The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) Group has made two senior appointments to its executive team.
Ben Turner has been appointed executive director of member engagement, effective immediately. Meanwhile, Will Holt will join as executive director of learning, effective Aug. 3. The role of executive director of member engagement and learning was previously held by Gill White, who retired from the CII at the end of 2025.
The CII Group has placed member value and learning at the centre of its strategy in recent years as firms seek to evidence competence and good customer outcomes.
Ben Turner has been promoted from his previous role as director of engagement strategy.
Over the past 15 years, he has held senior leadership roles within professional bodies, managing operations ranging from 5,000 members to 125,000 members, across sectors, including IT, sales and marketing.
"I’m delighted to be joining the CII’s Executive Leadership team at such an exciting moment for the organisation. The opportunity ahead of us is significant, with real potential to grow our membership and further strengthen the value we bring to the profession. I’m excited about what we can accomplish together for our members and society," Turner said.
Meanwhile, Will Holt will join the CII from his current role as managing director of education and training at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He previously held positions of director of entrepreneurship and new revenues.
Against a backdrop of regulatory change, insurers and brokers are placing greater emphasis on structured learning and formal qualifications to demonstrate competence and good outcomes. The strengthening of the CII’s leadership in learning is therefore expected to have implications for how firms approach training and development across underwriting, broking, claims and advice functions.
"I am thrilled to be joining the CII, an organisation with clear purpose and ambition. I’m particularly excited about developing the Group’s global learning proposition for current and future members," Holt said.
Announcing the appointments, CII chief executive Matthew Hill underlined the importance of both engagement and learning to the group’s direction of travel for the insurance and personal finance markets.
"I am delighted to welcome Ben and Will to the CII Group Executive team. Their experience across member engagement and learning will be instrumental as we develop our offering for our members and the wider profession. I look forward to working alongside them both," Hill said.
The move comes as the CII Group, including its Personal Finance Society (PFS) arm, continues to position itself as a central pillar of professionalism for advisers, planners and insurance practitioners. The PFS represents financial planners and advisers and has been active in promoting higher advice standards, ethical practice and consumer trust – areas that increasingly intersect with the insurance sector’s own focus on holistic risk and financial wellbeing.
The dual appointments point to a likely acceleration in the modernisation of the CII’s learning offer, including more flexible, digital and globally accessible programmes to support technical skills in underwriting, broking, risk management and claims, as well as emerging areas such as data, cyber risk and sustainability.
They also indicate a sharpened focus on the end-to-end professional journey, from entry-level talent and apprenticeships through to senior leadership, at a time when the sector is competing hard for skills.
As carriers and intermediaries continue to navigate margin pressure, technological change and evolving customer expectations, the CII Group’s renewed emphasis on member engagement and learning is set against a wider market push to demonstrate professionalism and expertise to clients and regulators alike.
