Wesleyan Assurance Society, the financial services specialist for doctors, dentists, lawyers and teachers today announced the appointment of Derek Zissman FCA to their non-executive Board of Directors.

Mr Zissman, who has recently retired from his role as Vice Chairman of KPMG LLP, joins the Board on 9 May following the Society’s AGM.

Mr Zissman was born in Birmingham and worked for KPMG for 37 years in Birmingham, London and New York, developing a reputation as one of the firm’s leading client service partners.

He was the lead partner for three FTSE100 companies, including the world’s largest media and advertising group and a leading broadcaster.

He also led KPMG’s relationships with two of the UK’s major retailers, one of the UK’s biggest airlines and a prominent global private equity group.

In 2005, Mr Zissman set-up a successful US private equity group in New York and assisted in developing relationships with some of the global mega private equity funds.

Lowry Maclean, Wesleyan Chairman welcomed Mr Zissman to the Board saying, “It is a tremendous pleasure to have a business leader of Derek’s calibre join us at Wesleyan.

Derek brings with him skills and experience that will be of great benefit to us as we aim to become the financial services provider of choice in our professional markets".

“In addition to having an excellent reputation in delivering client care, Derek also brings fantastic marketing experience as he was previously Head of Marketing at KPMG.

He also has in-depth knowledge of developing staff skills in sales and relationship building. All of this is so important to the work that we do at Wesleyan.”

Derek Zissman said, “I’m really looking forward to getting involved with Wesleyan. I’ve met with the senior management team and have been impressed by the level of enthusiasm and appetite for success that I’ve seen.

Wesleyan has a great deal to offer its clients and I think I can bring some new ideas to the table that will improve the proposition even further, as well as dealing with the corporate governance issues which the Board address.”

For more information, interviews and photographs please contact:

Bernadette Bogan or Navdeep Bhatti 0121 200 9606
Wesleyan Press Office press@wesleyan.co.uk

Sophie Hull 0207 404 9660
Vanbrugh Communications

Notes to Editors:

Wesleyan Assurance Society is a mutual assurance society, founded in 1841. The core values throughout the organisation are Insight, Performance and Trust.

Wesleyan offers specialist financial advice to hospital doctors, GPs, dentists, teachers and lawyers, through its principal distribution brands Wesleyan Medical Sickness, Wesleyan for Teachers and Wesleyan for Lawyers.

The Wesleyan Group has in excess of £4 billion of funds under management as at 31 December 2007.

In 2007 Wesleyan Assurance Society won the ifs Financial Innovation Awards for Most Effective Customer Segmentation Strategy.

Wesleyan is one of the UK’s financially strongest mutuals, receiving a ten-out-of- ten rating for four consecutive years in the Cazalet Consulting survey of With Profits offices.

Wesleyan came first for realistic free asset ratio (the most significant measure of financial strength for With Profit insurers) in the most recent Ernst & Young review of UK Life Insurance Companies.

Wesleyan is one of only four UK life companies to receive a rating of Excellent for Financial Strength by A.M Best, a global credit rating organisation.