The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and Personal Finance Society (PFS) New Generation Programme 2025/26 cohort has presented five projects showcasing year-long work designed to address challenges facing the financial services sector.
The projects were presented at an end of year showcase event last Friday.
Mentors, senior leaders, and professionals from insurance and Financial Planning heard about the work carried out over the course of the year and projects covering farming risks, protecting knowledge, tackling fraud, domestic abuse and Financial Planning careers.
The five projects undertaken by the 60 Financial Planners and insurance professionals in the New Generation cohort looked at:
- Supporting those affected by farming risks – developing a detailed farming risk report and educational resources to support people affected by farming risks and improve understanding of the challenges they face.
- Protecting valuable industry knowledge – creating a white paper and prototype database designed to capture insight and experience from professionals leaving the sector through retirement, helping to preserve valuable knowledge for future generations.
- Combining technology and human judgement to tackle fraud – developing the SIFT tool designed to support claims handlers by combining technology with human judgement when identifying potential fraud.
- Raising awareness of domestic abuse in the workplace – research into domestic abuse and its impact within the workplace.
- Opening up careers in Financial Planning – creating video content, social media campaigns, school careers sessions and a digital toolkit designed to showcase the breadth of career pathways available within Financial Planning.
Delegates presented their projects to a panel of senior leaders from across insurance and Financial Planning, to test their ideas, receive challenge and gain insight. All the projects are set to be publicly available within the coming months.
The programme has given 60 CII and PFS members the opportunity to work collaboratively to identify and explore real-world challenges facing the professions. Their outputs include reports and materials that peers and the wider public can use, while building their leadership skills, professional networks and confidence.
Nadia Johnstone-Smith, a Financial Planning delegate, said: “The programme has shown the value of bringing together people from different backgrounds, experiences and professions to learn from one another to create positive change within Financial Planning.
“Building relationships with planners across the UK has not only expanded my perspective, but inspired me to champion financial education for young people and encourage more school leavers to consider careers in our profession.”
Laura Bailey, head of career & talent at the CII, said: “The New Generation Programme is about much more than developing the careers of our future leaders. It gives emerging talent a platform to have a voice, tackle the challenges facing our sectors and contribute to its future.”