Global Financial Planning professional body The Financial Planning Standards Board has added a new award recognising individuals for their outstanding contributions to the profession.

The first winner of the FPSB Outstanding Contribution to the Profession Award is long-serving former CEO of the body, Noel Maye.

He was the CEO of the professional body for 20 years, leaving at the end of 2022, and was senior vice president of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards for 7 years.

Dante De Gori, CEO of the FPSB, said: “Noel has been a pioneer in the global Financial Planning profession. He was instrumental in taking CFP certification international, helping Financial Planning professionals around the world gain valuable skills and knowledge to enhance their practice and achieve excellence in Financial Planning through rigorous professional standards and ethics.

“His remarkable contributions to the profession are still being realized today and have set the stage for it to propel forward in the years to come.”

During his tenure of FPSB CEO, Mr Maye led the way in establishing, upholding and promoting professional standards in financial planning across the world with the introduction of CFP certification into multiple new territories.

He also led the development of competency, ethics, practice standards and certification requirements and introduced the first Global Financial Planner Competency Profile.

During his time at the FPSB Mr Maye also spearheaded global research on the value of Financial Planning and initiatives to support consumer understanding of Financial Planning and investor protection including the introduction of World Financial Planning Day in partnership with IOSCO’s World Investor Week.

Mr Maye said: “I am honored, and humbled, by the FPSB Board’s decision to confer me with its inaugural Outstanding Contribution to the Profession Award.

“It has been my privilege to have collaborated for three decades with the FPSB board, network and team, as well as with CFP professionals around the world, to promote the value of Financial Planning and CFP certification, and to establish Financial Planning as a respected global profession.”

Nominees for the award must be individuals who have been instrumental in advancing the global Financial Planning profession and CFP certification.

Nominations for next year’s award will open in early 2024.