Dr Helen Phillips has been appointed as the first independent chair of the CII's board.
Until now, the president of the CII had also acted as chair of the CII's board. By separating the two roles, the president will be able to focus on the ambassadorial role.
The new independent chair, a role that members voted to create at the professional body's annual general meeting in 2019, will be responsible for providing leadership of the board.
The chair will work with the board to set the strategic direction of the CII as the professional body dedicated to building public trust in the insurance and personal finance profession.
Dr Phillips has been appointed for an initial term of three years starting on 1 July.
Dr Phillips is currently independent chair of the Legal Services Board, the oversight regulator for the legal services sector, and chair of Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She is also a founding non-executive director of Social Work England.
She was previously the founding chief executive and board member of Natural England, and director for Wales at the Environment Agency.
Read our interview with Dr Helen Phillips here