Directors
The management of the Society is undertaken by the Directors of The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA), Tish Hanifan and Jane Finnerty.
Tish Hanifan
Founder and Joint Chair of the Society of Later Life Advisers
Tish is a barrister and Founder and Joint Chairman of the Society of Later life Advisers. She has worked extensively in the areas of policy development, financial, legal training and advice delivery in relation to older people, and is involved in the delivery of national standard setting and accreditation for financial and legal advisers in the older client sector. Her areas of expertise encompass the retirement market and how policy impacts on retirement and care.
Tish has worked with government departments and a variety of third sector and private organisations in developing and supporting good practice in relation to older and vulnerable clients. She was particularly involved with the implementation and delivery of the Care Act 2014 and sat on two working parties at the Department of Health which contributed to drafting parts of the legislation.
She is Vice Chair of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) in her home county of Kent, a Founder Member of the Association of Lifetime Lawyers (formerly SFE) for which she is Head of Business Development and a Special Adviser to the Board of the National Care Association.
Jane Finnerty
Joint Chair of the Society of Later Life Advisers
Jane is Joint Chairman of the Society of Later life Advisers and Chartered Financial Planner. She specialises in financial services communications and wellbeing in Later Life. She contributes to various policy setting committees and volunteers for organisations that campaign on behalf of the rights of older and disabled adults, including the National Dignity Council.
As Joint Chairman of the Society of Later Life Advisers, Jane’s champions access accredited advice when it comes to retirement planning and care funding. She writes for financial and consumer facing publications and has expertise in standard setting core skills advice and the effective use of technology.
Management Team
The day to day running of the Society is undertaken by the Management Team.
Ruth Perrett
Operations Director
Ruth is responsible for the day to day management of all aspects of SOLLA, including the admin infrastructure, marketing, events, membership, accreditation, standards, partnerships, website and HR. She is passionate about streamlining processes to improve both internal processes and members experience. Before joining SOLLA, Ruth worked as Operations & HR Manager for a digital marketing agency, and previously in event management for a charity.
Advisory Board
The Directors are assisted by an Advisory Board with members appointed by the Directors. It comprises of individuals who have a proven record in the field of financial advice for those in later life, policy in older client matters and legal matters. Their role is to provide industry feedback and support for the Society.
Peter Barnett
Independent Consultant and
SOLLA Advisory Board Chair
Peter is a senior communications and public affairs professional, political policy adviser and later life consultant. A Pharmacist by profession he has extensive experience in the Financial Services, Public Affairs, FMCG, and Public and Voluntary Sectors. He is the chair of the SOLLA Advisory Board and was formerly Chairman of the ABI LTC committee.
Simon Chalk
MD and Laterliving Planner
LaterLiving Now!
Simon runs his own independent Equity Release specialist advisory firm – laterliving now! A 5x winner of national awards, Simon has specialised in Equity Release advice for over 19 years, serving clients referred by numerous professional introducers. Simon is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in his field and regularly provides expert comment and opinion in the national press. Before joining the SOLLA Advisory Board, Simon served for two years as Adviser Representative on the Standards Board of the Equity Release Council, where he helped to shape the rules and guidance that ensure clients taking Equity Release remain well protected.
Jo England
Adult Social Care & Service Manager
West Berkshire Council
Jo has worked in local government for over 30 years and for the last 18 years she has worked at West Berkshire Council managing the financial assessment team, along with a number of other teams. She is also the corporate deputy for West Berkshire, having overall responsibility for managing the financial affairs of 200 individuals who lack capacity to manage their own financial affairs. Jo is a member of the National Association of Financial Assessment Officers (NAFAO) Executive Committee, and has expansive knowledge of the ‘paying for care’ system.
Ian Evans
Business Development Director / Former Head of Later Life Advice
Fiveways Financial Planning
Ian has been advising clients for 37 years, firstly with a high street bank and for the past 24 years as an independent financial adviser. Ian has specialised in later life advice, and first achieved the SOLLA accreditation in 2013. Ian has a new role as the Business development Manager at his firm, where he works with a team of eight advisers, supporting them with all the firm’s later life cases. He works closely with solicitors specialising in later life advice and has arranged several events at which solicitors, financial advisers and healthcare professionals have shared information, experience and ideas. Ian is SOLLA’s South-West regional coordinator, and joined the SOLLA Advisory Board in 2020. He became a SOLLA Ambassador in 2025.
Ian Macara
Senior Partner
JE Bennett Law
Ian is a senior partner at JE Bennett Law, a specialist Court of Protection Law Firm. He is a very experienced practitioner in the legal landscape surrounding those experiencing the challengers of later life and finding themselves in vulnerable circumstances. Ian is one of just sixty of the Office of the Public Guardian’s accredited Panel Deputies and one of only approximately ten of their Public Guardians. He is a fully accredited member of Association of Lifetime Lawyers (formerly SFE), a fully accredited member of STEP, a Dementia Friend, a member of the Professional Deputies Forum, and is a Recommended Lawyer in the Legal 500. Ian is a SOLLA Affiliate Member and joined the SOLLA Advisory Board in 2025.
Adrian Quick
Founder
HarperLees
Having worked in financial services since 1979, Adrian founded HarperLees in 1996, initially as an IFA practitioner but transitioning into Financial Planning between 2004-2007 to provide lifestyle based client outcomes. He joined SOLLA in 2015 and added specialist later-life planning to HarperLees’ client service, in recognition of the increasing demand from clients for support with family members and long-term care funding. Adrian stepped away from client advice in 2025, although he remains involved in HarperLees Financial Planning.
Catriona Smith
Independent Financial Adviser
Chase de Vere
Catriona Smith has worked in the financial advice industry since 1994, joining Chase de Vere as an Independent Financial Adviser in 2008. She attained the SOLLA LLAA in 2014, and has has been the West of Scotland Regional Co-Ordinator for SOLLA since 2019. She presents seminars and webinars on behalf of other organisations on Long Term Care and helping families make informed Care Funding Decisions, as well as running training sessions for her fellow Chase de Vere advisers and webinars for their clients. Catriona has recently passed the SMHFA Certificate, Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid course, and was named as the Financial Adviser of the Year for Scotland and Northern Ireland at the Women in Financial Advice Awards in 2019 and in 2020.
Zoe Taylor
Chartered Financial Planner
Lawrence Neil Wealth Management
Zoe is a chartered financial adviser and fellow of the CII, who is passionate about supporting vulnerable clients to navigate complicated financial planning. After becoming a SOLLA accredited later life adviser in 2021, she has completed a master’s degree in finance, gaining a Distinction for her research that explored how people make financial decisions when faced with the long-term care dilemma. Elsewhere, Zoe is also the Chair of the Ethics and Scrutiny Board for the OPCC, helping to uphold standards within the Humberside Police Force, and was presented with SJP’s Vulnerability Champion of the Year award in 2022. She is also the Author of “Risking your Retirement”, a book designed for people approaching retirement who are also dealing with various later life issues with their loved ones, including inheritance tax and the long term care system.