About us
We’ve been around since 2008 providing CII exam candidates with immediately accessible, quality learning resources. We have over 60,000 financial services professionals using our exam resources and those numbers keep on growing!
Why use Brand Financial Training?
We offer a varied range of learning resources covering exams from Award through Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma levels. Our resource range ensures that there is something that suits every style of learning. These include mock papers, e-mocks, calculation workbooks, revision notes, analyses and more with both free taster and full paid-for versions available.
Our team of highly qualified and experienced individuals author all of our resources and keep them up-to-date. The team’s extensive experience includes working with the CII as authors and examiners.
We are also very active on our blog providing articles, information and comment on financial services exams, and the industry in general.
‘How Brand Financial Training Began’
Hear first hand how Brand Financial Training began and what we offer to financial professionals looking for CII exam learning resources.
Can’t see the video? Click here to watch it on our YouTube channel.
Our Mission
Through offering a diverse choice of high-quality, affordable CII exam resources complemented by exceptional customer care, our mission is to alleviate stress and boost confidence among our community members, whilst supporting their pursuit of exam excellence.
Our Vision
To be the most trusted provider of high-quality CII exam resources whilst fostering professional excellence and social responsibility.
This means that we are constantly seeking new ways to make sure we are leaving the planet a better place than we found it. Find out more here.
Meet the Brand Financial Training team…
Catriona Standingford
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Catriona founded Brand Financial Training in 2008 and has grown the business into one of the most highly regarded providers of learning resources for financial services CII exam candidates. With a BSc (Hons) Information Systems from the University of Leeds, Catriona started her working life with Price Waterhouse and then working as a freelance IT Consultant worldwide. She later looked for a new challenge and changed career, sitting a multitude of CII exams and re-training as a financial adviser working in wealth management and banking.
Seeing a dire need for help with financial services exams, she launched Brand Financial Training and has since become an expert in Learning & Development in Financial Services and continues to advance her business education through various qualifications including the University of Oxford Saïd Business School Cyber Security for Business Leaders.
Catriona also has Board level experience from startup through to established business dealing with a variety of areas including e-commerce; digital marketing; GDPR; systems analysis; documenting, streamlining and automating business processes; risk management; strategic planning; governance and coaching.
Articles
Money Marketing
Professional Paraplanner
NextGen Planners
Panacea Adviser
Podcasts
Jennifer Dugdale
Chief Operating Officer
Jennifer joined the team in 2021 and is responsible for the day-to-day running of Brand Financial Training as well as having management responsibility for projects and strategy. Her previous roles include Head of Training and Head of Academy roles at financial advice and training businesses, providing training for advisers and financial advice apprentices, as well as roles within business development and compliance & training. She holds an MBA from the University of Leeds.
Michelle Riley
Head of Digital
Michelle joined the Brand Financial Training team in 2012 and has been our Head of Digital since May 2021, developing and maintaining our various systems and websites. She gained her Bachelor of Technology from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2012 and ensures her skills are kept up-to-date through various online training courses.
Ann Mora
Technical Support and Content Specialist
Ann has been part of the Brand Financial Training team since 2019, helping CII exam candidates to pass their exams. She is an essential part of our technical authoring team as well as working on the content and administrative side of the business. Ann has a strong numerical and financial services background with a BSc in Mathematics from Exeter University and working in financial services since 1995. During that time she has gained numerous CII qualifications including AF7 Pension Transfers, G10 Taxation and Trusts, G30 Business Financial Planning, G60 Pensions, R06 Financial Planning Practice, FP1, FP2, FP3, SV1 and CF9. Her roles have included IFA Consultant and Corporate Pensions Consultant for Friends Provident.
Technical Author Team
Our technical author team consists of six highly skilled and qualified financial services authors and trainers with backgrounds in training, compliance, financial advice and hold the titles of Chartered Financial Planner, Associates and Fellows of the PFS and CII. Our technical authoring team are highly qualified including the CII Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning, the CII Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning and equivalents, and a number of them also work for the CII as technical authors and examiners. Previous roles include household names such as Aviva, L&G and Friends Provident.
Customer and Business Support Team
The first point of contact for our customers is our Customer and Business Support Team, including Sharon and Patricia. The team has many years of experience in providing excellent customer service and support for our customers but are also responsible for a lot of behind the scenes action. Their knowledge of our customers and needs is unmatched, and they are always happy to help should you need anything. You can contact our Customer and Business Support team by emailing
Why are we different?
