Personal Finance Society 2025 conference signals renewed confidence and sector-led innovation
This week, the Personal Finance Society (PFS) held its 2025 National Conference at the newly opened Maritime Halls within London’s Excel Centre in Docklands, marking a significant moment for the professional body amidst a backdrop of past organisational turbulence. The event drew over 2,000 attendees, establishing it as the largest financial planning gathering of the year in the UK. The conference showcased a palpable sense of renewed confidence and professionalism within the financial planning sector, exemplified by a vast exhibition space and packed auditoriums buzzing with delegates eager to engage, learn, and celebrate progress.
The conference programme was both diverse and high-calibre, with more than 25 sessions featuring top financial planners, business strategists, and prominent PFS members. The thoughtful curation of content aimed to tackle pressing issues facing the profession under the theme ‘Mind the gap’. This theme served as an umbrella for addressing notable sector challenges, including the advice gap, innovation gap, generational gap, and talent gap, each of which demands sustained effort and strategic initiatives to overcome.
A highlight of the conference was the participation of esteemed England footballers Beth Mead MBE and Lucy Bronze MBE. Joining PFS President Carla Brown, the athletes contributed to an inspiring dialogue centred on resilience, determination, and ambition, qualities mirrored in the financial planning profession’s endeavour to bridge its own gaps and steer towards a more prosperous future. Sessions such as “How do you want to go out? Building a business worth leaving” and “Beyond £1m: building a business that truly matters” provided practical business insights, reflecting a growing appetite within the sector not only for technical excellence but also for meaningful, sustainable business growth.
The event further reaffirmed an encouraging atmosphere of unity and professional pride, exemplified by moments such as a standing ovation for FCA speaker Kate Tuckley, encouraged by event host Craig Palfrey. This congenial mood underpinned an important narrative: the PFS appears to have moved beyond the internal challenges it faced recently, rebellious members, leadership turnover, and governance concerns, and is reestablishing itself as a leading and reliable voice in the financial planning landscape.
This progression is supported by initiatives led by the PFS board under Carla Brown’s presidency, notably the Pathways to the Profession talent campaign, which is beginning to show tangible results in attracting new professionals to the sector. The conference not only provided a platform to discuss and disseminate knowledge but also served as a celebration of the discipline’s resilience and capacity for renewal.
Complementing the flagship conference, the PFS continues to offer a comprehensive suite of events and resources designed to support member development and sector advancement. These include local events, roadshows, specialist conferences such as Purely Paraplanning, and an extensive digital offering with over 300 webinars available via PFS Digital. The society also maintains a strong commitment to governance and member engagement, as seen in its recent Annual General Meeting, where leadership reaffirmed its vision amid discussions on examinations, artificial intelligence’s impact, and the appointment of auditors.
The trajectory set at the 2025 National Conference suggests a brighter outlook for the PFS and the wider financial planning profession. The blend of innovative thinking, community-building, and strategic focus on closing sector-wide gaps positions the organisation to navigate future challenges successfully, fostering enhanced outcomes for both practitioners and their clients.