Geeky

I'm Karl Dines, this is me just before I went on as a speaker at a recent PA360 conference in London. 

I've been in Financial Services since I was a kid in the 90's, when things were a bit more 'wild west' shall we say. I started off with a major product provider, working with IFA firms in the days of commission, with profit bonds, Section 32's SIPPS and SSAS schemes.

I have a leaning towards compliance and was fascinated when RDR was published came out, a whole new world began to emerge. So after a few other life offices and promotions I joined a major compliance provider. That was over 10 years and hundreds of consultancy sessions ago. 

Open Door Policy is built on lots of experience in consultancy and geekiness. 

Cats! We have three knocking around the place. 

There's Mojo (middle) the mad tabby who opens bedroom doors at 4.00 in the morning. Then there's the two black and white brothers, Ronnie (right side) and Reggie (left side). 

Ronnie is the bruiser who will run towards the vacuum and try to kill it whilst Reggie is much softer, even though he is at the top end of the Chonk Chart and could probably run down and eat a gazelle if inclined.

I've been playing since I was 13 back in Gateshead where I was born and grew up. 

It's one of those obsessions you can't get rid of and, apart from when I'm on holiday I will pick up and play at least once a day. 

If you work with Open Door Policy you'll see a forever rotating guitar selection of Firebirds, Les Pauls, Stratocasters, Jazzmasters, SGs, Teles and anything else I can get past Wendy, my wife, without a rolling of the eyes.

That one you see there is a Gibson SG Standard. Think Angus Young.

Karl Dines, the former head of business consultancy at SimplyBiz has left the firm to set up his own advisory support business Open Door Policy.

Dines said his firm would support advisory practices to answer ‘why' and ‘how' questions on critical subjects such as charging structures, price & value statements or building robust centralised investment propositions and centralised retirement propositions.

Dines' venture is also open to providers, networks and software and compliance organisations. He explained it would be on a bespoke basis taking into consideration areas such as training, building propositions and advice on product construction and delivery of support services.

He said: "Propositions cannot be created without knowing exactly what the regulator expects, that is the core of everything we do. I want to take my ten years of consultancy experience, working with literally hundreds of businesses and bring it to the wider market, an independent service with no affiliation to any large provider.

 "Take recent events such as the Consumer Duty, income in retirement review and further guidance on cash flow modelling - Open Door Policy's aim is to provide support, thought leadership material and practical guidance through ever changing rules and regulations."