The CISI’s head of Financial Planning Sally Plant is leaving the body after just under five years to join the rival LIBF professional body in a senior role.

Ms Plant has been hired for the newly-created LIBF role of relationship director for financial services.

She joins the LIBF, part of Walbrook Institute London, after several years as a member of the CISI's senior leadership team.

At the CISI, which has 53,000 members, she steered the growth of Financial Planning, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) qualification and the CISI Educational Trust programmes and latterly the wider UK business development teams.

Her final role at the CISI was head UK business development and education. 

Before the CISI she worked at Robur Wealth Management, a partner practice to SJP. She started her early career in fashion.

In her new role she will support LIBF’s director of financial services, John Somerville, and work on the growth of the institute’s financial services portfolio. The LIBF has about 29,000 members and is keen to expand in financial services.

The LIBF says she will work with financial services firms of all sizes to raise awareness of LIBF qualifications and assist Walbrook Institute London’s higher education team to “promote the wider Financial Planning profession to younger people.”

She will start in her new role tomorrow (Thursday 4 September).

Ms Plant said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining Walbrook Institute London at such an exciting time in this new role as LIBF relationship director for financial services. I was particularly interested in this role because of the institute’s long history and deep understanding of Financial Planning educational needs, combined with its more recent developments into online higher education and EdTech.

“Walbrook is a fast-paced organisation which is making significant investment into its degree, apprenticeship and LIBF professional education courses - there is huge scope to grow, and the structured learning enables a truly bespoke client offer. I am thrilled to be joining and working not just with professional education clients and learners, but also helping students and apprentices taking degree programmes to navigate their career pathways in banking and finance.”

John Somerville, director of financial Services at LIBF, said: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Sally Plant into this newly-created role at LIBF. There are many opportunities coming up in regulated financial advice, alongside a real need to welcome new talent into the sector. Sally brings a wealth of expertise and experience into the role, as well as ideas and energy to deliver improvements for our clients and learners.”

LIBF’s Financial Services team manages financial and mortgage advice qualifications such as CeMAP and level 4 and 6 diplomas in Financial Advice, in addition to the Institute’s membership service and UK Statements of Professional Standing.

Walbrook Institute London has recently created two new LIBF relationship director positions to support the continued growth of its professional education programmes, it said.

In addition to Ms Plant’s new senior role, Jim Saville joined LIBF earlier this year as relationship director for trade & transaction banking. The LIBF said the two new senior appointments will support LIBF’s growth in the professional financial education sector.

Under its LIBF name, Walbrook Institute London provides professional qualifications and membership programmes for financial services. Since 2023, Walbrook Institute London has been part of IU Group, a large European largest ‘edtech’ company and owner of one of Germany’s largest universities, IU International University of Applied Sciences, as well as the University of Fredericton in Canada.

CISI CEO Tracy Vegro said that the CISI had added new roles to the membership function to bolster its Financial Planning commitment.

She said: “We’ve already added new roles and resources to the CISI membership function, with David Hare, assistant director of strategic partnerships and member engagement, and Mark Smith, assistant director, marketing, education & member engagement, both of which include responsibility for our Financial Planning portfolio."

The main CISI Financial Planning team activity remains with Chris Morris, head of Financial Planning Policy & Engagement.

• Editor's Note: Story updated to add CISI comment and details.