How we can rebuild trustworthiness and confidence in financial services through greater transparency

Online symposium using interactive Zoom;

taking place on Tuesday, April 21st from 1:00pm until 4:00pm, UK time

Executive summary

This online symposium is for individuals that authentically align with the idea that the financial services sector is too important for low levels of trustworthiness and confidence in it to be acceptable; so if you like the idea that the sector ought to be more transparent, truthful and trustworthy this is an event for you.

This symposium will be one more step forward in our collective efforts to galvanise support for positive, progressive and purposeful finance reform, for the benefit of all.

If you already know you want to be included, go straight ahead and book your place; but if you want to know more, please scroll down to get to all the details.

Thank you.

All places need to be booked, please

To secure your place, please first click on the button below, then read the notes that explain the 4 ticket options (Standard, For TTF Fellows, Discounted and Press Pass) and then book your place.

Once your place is secured, we will Email all the details you need to be able to access the event through interactive Zoom.

For queries, please Email

andy.agathangelou@transparencytaskforce.org

Thank you!

What is the purpose of this symposium?

The overall purpose of this online symposium is to shine a bright light onto the very real need for greater transparency in financial services.

Our symposium is going to create a first-class opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders to share their thoughts around what needs to be done; how best to do it and who should take responsibility for rebuilding trustworthiness and confidence in financial services

You can expect to be ‘amongst’ progressively minded and collaboratively minded people who are keen to drive positive, progressive and purposeful finance reform.

Poor levels of transparency in the financial services sector have been a factor in the far-too-many cases of malpractice, malfeasance, misconduct, miss-selling, scams and scandals that have plagued the sector and caused the extensive reputational damage that has been suffered.

We already know that the financial services sector as a whole has a significant reputation problem – the key takeaway from the Edelman Trust Barometer is:

“…at 57 percent trust among the general population, financial services remain the least-trusted sector measured by the Trust Barometer.”

…and that’s obviously a major issue for a sector that has to be trusted to function succesfully.

Clearly, the lack of transparency in financial services has contributed to the financial services trust deficit; and the evidence indicates that this isn’t a problem that is going to fix itself.

On the basis that “progress begins with realism” we will be facilitating the kind of candid yet constructive discussions that are needed to help move matters forward.

We are expecting this to be a particularly lively symposium because we will be creating a forum for people to “say it as they see it” and there is no doubt that many people are very disappointed with and very frustrated by the opacity that remains.

We don’t think any one person or organisation has all the answers; and we also think that all answers are worth listening to, so if you’ve got a point of view that you’d like to share, this is definitely an event for you.

Format

We’re in trying times; so, it’s time for agility and adaptability, resilience and innovation.

Asa consequence, this symposium is being run as an online event.

We will be using interactive Zoom, a highly effective online platform which means we can run this symposium as an ultra-convenient and wonderfully efficient thought-leadership event for you; all this, without you needing to leave your home or office.

You’ll just need access to a computer with Broadband connection.

We will be structuring the event in such a way that it will be as engaging and as interactive as we can possibly make it.

We’ll be working hard to create as “life-like” an event as possible, with every opportunity taken to create interaction and engagement.

There will be several presentations with Q&A sessions; two breakout sessions where attendees will be able to discuss particular topics amongst themselves and then report back on their findings; and an open discussion and debate session towards the end.

Here’s the programme and timings, so far*

13:00

Welcome to the symposium, using the Zoom controls and setting the scene, for 15 minutes, by

– Andy Agathangelou, Founder, Transparency Task Force; Governor, Pensions Policy Institute; former Founding Chair, Friends of Automatic Enrolment; former Founding Chair, Association of Member Nominated Trustees.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-agathangelou-02953113

13:15

Presentation #1, for 15 minutes + 15 minutes Q&A/Discussion

Allan Mendelowitz, President, ACTUS Financial Research Foundation; Principal, Almen Economics LLC

https://www.linkedin.com/in/allan-mendelowitz-a2276b7/

13:45

Presentation #2, for 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A

Christopher Tobe, Chief Investment Officer, Hackett Robertson Tobe; Principal Litigation Consultant, Stable Value Consultants; Kentucky Chair, Represent.US; Author, Kentucky Fried Pensions.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-tobe-cfa-1037734/

14:00

Breakout & Report Back Session #1, on “The Problem Statement”, for 30 minutes

14:30

Short leg-stretch and comfort break, for 15 minutes

14:45

Presentation #3, for 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A

Dr. Anna Tilba, Associate Professor in Strategy and Governance, Durham University Business School; Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge; formerly involved with the Financial Conduct Authority’s work on the Asset Management Market Study.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anna-tilba-59573a9a/

15:00

Breakout & Report Back Session #2, on “The Solution Statement” for 30 minutes

15:30

Group discussion & debate, 25 minutes

15:55

Final conclusions; and suggested next steps, by

16:00

Close to the formal proceedings; but for those that want it, networking and consequential conversation is available through to the final close, 60 minutes

17:00

Final close

*The programme will continuously evolve so is subject to change.

Alan Mendelowitz’s slides are available to downloand below:

All places need to be booked, please

To secure your place, please first click on the button below, then read the notes that explain the 4 ticket options (Standard, For TTF Fellows, Discounted and Press Pass) and then book your place.

Once your place is secured, we will Email all the details you need to be able to access the event through interactive Zoom.

For queries, please Email

andy.agathangelou@transparencytaskforce.org

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