About us

PG is the UK’s only insurer dedicated to offering Income Protection cover to Pharmacy professionals, and we have been doing so since 1928. We are now pleased to offer this to other healthcare professionals.

Our History

PG offers Holloway Income Protection insurance.

Around 1880, a prize was offered in a national essay competition. The purpose was to design a product which offered the advantages of a sickness cover combined with the provision of a lump sum for members in their retirement years. George Holloway won a prize and launched a Friendly Society to sell the new product. This insurance combines the essential elements of income replacement protection with the opportunity to build up a cash lump sum payable at the maturity of the contract.

There are only nine Holloway Societies operating in the UK. PG was established as the Chemists’ Sickness and Provident Society in 1928 by the National Pharmaceutical Union (now the NPA) for the purpose of offering pharmacists an indemnity against the cost of their engaging a locum if an illness or injury prevented them from working. The Holloway contract was considered the most appropriate product for this purpose.

We remain firmly committed to addressing the income protection requirements of pharmacists, their families and their staff. Our Holloway product has been adapted over time to ensure it remains an essential cover for those who would face financial hardship if an illness or injury left without an income or (if a pharmacy owner) dependent on hiring a locum to keep their pharmacy open.

PG has looked after their needs for over 80 years. Today we are delighted to be able to make this valuable cover more widely available; and we strongly encourage all healthcare professionals to consider the protection that our Society can offer you.

Our staff is composed of a small, friendly and expert team. PG’s activities are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, and we are governed by a Committee of Management with extensive commercial and pharmacy experience, which is itself answerable to our members.

The Board and Management are as follows:

Wally Dove BPharm FRPharmS - Chairman of the Committee of Management

Wally qualified in pharmacy from Chelsea College, London University, with an Honours degree in 1966. He spent 12 years gaining wide experience in the pharmaceutical industry in various research, development, production and marketing positions. He then acquired his first pharmacy – and still has an interest in a community pharmacy on the Isle of Wight.

He is a past Chairman and former Treasurer of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), a former Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), and a former Council member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB).

Simon Whale BA MCIPR - Vice Chairman and Non-Executive member of the Committee of Management

Simon has 20 years’ experience in corporate communications, regulatory issues, and government and media relations.

He has advised a wide range of clients in the financial services sector, including Norwich Union and HSBC. He worked with the Association of Friendly Societies for more than ten years, helping the organisation promote the benefits of mutuality to the government and politicians. This helped to pave the way for a new, less restrictive legislative regime for friendly societies. He has worked with organisations in the pharmacy profession for 15 years.

In 2005 Simon led a management buy out at leading communications consultancy Luther Pendragon. He continues to be a Partner at the firm.

Nick Morrell BSc FIA - Senior Independent Director and Non-Executive member of the Committee of Management

After graduating from Bristol University in 1971, Nick qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in 1974. He has 37 years’ experience in the mutual life assurance industry in a variety of roles including Chief Executive of a leading friendly society. Since 2000 he has been an independent consultant advising friendly societies and small life assurance companies on matters as diverse as statutory reserving provisions, bonus distributions, business strategy, and mergers and acquisitions.

Nick was founder Chairman of the Association of Friendly Society Taxation Committee and takes a keen interest in developments affecting mutual life insurers.

Ian Passey FCIB ACol - Non-Executive member of the Committee of Management

Ian’s career has been in the Financial Services world having spent 30 years with Building Societies before setting up a Consultancy Firm in 1991 to provide Management, Compliance and Internal Audit Services to Friendly Societies.

In the eleven years prior to retirement in 2008 he was Chief Executive of a Friendly Society which provides Income Protection insurance, under the Holloway principle,to the Dental Profession.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, an Associate of the Compliance Institute and currently sits on the Legislation Committee of the Association of Friendly Societies.

Gary Warner BSc (Hons) MRPharmS (IPresc) MRI ACPP - Non-Executive member of the Committee of Management

Gary is an active community pharmacist, working both in his own practice and at the PCT together with his representative roles at the LPC and PSNC. He is also a managing partner in Pinnacle Health Partnership which is championing the development of the roles of community pharmacists and embedding that role within the patient care pathways being developed in response to the changing needs of the population.

He qualified as an independent prescriber in 2008, specialising in the support and treatment of substance misuse and is currently Chair of the Clinical Redesign Group within the PCT, the General Secretary of Hampshire & Isle of Wight LPC and Chair of the Service Development Subcommittee of the PSNC. Gary was part of the team that won the Silver Medal at the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Awards for 2010.

Mike Perry - Chief Executive Officer

Mike has over twenty five years’ experience in financial services having worked with large corporate organisations as well as being a successful consultant for the past two years. He previously held a variety of senior management and Board roles in Sales and Marketing with the Skipton Building Society Group. As a consultant Mike has worked with a number of FSA authorised companies to assist in increasing business and staff development, within a regulated environment.