This Global Ethics Day the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) celebrates more than 60,000 global candidates completing the CISI online ethics test, IntegrityMatters.
The test saw an average of 10,000 completions per year since 2013. This highlights how integrity continues to be an important part of the Institute in developing professionalism, skills and knowledge.
In order to celebrate this significant milestone, the CISI approached members who had recently passed IntegrityMatters with full marks and asked them to share their experience of taking the test.
Martin Bacon CFPTM Chartered MCSI, Director of Oculus Wealth Management (Bath) Ltd, said “At the foundation of any enduring client relationship is trust, which demands one acts ethically, even when no one is looking. Through the principles of IntegrityMatters: honesty; openness; transparency and fairness, l have been able to challenge and develop my ethical compass. For me, this learning has provided a template to benchmark my approach to real life ethical dilemmas.”
Guy Stephens, Chartered MCSI, ASIP(CFA UK), Technical Investment Director of Rowan Dartington & Co Limited in Bristol noted, “The scenarios in the test are all dilemmas with the ability to turn into career ending disasters. Referring back to the four basic principles of honesty, openness, transparency and fairness in each example will keep your career intact, your firm safe and most importantly, your clients interests secure.”
Integrity and trust are both increasingly important within financial services as highlighted by the latest research from the Edelman Trust Barometer. Edelman’s research indicates that in 2014, the financial services profession received a trust score of just 48% which increased by 6 points to 54% in 2018. By highlighting the discourse and awareness of trust and integrity within the financial sector the CISI hopes to continue to increase public perception of financial services as a trustworthy profession and improve culture within financial services organisations.
The online ethics workshop IntegrityMatters offers users six dilemmas all based on real life examples from the financial sector, with each dilemma evolving over a series of steps. The initiative was made mandatory by the CISI in April 2013, to ensure that entrants to the capital markets sector, who will be working directly with firms and clients, realise the importance of Integrity and Ethics from the moment they enter the profession and appreciate that integrity comes before profitability.
Simon Culhane Chartered FCSI, CISI CEO said, “I am delighted that over 60,000 IntegrityMatters tests have now been taken, and this milestone has been reached so close to Global Ethics Day. Integrity and ethics are at the heart of the CISI and professionalism is the effective combination of knowledge, skills and behaviour.”