Five minutes with... Progeny

Progeny provide independent financial planning, investment management, tax services, property, HR and legal counsel, all in one place. With offices spanning the UK and a burgeoning international presence, Progeny’s purpose is to make a positive and lasting difference, challenging the status quo for clients, colleagues and the world we live in together. Grab a cuppa and read on to see how they have been living our Chartered Ethos!

How long has your firm been Chartered?

We received the news that our application had been successful just before Christmas 2022, so we are only in the first few months of corporate Chartered status.

Why is Chartered status important to your business?

It's so important that the financial planning sector continues to raise professional standards and is always striving to improve and we see corporate Chartered status as the engine to professionalising the industry.

I also truly believe that the qualities that the CII wants to promote within our industry – investing in people, giving back to society and developing the profession – are the cornerstones of the Progeny culture.

What initiative has the organisation been involved in which has had a social impact/corporate social responsibility focus on?

We've been involved in a number of initiatives at Progeny, including providing guidance to the military through the Forces Money Plan programme and partnering with schools and universities to promote the varied career pathways in financial services. This included our first one-week summer school for nine students in August 2022, something that we are looking to repeat and enhance going forwards.

We also provide all members of staff with a paid volunteering day each year, to help give back and make a difference within their local communities.

How do you ensure your employees remain at the forefront of their profession?

We encourage our employees in the wealth area of the business to complete a Level 4 diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and support them with study leave.  Once they have reached the Level 4 standards, for those colleagues who want to progress to becoming a Chartered Financial Planner, there is the opportunity to apply for a place within our Progeny Adviser Academy. This offers a three-year programme that covers the soft skills required for being an adviser, as well as supporting our academy associates in attaining the Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning.

Additionally, there is support for those wanting to achieve the Advanced Diploma in non-advisory roles.

How have you implemented the CII Code of Ethics into your business?

We have aligned our diversity and inclusion policy with the code of ethics and embedded it into our culture and values. Another of our core values is social responsibility, which is very much aligned with the code of ethics and it’s important that all these principles are woven into the fabric of a business.

What advice would you give a firm who is considering applying to become Chartered?

Once 50% of planners are Chartered within a firm, you can then start to look at all the other requirements for corporate Chartered status, including investing in your people, giving back to your local community and ways of working with and supporting the CII.

I would recommend contacting the CII corporate firm team to discuss your application. We found them very helpful in guiding us through the process and explaining what is required.​

Nick Onslow is a Chartered Financial Planner at Progeny and led the application process for corporate Chartered status.