The review will also encompass the Association of Finance Brokers (AFB) and will appraise and set the objectives for all three organisations, defining their purpose and value to members.
Gay, the former director of distribution development at Aviva, said he has been “pleasantly surprised” by the messages of support he has received since being named as Chris Cummings’ successor in September.
Some AIFA members queried Gay’s appointment, questioning his mainly life office-affiliated background, but he has previously been employed as a business consultant to IFA network Sesame and said he is well prepared to lead the body to 2012 and beyond.
“Typically those people who commented on my appointment fell into two categories: those with reservations and those who have met me,” Gay told Mortgage Solutions sister title IFAonline.
“It is probably fair to say I have more experience of dealing with the IFA community than any of my predecessors. To those who said you need to have been an IFA to do this job: well, most of the well-respected advisers out there have successful practices to run.
“They either could not or would not leave to take on a role like this, so let’s not kid ourselves there was this giant queue of IFAs wanting to be director general.”
Gay said it was his time at Aviva, in particular, which will stand him in good stead to represent the views of UK IFAs.
“The one thing which might reassure some people with regard to my background is that the position I have taken on market change issues has been one of personal conviction.
“I have not had an Aviva line to follow. In fact, it has been the other way round: I developed the line Aviva took. People are not going to find I’m saying different things than I’ve been saying in the past.”
Gay said his first task as AIFA and AMI chief will be to lead a three-month strategic review of the organisation to establish “what it does, what it costs, who funds it and how it adds value”.
“We are facing a huge amount of change,” he said. “We have a new government, a new regulator which will be split in two, the sharp end of the RDR coming through and an increasing agenda coming in through Europe.
“We need to make sure we are clear about what AIFA does rather than just continuing with the modus operandi, assuming it is right but not being entirely sure.”
He said the trade body will gauge the views of “as many people as possible” during the review, but he stressed it would not be an appraisal of the trade body’s stance on the key industry topics.
“This is not a policy review. It is not about coming up with a set of proposals that are different from our current position on certain matters.
“It is about AIFA’s strategy, structure, purpose, mission, membership and funding. It is not possible to come to a conclusion everybody will agree with.”
