The Personal Finance Society has appointed experienced financial services CEO Piers White as its first independent chair, a new role created by the organisation following its internal governance review completed last year.  

Mr White will be joined on the PFS board by two new directors, while Christine Elliott will depart having served as the board’s interim chair since December 2023.

Mr White is the former UK CEO of Insinger de Beaufort Group and an experienced chair/non-executive director across multiple public purpose organisations.    

The two new directors who will join him on the board are Financial Planner Debbie Mitchell DipPFS and Mike Crane ACII.

Debbie Mitchell is a long-standing member of the PFS and director of Aberdeen-based Financial Planning firm Atholl Scott Financial Services.   

Mike Crane is a chartered insurer with more than 30 years’ experience working in the insurance sector.

Mr White will join the PFS board for an initial three-year term while Ms Mitchell and Mr Crane for one-year terms, all effective from 1 June.

Anthony Ward, president of the PFS, said: “Their combined backgrounds in financial services and beyond further bolster the expertise that we have made available to our members over the past year.

“The appointment of an independent chair, completed through a competitive and rigorous selection process, was one of the key recommendations from our governance review.”

 We are all looking forward to working with Piers to elevate the benefits our members experience from being part of our Society and advancing our mission. At the same time, we would like to thank Christine, who has acted as an excellent interim chair, using her substantial experience to provide stability and make significant progress, especially in governance. We wish her well for the future.”

Dr Helen Phillips, CII group chair, said: “I would like to add my personal thanks, and that of the CII group board, to Christine Elliott for her dedicated and professional service. We are very grateful to her for all that she has done over the past year, including the way she has encouraged good governance.”   

Piers White said: “It is clear to me that the PFS board has taken great strides forward over the past year, and I would like to add my personal thanks to Christine Elliott for her leadership and wise counsel in recent weeks.”