Mr Dick CFP^CM of Forty Two Financial Planning in Glasgow said: “After devoting eight years of service to the IFP board it is an honour to take over the presidency.

“The IFP has been like a second family to me since I discovered the “best kept secret” in financial services and started my journey from being a traditional financial adviser to a true financial planner. I have no doubt that I would never have made the transition without the help of the IFP and its members.

"Becky Taylor has done an amazing job navigating the IFP through a period of massive change and I am delighted to be taking up the IFP presidency at such an exciting time for our Institute and our profession."

Mr Dick has been vice president during the presidency of Ms Taylor.

He said: “The merger with CISI will give us the potential to make a positive impact, both within the profession and with consumers, to levels that we could only dream of in the past.

“These are clearly exciting times to be involved in Financial Planning. There will be challenges ahead as our profession continues to grow and prosper. However the IFP is a unique community of people and we should never lose sight of our culture and the unrivalled camaraderie between members.

“The merger with CISI gives us the opportunity to help far more advisers become financial planners and achieve CFP certification; to help more Paraplanners gain the recognition they deserve and to see more firms reaching the pinnacle of Accredited Financial Planning Firm status. It is an exciting future in which I am looking forward to playing my part. ”

Board change

Meanwhile, another change from the AGM was announced. Farida Hassanali CFPCM has been elected to the IFP board as a director. Farida is a senior technical consultant at EQ Investors. Farida has been co-chairman of the IFP’s London branch since 2014, working with Abraham Okusanya CFPCM.

The board member who has stood down this year is:

• Melony Holman CFP^CM - Compliance and Training Solutions