Three leading Chartered Professional Bodies have joined forces to enhance and sustain the level of professionalism and trust in the financial services sector.

The Chartered Insurance Institute, the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and the Chartered Banker Institute have today launched the Chartered Body Alliance (the Alliance), to help consumers recognise the benefits of engaging with qualified sector professionals.

While retaining their own identity, governance and areas of expertise, members of the Alliance have published the “Chartered Body Commitment”, stating how they will work together to achieve greater public benefit by raising professionalism and trust across financial services and promoting high standards across the sector.

Under a common brand, members of the Alliance will embark on a range of initiatives, including jointly promoting the importance of professional status, explaining how their respective qualifications represent the “gold standard” across the sector, hosting joint events, and seeking to respond with a united voice to sector consultations that affect members across all three professional bodies.

While the activities of each body focus on different areas of financial services, between them they cover a wide range of activities including wealth management, insurance, financial planning, banking and capital market activities.

The Alliance’s joint membership of almost 200,000 professionals have much in common, and by working together can demonstrate a substantial collective commitment to enhancing professionalism and improving public confidence and trust in financial services.

Sian Fisher, Chief Executive of the Chartered Insurance Institute:

“This alliance is all about inspiring public confidence and trust in professional standards, fitting perfectly with the CII’s recently launched Strategic Manifesto.I am looking forward to working with other Chartered professional bodies, as well as with our combined network of members, to develop a united voice for promoting professionalism and improving public trust and confidence in the financial services sector.”

Simon Culhane, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute for Securities &Investment:

“We are delighted to be one of the three core participating professional bodies in this important initiative. We want consumers to be reassured when they interact with a member of a Chartered Body, and recognise that these individuals have the right knowledge and skills, and adhere to high standards of integrity. Chartered or Certified designations possessed by Alliance members are a mark of authenticity, quality, reliability and trust.”

Simon Thompson, Chief Executive of the Chartered Banker Institute:

“We are delighted to be one of the founding members of the Chartered Body Alliance. I believe that having three of the leading professional bodies in financial services working more closely together will help to enhance and sustain professionalism in financial services and lead to an improvement in public confidence and trust, and to a renewed sense of pride within the profession.”