Thank you, Greg, for that warm introduction. And thank you for the great leadership that you have given to Top of the Table. I have to say it is fantastic to see another Top of the Table chair move up to the Executive Committee. I would also like to thank all of you. What a special group of people I have the honor to stand with today. Top of the Table members dream bigger and see further.

In 2008, I was 27 years old and one of the top advisors in a firm of 25. I attended my first MDRT meeting in Toronto, and it completely opened my mind to what was possible. While at the Annual Meeting, I heard about Top of the Table for the very first time. My immediate reaction was, I wanted to qualify.

Why did I want to qualify? You guessed it. I wanted that little white ribbon. Skip forward to 2009: I had achieved Top of the Table production, and at the very next MDRT meeting I had the white ribbon. I achieved this then by rewriting my goals and working harder. At the time, it was the only way I knew how to achieve it. The reality is, having achieved the goal, I learned Top of the Table was far more than just a ribbon or a production target.

All of you, my Top of the Table brothers and sisters, have taught me something. What are the key takeaways we use in my practice? When I attend MDRT or Top of the Table, I take at least one of those ideas I have heard, and I am completely focused on implementing it into my business and my personal life.

You have given me the ability to change from an individual to a businessperson and have constantly reminded me of the way we positively change people’s lives as advisors. You have given me the motivation and courage to succeed in the most challenging of circumstances.

This year has just reiterated this point — from my Top of the Table friends and colleagues getting in touch, to the ideas I have received to help me see new opportunities in the current environment. While on a committee call, I heard one of the members discuss a virtual wine tasting he was hosting for his clients. We took that idea and hosted a similar event. Within a week, we had numerous new business referrals and strengthened the relationships with our best clients.

This was another reminder how even a committee call can lead to ideas. They enhance our own productivity and are one of the many examples of how engagement with MDRT and Top of the Table has helped me to grow both personally and professionally. Like any family, you have helped see me through the tough times and enjoy the good. The positive influence from all of you within Top of the Table has been instrumental in making me not only a better businessperson but a better husband, father and friend.

So, what is our aim for Top of the Table for the forthcoming year? To respect and honor the past, the members, the leaders, the traditions. We embrace the future and are completely focused on continuing to drive value and new ideas for each and every one of you.

We are an exclusive group, but we embrace everybody who has earned the right to be part of our Top of the Table family. Sir Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” For me, you have all been giants and helped me see further, dream bigger and achieve more. Thank you for the trust and the responsibility you have granted to me. I look forward to working with you all over the course of the next year.

Simon D. Lister, Dip PFS, is a 13-year MDRT member with three Court of the Table and 10 Top of the Table qualifications. He is the managing director and an independent financial planner at ML, where he runs the company on a day-to-day basis, manages the finances and heads up the ML investment committee. Having started within financial services in 1997 in the field of actuarial pensions, Lister soon discovered his passion for pension knowledge. Since becoming an independent financial advisor in 2001, Lister has held a number of senior roles within the industry and is now the pensions specialist within ML. He and his wife, Tanya, who also works at ML, have two children, Charlie and Mollie.