Bailey will take on the role with immediate effect and succeed Helen Longland, who will become director of Owl Financial, Openwork’s financial protection advice firm.
Bailey has been instrumental in the growth of the business school, having served on its leadership team for over four years. He has also worked across Openwork in various adviser development roles for almost nine years, and held previous senior roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group and Halifax.
The Business School will continue to support the recruitment, training and professional development of advisers to ensure a pipeline of talent across Openwork’s member firms and give advisers skills to progress.
Openwork said Bailey’s appointment highlighted the Business School’s growth, which saw nearly 4,000 Openwork advisers supported in 2025, a 10% year-on-year increase.
Completions of the Adviser Licensing Programme was up by 25%, and delegate invites for the ‘Building a Thriving Chartered Community Programme’ have more than tripled in 2026.
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Further, the Business School’s Route-to-Principal Programme has been reaccredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) for 2026.
Bailey (pictured) said: “I’m excited for the year ahead and what we have in store for both colleagues and advisers as we continue to evolve the Business School to meet the needs of our partnership. Openwork is on an exciting journey and the Business School will help propel our growth through upskilling across every stage of the adviser lifecycle.
“As one of the largest in the sector, the Business School is playing a critical role in ensuring the development of talent and securing the future of the financial advice industry. I look forward to being part of that journey.”
Rob Barker, chief executive of The Openwork Partnership, added: “We’re delighted to have Ed take the helm of the Business School at such an important time for Openwork. Putting the training and development of financial advisers in place, whether they are new entrants, second careerists or experienced professionals, at the centre of our partnership reflects our deep commitment to ensuring the continued growth of the sector.
“And with Ed’s extensive experience of adviser development, we are putting the Business School in good stead to be a centre of excellence for advisers.”
