About Us
Pharmaceutical and General Provident Society (PG) is a mutual Friendly Society providing income protection specialising in income protection for those working in Pharmacy.
The Society was founded in 1928 with the mandate of providing financial help to pharmacists, and we remain true to that aim. We now have net assets standing at over £32 million, all of which belongs to our members. We provide benefits such as income protection cover starting from day one of incapacity, and the accumulation of a tax‑free lump sum for when you decide to leave the Society.
80 years of working with the pharmacy profession makes us the ideal provider of income protection insurance to professionals working in this sector.
Our ethos puts our members first, and we aim to provide exceptional value for money. Pharmacists have placed their trust in PG for the past eighty years.
Our staff is composed of a small, friendly and expert team. Our activities are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, and we are governed by a Committee of Management comprised mainly from people with pharmacy experience which is itself answerable to our members.
The Committee is made up as follows:
John Mather - Secretary, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Member of the Committee of Management BSc DIS
John graduated in Management Sciences from Loughborough University in 1976. His first Underwriting position was with AIG from 1979 until 1996. He then moved to GE Capital, then Aon (both as Underwriting Director) and in 2001 to ACE Insurance where he was Underwriting Director for Accident and Health and Personal Lines for UK and Europe.
In 2005 he went into self employed Insurance Consultancy where his work with the NPA led to him becoming CEO of Pharmaceutical & General.
Wally Dove - Chairman of the Committee of Management
BPharm, FRPharmS
Wally qualified in pharmacy from Chelsea College, London University, with an honours degree in 1966. He spent 12 years gaining ide 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 of the National Pharmacy Association (“NPA”), a former Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating ommittee (“PSNC”), a former Council member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (“RPSGB”), and is the current reasurer of the NPA and Chairman of the NPA Pension Fund Board of Trustees.
Nick Morrell - Senior Independent Director and Non-Executive Member of the Committee of Management BSc FIA
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.
Simon Whale - Vice Chairman and Non-Executive Member of the Committee of Management BA, MCIPR
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.
Ian Passey - Non-Executive Member of the Committee of Management FCIB, ACol
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.