Peter Collier
Director of Marketing and Distribution

Peter is Director of Marketing and Distribution for WBR Group. He fell into pensions in 1997, after being invited to join the board of the company that looked after his SSAS, at the time he exited that business.

Since then, Peter has held senior roles in marketing, business development and strategy within wealth management. He was head of Marketing Strategy at the private bank, Brown Shipley from 2002 to 2012. As Business Development Director at Hurley Partners (latterly Mattioli Woods), Peter was responsible for intermediary and direct sales as well as working on significant corporate projects.

Being a SSAS client for over 30 years, Peter is fully conversant with the product’s benefits and operation. In his time in wealth management he was a regulated adviser and a member of the Securities Institute. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant ‘a long while ago’ and is therefore an FCA.

In his spare time Peter and his wife Melanie look after their small-holding, various animals and orchards, as well as acting as a chauffeur to his daughter! He is a lifelong Spurs supporter and also an avid golf & cricket watcher, and sometimes player.

David Downie
Managing Director – SSAS & Actuarial

David left the sunny shores of Trinidad on a scholarship to pursue his education in the UK. He qualified as a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and has accrued over 30 years of experience in Pensions & Actuarial Consultancy and holds the Scheme Actuary certificate.

A pioneer, he developed the defined benefit small self-administered scheme and designed and created WBR’s DB SSAS which has proved a very successful alternative to a traditional SSAS given the right circumstances. David also gives time to many pension and actuarial industry committees and working parties. He advises Trustee Boards of larger corporate pension schemes and funeral plan trusts and assists solicitors when pension splitting on divorce is required, including providing independent expert reports for the courts.

David continues to support the Soca-Warriors the T&T national football team and with his wife has set up a small Christian charity – Advent Worldwide – to provide financial help with gifts of love and compassion to individuals and for ministry training.

Cheryl Ford
Director of SSAS Operations

Cheryl has worked in Financial Services for over 25 years working as an operations manager, leading large operational units within a FTSE 100 company for the majority of that time. She has extensive knowledge and experience having serviced a broad range of investment and financial products including the specialist fields of SIPP and SSAS for large corporates, financial advisers as well as directly to the clients.

Cheryl is FPC, Mortgage and Prince (Project Management) qualified as well as having a degree in Economics and Management.

She is proud to be Welsh, and is a confident linguist, speaking her native tongue as well as conversational German, French, some Spanish and Italian. Outside of work, Cheryl also enjoys being a Mum to her 2 children and can be seen enthusiastically climbing her beloved Welsh Mountains and cycling with the family (on the flat).

Alan Godbeer
Sales Director

Alan has been in Financial Services for more than 30 years at some of the UK’s principal life offices and specialist pension providers.

He has been involved with helping advisers offer member-directed pensions for a long time and is one of the few who has considerable knowledge and experience of DB SSASs.

As Sales Director at WBR Group, he has an extensive, national network of Financial Advisers and is the first point of contact for them when it comes to our SSAS and actuarial propositions.

Jenni Heselwood
Head of SSAS Operations North

Jenni joined WBR in July 2021 with over 9 years of SSAS experience having previously worked for a pension firm based in Leeds. Looking after a large portfolio of SSAS’s from cradle to grave over the years, Jenni’s knowledge has enabled her to deal with many cases of a complex nature which has built up her technical skills over all aspects of SSAS. Jenni manages our Pensions Operations and New Business teams ensuring the delivery of excellent service to all clients and other professionals.

Jenni has spent many years on the side-line as a ‘football mum’ to her two teenage sons. She also plays piano, enjoys going to the gym, and days out with her family on long walks or bike rides.

Rob King
Head of Property Technical

Martin Tilley
Chief Operating Officer

Martin rose to be a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute and has spent nearly all of his 39-year career advising on self-invested pensions.

He has held senior roles at specialist Self-Invested Personal Pension (‘SIPP’) and Small Self-Administered Pension Scheme (‘SSAS’) providers as well as at a wealth manager, fulfilling technical, compliance, and advisory functions.
He is a well-known industry spokesperson, writing and presenting education pieces and a former Chairman of the SSAS industry body: Association of Member Directed Pension Schemes (AMPS).

He particularly enjoys the forensic examination of complex SSAS cases and has a pragmatic approach to problem solving with a keen eye for detail. He believes that understanding the client’s needs are key to providing a bespoke service and that SSASs are “not a product.” Martin will often attend trustee meetings.

Outside of work, Martin enjoys his holidays near and far as well most sports, now mainly as a spectator.

David Santaney
Chief Commercial Officer

David has been involved with Small Self-Administered Pension Schemes (‘SSASs’) for over 30 years. He has a detailed knowledge of the operation, regulation and legislation surrounding all types of Pension Schemes, but in particular SSASs.

David’s main strengths are the ability to work closely with clients and their professional advisers at all levels and to ensure matters are completed on time within HMRC regulations. He particularly enjoys meeting with entrepreneurs, scheme members and their advisers to support them in maximising the benefits of SSASs for themselves, their businesses and families.

David is passionate about SSASs and the benefits they bring to business owners. He believes it is imperative to work closely with clients and their professional advisers to maximise those benefits.

David enjoys spending time with his family, travel (when allowed) visiting historical buildings, supporting Leicester City, and occasionally getting out on the Golf course.

Tim Smith
Director of Technical and Consultancy (SSAS)

Tim is Director of Technical and Consultancy at WBR SSAS. He has been involved with small self-administered schemes for 30 years having worked as a manager with various administration teams and as a consultant dealing with advisers around the country.

Working with advisers and clients on more complex cases as well as day to day issues that arise, Tim regularly attends trustee meetings with clients and advisers where his experience and knowledge make him stand out.

Away from work, Tim enjoys mostly watching sports these days although, he still tries to keep running albeit at a much slower pace than before.  As a keen astronomer and stargazer, Tim most definitely enjoys long-distance hobbies.