CII appoints Matthew Connell as director of policy and engagement

Connell commenced his new role on 6 March following his most recent position as head of regulatory developments and policy at Zurich. Connell was also previously the chairman of the Investment and Life Insurance Group. As part of the group, Connell worked to bring investment and insurance practitioners together with policymakers to produce better outcomes for consumers, especially on key EU and UK regulatory initiatives. In the newly created role, Connell has responsibility for managing the development of the CII's policy, public affairs and public relations strategy. He will build on the organisation's existing policy and research work and drive ongoing engagement with regulators and public bodies.

Keith Richards, CII managing director of engagement, said: "We are delighted to welcome Matthew to our team. Matthew has a strong reputation in the regulatory world and brings a wealth of policy and public affairs expertise that will be key to building public trust in the power of professional standards in insurance and financial planning.

"I look forward to working with Matthew on providing insightful and knowledge content, which will help our members engage with their clients, and position the CII as a thought leader in the insurance and financial planning professions."

Commenting on his appointment, Connell said:

"I am excited about joining the CII at a time of increasing regulatory development. New technology, demographic change and higher expectations from consumers are all demanding new standards of professional and ethical behaviour from the financial services sector. I'm looking forward to working with both insurance and financial planning professionals and policymakers to find practical ways to maintain and increase trust in these sectors."

The CII has also appointed former Nucleus Financial content editor Jun Merrett as content and engagement manager.

The two appointments represent the CII and PFS's focus on bolstering both organisations' thought leadership functions.