The Summit takes place on 16 May in Church House, Westminster, London. The main sponsor is Aviva and the event is organised by the Equity Release Council (ERC).

Now in its third year, the Summit is already one of the cornerstones of the equity release calendar, attracting frontline professionals as well as policy and decision makers alike.

Jim Boyd, ERC’s chief executive (pictured), said the event brings together stakeholders from all parts of the industry, including regulators, politicians, consumer champions, investors and an international cohort reflecting the rising social need and interest in this industry.

He said the government needs to create “a narrative of opportunity” at this exciting time for the industry, adding that equity release product innovation will be on the way this year as its financing base has broadened, alongside the ERC’s own first regional conference for advisers in Manchester in November at the Midlands Hotel.

Digital passes enable delegates to watch and interact with all the plenaries and the seven industry-focused breakout sessions via a web-based platform.

Sponsored

Mind over mortgages: why we need to look after intermediaries’ mental health

Sponsored by Halifax Intermediaries

In addition, an app allows both digital and in-person delegates to:

• View the full agenda.
• Participate in Q&As and live polls.
• Watch sessions live and on demand after the event.
• Interact with other attendees, exchange contact details, chat and call.
• View and interact with exhibitors.
• Get live help from the event team.
• Get social with the interactive social feed.

ERC’s business development manager Laura Gibson said: “We still have a couple more surprises up our sleeves but the Summit already promises to be a superb day. We’re extremely grateful to all the sponsors, past and present, who have helped us get to this stage, not least Aviva who are this year’s headline sponsor.”

She added: “We are laser focused on making this year’s event the best it possibly can be, but much like the industry it supports, the Equity Release Summit is set to grow in the years to come.”

In addition to the seven breakout sessions, the following plenaries will take place:

• Mail on Sunday finance editor, Jeff Prestridge, will be the keynote speaker for Addressing Our Responsibilities: Understanding Ageing Consumers and Their Needs. It will be chaired by Fairer Finance managing director, James Daley and feature panellists: Lyndsey Fallon, partner, Deloitte; Richard Lane, director of external affairs and operating subsidiaries, StepChange; Mike Ellicock, co-founder and chief executive, Plain Numbers; and Chris Pond, chair, Financial Inclusion Commission.

• Aviva group head of sustainability, Zelda Bentham, will be the keynote speaker for Green Equity Release: Innovative Solutions Solving Today’s Critical Social Challenges. It will be chaired by Green Finance Institute director, Emma Harvey-Smith and feature panellists: Jack Wilkinson Dix, policy manager, Energy Saving Trust; Thomas Kenny, pricing and underwriting director, Just Group plc; and Karl Reilly, heat in buildings future finance team leader, Heat & Energy Efficient Scotland.

• ERC’s chief executive, Jim Boyd, will be the keynote speaker for Later Life Lending: A Route Map to Support an Ageing Population. It will be chaired by lang cat public affairs director, Tom McPhail and feature panellists: Jon Dunckley, chief executive, About Consulting Group; Paul Broadhead, head of mortgages and housing, Building Societies Association; and John Somerville, head of financial services, corporate and professional learning, The London Institute of Banking & Finance.

Registration is available at the dedicated website www.equityreleasesummit.com where details of all the other confirmed speakers and the exhibitors can be found, including Mortgage Solutions, which is the official media partner for the event.