Two Cumbrian financial planners are aiming to inspire more young people into the sector through their roles as part of a national professional body.
Alice Wilkinson and Roger Jackson, who work for Financial Management Bureau, in Kendal, are both undertaking roles with the Chartered Insurance Institute.
While Alice is chair of the local Kendal branch of the CII, Roger sits on the board of the national body as engagement officer for financial planning.
Established to maintain public trust in the insurance and financial planning sectors, the CII has a membership of 120,000 nationwide, of which 39,000 are financial planners, with the rest working in insurance.
It ensures its member companies meet certain trading standards, as well as being the examining body for trainees and providing ongoing professional development.
The 700-member Kendal Branch of the CII is the only remaining branch in Cumbria covering the whole of the county.
Alice, who previously worked in the insurance industry, initially connected with FMB through a CII networking event and was inspired to gain her qualifications to become a Chartered Financial Planner.
Her role at the Kendal branch of the CII involves organising and overseeing its activities throughout the year.
Alice says she is focused on ensuring Cumbria’s financial professionals are aware there is a central organisation they can join to network and share their experience.
She would also like to encourage more diversity into the industry to reflect the team at FMB, who have a much lower age than the sector average and also an equal split between men and women.
“The role is about engaging people that are in the industry so that they know they’re part of something bigger and that there is a community of others that are like-minded,” says Alice.
“It’s also about inspiring those younger people that might then join the profession. The most common route out of school is that you go to university and you get a job in a city. But there’s a lot of opportunity locally.”
Members of the local CII, including Roger, go into schools to educate young people about financial management and potential careers.
“You’ve got more and more demand for financial planning, but less and less people doing it,” says Roger, who joined FMB at the age of 18 and now sits on its board.
“It’s about growing the profession, whether that’s through attracting new talent or retaining existing advisors who are coming to retirement.”
Roger says the institute also works with its membership to grapple with issues such as financial education to help people avoid fraud and promote financial resilience, as well as helping those on middle or low incomes access money advice.
“We want to be at the forefront of the wider conversation around finance and the issues that those in the sector and our clients are facing in order to help provide the best service possible,” says Roger.