Do you want immediate access to our resources? The majority of our written learning resources are available as electronic PDF files which allow you to quickly access, print and obtain a hard copy. Many of our customers prefer this to web-based systems simply because being able to scribble on an actual printout helps with learning and referring back.Other resources such as our e-mocks are available either as a download or can be listened to or viewed on any electronic device whether PC, tablet, iPad or mobile.
The importance of customer service
Providing excellent customer service is extremely important to us. As well as providing a money-back guarantee, we also do all we can to make your exam journey and your experience with us a happy one. If you have any queries or problems, do contact us and we will act as quickly as we can to resolve the situation.We have a fantastic enquiries team at and you can always leave us a message on 0345 680 1682 (Calls are charged at no more than 5p per minute from a BT line, charges from mobiles and other providers may vary and can be considerably more).
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We appreciate you!
Finally, we’re not just a faceless company trying to sell you stuff. The entire team here at Brand Financial Training genuinely care about you and your exam journey. We want to know how you’re doing and how we can help. Our aim is to make your exam journey with us a successful one.
We look forward to meeting you!
Need help with anything?
We like to support our customers on every step of their journey. Got a question, then get in touch and we’ll do our very best to help you!
- "I've used Brand resources for all of my exams over the past 2 years and have passed them all! The study notes are a great start to revision as they break down a subject into more manageable chunks. The papers are also a good study aid to check your knowledge is up to scratch. I've recommended them in the past and I will continue to do so!"
JenniParaplanner, Surrey - “Your R06 case study analysis was great & definitely helped significantly – it was good to know that you are revising the right areas & hi-lighted some areas which I hadn’t anticipated - it covered the vast majority of the questions . Personally, I found the questions on the first case study more challenging than the second. Questions seemed more specific – needing deep knowledge of details rather than an overview, such as on pensions & divorce. I have used your resources on RO1, RO2,RO3, RO4,RO5 & RO6 & passed them all first time so would recommend them to anybody taking these exams.”Jonathan WoodmanBoroughbridge
- I passed R06 and very much thanks to your case study analysis which was excellent. I have used numerous training materials that you have produced for the R0 exams and all have been very useful indeed. I have now completed my level 4 diploma.Jonathan HowardTax Manager, Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management
- I did pass AF5 on my first attempt. I found your analysis to be brilliant for summarising the most likely questions and you were spot-on with much of what came up on the day of the exam. I now only have AF8 to pass to achieve Chartered Status but I would recommend your resources to anyone sitting AF5 in the future.James BrownFinancial Planner, Leicester
- "Brand are my 'go to' company for providing exam resources. In the past 18 months I've sat (and passed) 12 CII exams and I know I wouldn't have been as successful without the mock papers, calculation workbooks and analysis I've purchased from Brand Financial Training. Thank you!"SaffieParaplanner, Lorica Wealth Management, Bournemouth
- I am finally Diploma qualified after passing R06. Thank you to the Brand Financial Training team – your training materials for R06 and other exams have been invaluable to me.Clare BeswickWealth Business Consultant, Vitality UK
- I think you have perfected your analysis material and all I can say is thank you. It’s abundantly clear you have the best interests of your students at heart, and you offer a fantastic service. Great content, fantastic support, and provision of enjoyed material.Charlie YarlettSenior Technical Specialist, California
- I gained Chartered Financial Planner status in early 2017 and wanted to thank you for your support throughout my years of study to attain this qualification. It was a hard slog at times but worth it in the end. I have used Brand material for all exams, bar the G60 exam back in 1998, and have found it invaluable. It has always cut through the rather bland CII material and made study far more palatable. Brand has continued to evolve and improve the delivery of the learning material which has proved to be a fantastic investment.Gary FrielChartered Financial Planner, Kent Insurance Services, Sittingbourne
- "At the age of 20 I became the youngest person to hold the CII Diploma. I achieved this through hard work and the use of resources including those provided by Brand Financial Training; in particular the mock exams, study notes and the extremely helpful Calculation Workbooks. I'm now moving forward with the Advanced Diploma and continue to use Brand Financial Training's resources to aid my progression to Chartered Status. I certainly recommend them."Josh ButtenMDG MK, Milton Keynes
- "The R06 case study analysis was fantastic! There was nothing in the exam that wasn't covered. Brand was recommended to me by a colleague who said "you don't need anything else" and they were correct. I would happily recommend your services."Edward BarstowWealth Account Manager, Aviva, Sheffield
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Jonathan Woodman
Gary Friel
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