A former IFP board member has pledged to stay closely involved with the newly merged body and to continue playing a key role in Financial Planning despite stepping down last month.

Mel Holman CFPCM told sister publication Financial Planner magazine she wanted to spend more time focusing on her business Compliance and Training Solutions.

But she insisted her decision was not motivated by the merger between the IFP and CISI, which has now been completed.

She said: “Whilst I may have recently stepped down from the IFP Board, I fully intend to still be involved with the IFP and support the body going forward. My decision had nothing to do with the merger with the CISI, which I believe will be beneficial for the IFP and for Financial Planning in the long term.

“Of course there may be concerns about how the essence of the IFP will be retained within CISI however for me (president) Alan Dick’s opening speech at the annual conference in October was absolutely bang on. It is our IFP and we will keep the culture going.

“My hopes going forward are that we will use the greater resources available to us very effectively, to get our messages out there to future Financial Planners and consumers and encourage more individuals to see the value in becoming a CFPCM professional.”

She said although she had got a lot of pleasure from her three years on the board it was the right time to let someone else take on the role and to focus on her clients.

Farida Hassanali CFPCM has taken on the board position. The board itself no longer exists in its original form but instead becomes the IFP Financial Planning Professional Forum Committee.

All the IFP board have transferred over to the forum. The role of President also ceases to exist and so Alan Dick CFPCM has the new title of Chair of the IFP Financial Planning Professional Forum Committee.

Ms Hassanali, who is also IFP London branch co-chairman, said: “This is obviously an especially exciting time to be joining the IFP Board with the CISI merger making us a worldwide organisation with a combined membership of over 40,000.

“Having been an IFP member IFP since 2008, I’ve been lucky to experience the valuable contribution it makes to improving the image of our profession, and the quality of advice clients receive, from the start of my career.

“I welcomed the opportunity to join the board and feel privileged to have the opportunity to play a more active role within the IFP and the Financial Planning profession going forward.”