired from Permanent at the end of 1999. David is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and of the Assurance Medical Society. He is a member of the Health Claims Forum, the Association of Medical Underwriters and other Industry Associations.

Jon's bio and picture will follow shortly.

Dr Robb our CMO is a practising consultant physician. He is also a Chief Medical Officer of Friends Provident, UNUM, Pension Annuity Friendly Society and is immediate past President of the Assurance Medical Society. He is associate editor of the 4th edition of the Medical Selection of Life Risks, the standard industry textbook.

Dr Delfosse is a General Practitioner with a particular interest in disability assessment. He joined HCB as a Medical Officer and is also Chief Medical Officer for Gen Re and Legal & General.

lmontgomery@hcbgroup.co.uk

01235 750584

lsmith@hcbgroup.co.uk

01235 750582

kthornton@hcbgroup.co.uk

01235 750585