The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) has awarded its highest honour to three senior financial services professionals, recognising their contributions to the industry and their longstanding support for the professional body.
Paul Stockton, Debbie Clarke CF Chartered FCSI and Danny Corrigan MCSI have each been granted Honorary Fellowship status by the CISI’s Board of Trustees, an accolade reserved for individuals who have made an outstanding positive impact on both the profession and the institute.
Honorary Fellowship carries the designatory letters FCSI(Hon) and is awarded annually to individuals seen as role models within financial services and champions of professional standards.
Michael Cole-Fontayn MCSI, Chair of CISI, said: “The CISI Board and I are delighted to announce our highest accolade this year is awarded to three accomplished and outstanding financial services professionals. They are consummate role models for our next generation of sector talent with their commitment to lifelong learning and the CISI community. We look forward to their inspiration and leadership over the years ahead.”
The awards highlight decades of leadership across wealth management, corporate finance and wholesale markets, reflecting the CISI’s continued focus on professional integrity and industry development.
Leadership in wealth management
Paul Stockton is best known for his long career at Rathbones Group Plc, where he served as Group Chief Executive until his retirement in September 2025. His tenure included overseeing the firm’s merger with Investec Wealth UK, one of the most significant recent consolidations in the UK wealth management sector.
Stockton began his career in 1988 as a chartered accountant with Price Waterhouse in Windsor, specialising in financial services, before taking a role in New York working with insurance and asset management firms. He later held senior roles at Old Mutual Plc, Euroclear and Phoenix Group before joining Rathbones as Group Finance Director in 2008.
He went on to become Managing Director of Rathbones Investment Management in 2018 and was appointed Group Chief Executive the following year.
Alongside his executive career, Stockton has also held influential non-executive and advisory roles, including serving as a non-executive director at the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, contributing to the FCA Practitioner Panel, and sitting on the board of the Personal Investment Management and Financial Advice Association. He is also a Freeman of the City of London.
Corporate finance and governance expertise
Debbie Clarke CF Chartered FCSI has built a career spanning nearly three decades in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and advisory roles across a range of sectors.
Since beginning her career in financial services in 1996, Clarke has held leadership roles within accountancy firms, becoming an equity partner and advising clients on M&A transactions, refinancing and strategic development.
Her work has spanned industries including education, technology, manufacturing, real estate and sport, supporting both UK and international clients.
Clarke has also played a significant role within CISI itself. After becoming a member in 1999, she began volunteering in 2007, helping to establish the Corporate Finance & Capital Markets Forum. She later became a non-executive director of the institute in 2017, serving for six years.
She now focuses on her role as a trustee of the CISI Future Foundation, which was established in 2022 to support the next generation of professionals.
Clarke was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2022 and continues to mentor professionals and advise company boards as part of her non-executive portfolio.
Market veteran and fintech entrepreneur
Danny Corrigan brings more than 40 years of experience in wholesale financial markets, having worked as a banker, trader and broker, and holding leadership positions including director, managing director and chief executive.
His career has included international roles in major financial centres such as Moscow, Sydney and Tokyo, reflecting the global nature of modern capital markets.
Corrigan has also contributed to market infrastructure, including working with London Clearing House following the collapse of Lehman Brothers to help manage the closure of trading books during the financial crisis.
More recently, he co-founded fintech start-up London Reporting House in April 2023, reflecting the continued evolution of financial services towards technology-driven solutions.
He has also been closely involved with CISI, serving as a trustee and board member and chairing its International Committee, as well as supporting initiatives promoting the City of London internationally.
Promoting professional standards
The CISI, headquartered in the City of London, is a professional body with around 57,000 members across more than 130 countries. It sets examinations and offers qualifications for professionals working in financial planning, wealth management and capital markets, and aims to promote ethical standards and professional development across the sector.
The Honorary Fellowships recognise individuals whose careers reflect those values and whose work has helped shape the profession.
The latest awards come at a time of continued change across financial services, with consolidation, regulatory evolution and technological innovation reshaping the sector.
By recognising senior leaders such as Stockton, Clarke and Corrigan, the CISI said it aims to highlight the importance of experience, integrity and mentorship in maintaining trust and professionalism in global financial markets.
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