The new faculties will offer specialists their own programmes, based on issues of particular importance to their sectors. The faculty approach is already an established part of the CII, of which the PFS will be a part. The PFS plans a membership consultation in January, to decide the exact nature of the corporate and the financial planning bodies.
PFS executive chairman Bob Bullivant said: “We recognise that financial planners and business advisers have specific issues to develop and discuss. One of the benefits of the PFS structure is that we can give them the levels of focus that they need.”
SOFA and LIA’s combined 25,000 membership will automatically become members of the PFS on 1 January, although qualifying members will still have to complete transfer of membership forms to vote. The new PFS brand and logo will be launched in January.
The LIA and SOFA regional meeting programmes will continue for the first quarter of next year, as venues and topics have already been booked. They will be held under the PFS name and all members will be eligible to attend. From April onwards there will be one programme of meetings, with input from the regions’ own committees; consultation with members on this new structure is already underway.
Chief executive Mark Ommanney said: “The regional activities are amongst the most important that we offer some members, so it is important that we take sufficient time to ensure that we make them as attractive and as relevant as possible to our new, combined membership.
“The feedback from the consultation with members, begun today, will help us to put in place a programme which will fully meet member needs.”
