"I’ve also had excellent mentors in the past who I have learnt a lot from. I work for, and have worked for, great leaders and I take much inspiration from high achievers such as David Goggins, Helen Glover and Nimsdi Purja."
He also praises his upbringing. Ward, who lives in Northern Ireland, says: "My parents taught me to see the positives and be a problem solver and I drew from that perspective in the difficult times at the PFS two years ago.
"Having this experience and viewpoint empowered me to lead and take others on the journey as I created a vision for our future. The PFS is on a good trajectory now and the only way is up."
Ward says communication was absolutely vital, then and now.
"Over my career I’ve met a large number of financial planners, and I’ve built a great network, including current and ex-colleagues. They have been a huge help to me and I’ve enjoyed my engagement with members as president", he says.
"Co-hosting the 2024 PFS Awards with Claudia Winkleman was a wonderful experience as I got to meet all the nominees and award winners, hear their views and listen to their passions.
"I also thoroughly enjoyed the National Conference in Wales and after delivering the opening speech to 1,000 members I spent the day with members and PFS volunteers who were sharing their view and ideas with me which I’ve since discussed with the PFS Board to help shape our strategy."
It can be easy for the media - and members - to sit on the sidelines and criticise developments or decisions, but Ward says it is important to engage and get involved, as this always drives innovation, change and improvements.
Ward explains: "The opportunity to get involved is at an all-time high. We have a lot of skilled members who care about the profession and we have many members who excel at what they do.
"We also have members with experience in different fields and our membership base is multi-generational.
"Every member can help the PFS and the profession by getting involved either locally on membership committees, nationally on our Power Panel or by reaching out to me or any member of the PFS board to share your ideas and feedback."
Ambitions
Ward isn't ready to stop innovating and driving change at the PFS yet. He relishes his role on the board, and is proud of what he has achieved - and wants to do more.
He says: "My corporate experience and my financial background enabled me to help the PFS Board on a number of matters that both increased our revenues and reduced costs.
