The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and Personal Finance Society (PFS) have announced plans to simplify their membership structure by bidding farewell to their GI Societies.
Announced on their website, the move aims to streamline membership and enhance the overall experience for members of the professional bodies.
As part of their strategic plan, the CII and PFS have committed to renewing their governance and identity to ensure both bodies can flourish as professional membership organisations.
They have identified that their previous proposition of using three separate society brands for insurance brokers, claims, and underwriting professionals has caused confusion among members, leading to a rethink in their approach.
The two organisations have decided to refer to specialist professional communities of members led by boards of expert practitioners, rather than their previous society brands.
The Personal Finance Society and Society of Mortgage Professionals will not be affected by these changes. The CII will launch new professional community pages on its website and LinkedIn, which will include dedicated programs of CPD and provide more information about each community and its boards.
In addition to this, the CII and PFS will launch new monthly newsletters tailored to each community that also contain general CII content. The LinkedIn pages will provide forums for discussion across each of the three communities.
The move will allow the two organisations to identify new ways to speak for, and across, the insurance, financial planning, and mortgage advice professions.
The community boards will work closely with Local Insurance Institutes to provide even greater support to the wider CII membership.
The CII and PFS have been focusing on recruiting additional community board members in the last six months, and they now have a wealth of highly experienced senior practitioners from diverse backgrounds, who are passionate about serving their communities and working with the CII.
The new approach will replace the society e-zines, which only went to members of that society, with a six-monthly community supplement inside the CII Journal. This will allow each specialist community to keep up-to-date with what is going on in the other sectors and potentially help members develop their careers.
The CII and PFS's decision to simplify their membership structure has been welcomed by their members. It is seen as a positive step that will streamline their membership experience and bring a renewed focus on specialist professional communities.
In conclusion, the CII and PFS are moving towards a simplified membership structure by bidding farewell to their GI Societies and moving towards specialist professional communities of members led by boards of expert practitioners.
This move is expected to enhance the overall experience for members of the professional bodies and streamline their membership structure. The CII and PFS will continue to identify new ways to support their members and speak for the insurance, financial planning, and mortgage advice professions.
