The Chartered Insurance Institute and its sister professional body for Financial Planners, the Personal Finance Society, have appointed Mathew Mallett as chief digital and information officer.

He joins from the UK Space Agency and will deliver the CII Group’s IT functions.

The move reflects the tech challenges the organisations have faced in recent years and their ambitions for the future, they said.

Mr Mallett will focus on providing a modern and progressive digital experience for CII and PFS members, customers and staff.

Alan Vallance, chief executive of the CII, said: “Since arriving in August, I’ve had the opportunity to review how the CII serves its members and customers and it is clear there’s opportunity for improvement.”

He said the organisation is transforming its customer and member experience.

He said: “Mat’s arrival, alongside our current chief operating officer John Bissell, will sharpen our focus further, as part of our commitment to improving the way we deliver value for our members, learners and corporate customers.”

Don MacIntyre, interim chief executive of the PFS, said: “I’m delighted to have Mat join the CII Group, bolstering the senior leadership and giving us the capacity to achieve our customer goals.”

He said the PFS shares the ambition of the CII, “to deliver an exceptional experience for our members and customers.”

Mathew Mallett said it was an exciting time to be joining the CII and PFS. “The roll out of a new relationship management system early next year will make a big difference to customer and member experiences,” he said.

Last week the CII/PFS warned members that it had been hit by a cyber attack which saw some members’ data accessed. The two organisations - which collectively have 125,000 members - said that a “limited amount” of personal data was accessed but the attack was not connected to a ransomware attempt.