Personal Finance Society appoints Carbon Financial boss to board of directors

Gordon Wilson, managing director of Perth-headquartered Carbon Financial Partners, has been appointed as a director of the Personal Finance Society.

News of Mr Wilson’s appointment came as the group, which is the industry’s professional body with 37,000 members, including 5,000 chartered financial planners, named Thornton’s Sharon Sutton as its new President for 2017/18.

Mr Wilson, whose company employs 40 staff across its offices in Perth, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow and is due to open a London outlet in November, said being appointed to the 12-strong PFS board was “one of the highlights of my professional career”.

He said: “I feel passionately about the importance of having high standards and about ensuring the right skills and knowledge to do the very best we can for our clients.

“The work of the PFS is closely aligned with how we run our business and this appointment reflects well on our staff at Carbon.

“There is, however, still some way to go before the financial advice profession as a whole is held in the same esteem as lawyers and accountants, and this role gives me an opportunity to contribute and be part of the journey.”

In November, Mr Wilson will be helping chair a two-day conference at the NEC in Birmingham, which attracts 2,000 UK financial advisers.

He said: “Operating under a Royal Charter, the PFS seeks to lead the financial planning community towards the highest levels of professionalism.”

Meanwhile, Personal Finance Society chief executive Keith Richards welcomed Ms Sutton’s appointment as president, and paid tribute to the Society’s outgoing directors.

“Sharon is an incredibly welcome addition to the PFS as its President for the year ahead. Her experience will be invaluable in helping us further evolve our role as a professional body and I look forward to working closely with her over the next 12 months,” he said.

“I would like to thank past President Nick Turner for his insight and contribution to the profession over the past six years. His theme of attracting new talent led to the development of Aspire, the Society’s new apprenticeship programme which we will continue to build.

Also stepping down after six years on the board is David Thomas, joint managing partner of Chadney Bulgin.

“During David’s year as President his theme was the sharing of ‘good practice’ which continues as the Society’s Good Practice Hub. I want to thank him for his dedication and outstanding contribution these past six years,” said Mr Richards.

Gordon Wilson and Rory Percival will replace Mr Turner and Mr Thomas on the Society’s board.

Ms Sutton said: “I’m really proud to have been appointed President of the Personal Finance Society. My main goal for the year ahead is to advance the practice and profession of financial planning so to encourage our members and the wider personal finance profession to embrace the use of such tools and techniques that may help them and their clients achieve excellent outcomes. I look forward to working with Keith and the team.”