The Future of Financial Planning and Risk Management – Celebrating Excellence event in Aberdeen held on 3rd October in Aberdeen, strengthened ties between member organisations and local schools, colleges and universities through exhibition stands and networking opportunities.
The evening was organised by the council of the Insurance Institute of Aberdeen, part of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), and featured an awards ceremony recognising professionals who attained professional qualifications between January 2023 and July 2024.
The evening’s theme on the next generation included a fireside discussion featuring several rising stars sharing their experiences as young professionals and how to encourage more people into the industry.
Speakers included our very own Andrew McRae (APFS), a paraplanner based at our Westhill office and the youngest person to achieve APFS in Scotland. He was joined by Cameron Stewart (APFS), a financial planner at Aberdein Considine Wealth, Ruth Kydd (Dip CII), an insurance manager at the City of Edinburgh Council, James McIntosh (Cert CII), a graduate insurance broker with Blackford Insurance, who acts as education secretary for the Insurance Institute of Aberdeen; James Boyd, an apprentice commercial lines underwriter at Aviva, who won the top performer award in the Edinburgh region for the CII Certificate in Insurance this year; and, Kirsty Evans, business operations team leader at Johnston Carmichael Wealth.
President of the Insurance Institute of Aberdeen, Katherine Harvey, hosted the event.
Katherine said: “One of our central aims is to raise the profile of financial planning and insurance as genuine career paths with multiple opportunities for continuous development and advancement.”
Each category honoured the top regional performers with Wendy Morrison, one of our paraplanner co-ordinators, (Diploma in Financial Planning) named as the winner of the CII national Layborn Prize for outstanding performance in the R04 exam.
It was a successful evening for our team. Directors Kevin Mackenzie and Rhian Morgan along with Andrew McRae and Isla Leask were presented with certificates having achieved their Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.
There was also recognition in the Certificate in Financial Services category for Abbi Hart, Diana Lyon, Andrew Masson, Daniela Muollo, and Jordan Paterson, while Andrew Masson and Janine Rokovucago received their Diploma in Financial Services.
President of the Insurance Institute of Aberdeen, Katherine Harvey APFS, chaired the event which featured a special focus on creating pathways for emerging talent.
Katherine said: “It was a fantastic evening and rewarding to see the achievers and award winners presented with their trophies and certificates. One of the striking things about the people and organisations represented in the room was the almost endless number of opportunities available for individuals to benefit from continuous development and career advancement – regardless of their age, experience or background.”
The evening also marked the first public engagement in Scotland of the CII’s newly appointed CEO, Matthew Hill. Delivering the keynote address before presenting the awards, Matthew paid tribute to those companies and individuals working throughout the north-east to make financial planning and risk management professions of choice.
He said: “The work the insurance and personal finance professions do is immensely important and exciting, and something to be immensely proud of.
Society relies on many different professions to function. When you join a profession, you join a group of people in which the public is invited to place their trust. I believe we should all take that responsibility very seriously as we continue to foster and embrace our shared values, ethics, and sense of purpose.”
More details of the event can be found here.
