Two of the largest global financial services professional bodies have today announced that they will occupy space on the same floor of an iconic London office building.
The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and Chartered Insurance Institute have both reviewed their property footprints following the pandemic in 2020 and taken a decision for the CII to sub-let part of the CISI’s existing office space at the prime location of 20 Fenchurch Street (known as the ‘walkie talkie’) from early 2021.
Situated at the heart of the investment and insurance profession in the City of London, the office has already proved an ideal location for CISI.
This brings two not for profit Chartered bodies, both members of the Chartered Body Alliance, physically closer together and will allow them to continue to best serve their members and customers in a new era.
The arrangement will see the CISI remodelling their existing space in the building to create a new physically separate office for the CII (for a lease of five years) and will form the main headquarters for both international organisations.
The CII and CISI will remain legally separate.
The CII currently has offices in South Woodford and Lombard Street in central London. Both premises will be vacated by the end of December 2020.
The CISI will embrace a new way of working with a split of remote and office working for their London-based staff.
The CII had already established an Anytime Anywhere approach to working, which has enabled this move to take place.
Simon Culhane Chartered FCSI, CEO of CISI, said: “This is collaboration and cooperation in action and a great opportunity for both organisations. During 2020 we have learnt the benefits of our staff being able to work remotely and how this positively contributes to productivity and well-being. Therefore we have taken a decision to remodel our existing property footprint by creating two separate offices on our floor. We are delighted that this has offered us this positive new opportunity.”
Sian Fisher, CEO of CII, said: “The Walkie Talkie will be a modern and dynamic business hub for us, which meets the evolving needs of our organisation with community space for staff and visitors, both on our floor and from other features of the building like the Mezzanine and Sky Garden. We look forward to being neighbours of our sister professional body CISI from 2021.”