Ms Zhu was previously with Procter & Gamble in China where she led a team of 22 sales executives and will be based in Shanghai. Ms Zhu said: "I am pleased to help the Securities & Investment Institute bring its globally recognised qualifications to my country. I know that there is significant interest from both students and employees of major banks to obtain these qualifications and I am looking forward to helping them obtain these highly sought after skills."

Simon Culhane, Chief Executive of the SII said, "We are delighted that Rachel (Ms Zhu) is joining us at this very exciting time in the Institute's international development. Her background and experience will be key in helping us to continue to build our presence in the Chinese market and to promote the UK's high professional standards in financial services training and competence."

Rachel (Ms Zhu) is an MBA graduate from Southampton University and attended Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Wuhan, China where she achieved a BA in Marketing.