New Independent Chair of the PFS Board announced

Piers will be joined on the PFS Board by two new Directors – Debbie Mitchell DipPFS and Mike Crane ACII – while Christine Elliott will depart, with our enormous gratitude, having served as the Board’s interim Chair since December 2023.

Piers will join the PFS Board for an initial three-year term, and Debbie and Mike for one-year terms, all effective from 1 June 2024.

Anthony Ward, President of the PFS, said: “I am delighted to welcome Piers as our new Chair, alongside our new Director appointments, Debbie and Mike. Their combined backgrounds in financial services and beyond further bolster the expertise that we have made available to our members over the past year. The appointment of an independent Chair, completed through a competitive and rigorous selection process, was one of the key recommendations from our governance review. We are all looking forward to working with Piers to elevate the benefits our members experience from being part of our Society and advancing our mission. At the same time, we would like to thank Christine, who has acted as an excellent interim chair, using her substantial experience to provide stability and make significant progress, especially in governance. We wish her well for the future.”

Dr Helen Phillips, CII Group Chair, said: “The CII Group Board warmly welcomes all the new Directors to the PFS Board, each of whom brings a broad range of skills and leadership qualities that we know will benefit members, individuals seeking professional advice, and society more generally.

I would also like to add my personal thanks, and that of the CII Group Board, to Christine for her dedicated and professional service. We are very grateful to her for all that she has done over the past year, including the way she has encouraged good governance, from which I know Piers and his colleagues will build as they move forward.”

Piers White, PFS Board Chair, said: “I am honoured to serve PFS members as the first independent Chair of their organisation. I believe my significant experience in running financial services businesses, alongside my 20 years in a broad range of Chair and non-executive positions spanning multiple sectors, complements the skills and knowledge brought by my fellow Board members. It is clear to me that the PFS Board has taken great strides forward over the past year, and I would like to add my personal thanks to Christine for her leadership and wise counsel in recent weeks. I am looking forward to speaking and working with members and colleagues to understand how we can shape the next chapter in our organisation’s future together, to deliver ever greater value and benefit, and advance our public purpose.”

The new Board members are:

Piers White MBE is the former UK CEO of Insinger de Beaufort Group and an experienced Chair/Non-Executive Director across multiple public purpose organisations.

Mike Crane is a Chartered Insurer with over 30 years’ experience working in the insurance sector.

Debbie Mitchell is a long-standing member of the PFS and Director of Aberdeen-based financial planning firm Atholl Scott Financial Services.