Tuesday, December 15th

Are the UK's Financial Regulators failing?

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When

Tuesday, December 15th from 6:00pm until 8:30pm, UK time

Where

Online symposium via Zoom.

Format

The event will be structured in such a way as to be as interactive and "life-like" as possible. There will be several presentations with Q&A sessions and an open discussion and debate session towards the end.

Executive Summary....

This is an important event because one of the most important functions of any financial regulator is to protect consumers from harm, by helping to create a marketplace that people can have trust and confidence in...[READ MORE ]

However, in the UK there have been so many scams and scandals that many people are becoming increasingly concerned about whether the UK’s financial regulators, particularly the Financial Conduct Authority, is able to govern the sector adequately.

There really is cause for concern – 3 independent reports looking into potential failings at the FCA are expected soon, covering:

The LCF bond holders saga
The IRHP saga
The Connaught saga

…and beyond that there have been many other instances where investors have been harmed including, perhaps best known, the Woodford saga. All of this has left people wondering whether the FCA has got a grip on things.

Naturally, this event is not simply about criticising for the sake of it – that doesn’t achieve anything. The purpose of this symposium is to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to share their thoughts on what the underlying issues are; but even more importantly to focus on what potential improvements can be made. We therefore want candid yet constructive dialogue on what should be done to fix what’s broken, if indeed anything is broken and does need fixing.

We’ve got a first class line-up of speakers and as always, we’ll be asking attendees to be courteous and constructive, regardless of how strongly they feel about the issues.

Here’s the programme and timings so far

6:00PM GMT
Welcome & Introduction

Andy Agathangelou

Founder, Transparency Task Force; Governor, Pensions Policy Institute; Chair of the Secretariat Committee to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Pension Scams; former Founding Chair, Friends of Automatic Enrolment; former Founding Chair, Association of Member Nominated Trustees

6:15PM GMT
Presentation #1, for 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A with facilitated discussion by

Dr Andy Schmulow

Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong; Founder & CEO, Clarity Prudential Regulatory and Regulatory Consulting Pty Ltd; Senior Advisor, DB & Associates

6:30PM GMT
Presentation #2, for 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A with facilitated discussion by

Prem Sikka

Professor of Accounting and Finance, University of Sheffield; Emeritus Professor of Accounting, University of Essex; Member of the House of Lords

6:45PM GMT
Presentation #3, for 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A with facilitated discussion by

Brian Basham

Commentator, Founder of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, and a small business advocate

7:00PM GMT

Short leg-stretch and comfort break for 5 minutes

7:05PM GMT
Presentation #4, for 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A with facilitated discussion by

Helen MacGregor

Director, UcoVida Ltd

7:20PM GMT
Presentation #5, for 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A with facilitated discussion by

Edward Lucas

Senior Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)

7:35PM GMT
Presentation #6, for 5 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A with facilitated discussion by

Andy Keats

CEO, SME Alliance

7:45PM GMT
Presentation #7, for 5 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A with facilitated discussion by

William May

Lloyds Bank Victims Group, former executive of the investment bank, S.G. Warburg

7:55PM GMT

The "Just a minute"-round

Inspired by the BBC Radio 4 programme, we have asked a selection of our attendees to spend just a minute sharing their thoughts on what has been covered during the symposium. But unlike the Radio 4 programme our speakers won’t be penalised for hesitation, repetition or deviation!

Just a Minute

Paul Gregory

Just a Minute

Philip Meadowcroft

Chairman, Brandmasters Ltd Executive Pension Scheme

Just a Minute

Peter O'Donnell

Director, New South Law

Just a Minute

Mark Bishop

Leader, Connaught Action Group

8:00PM GMT

Open discussion & debate

8:25PM GMT

Close to the formal proceedings

FInal conclusions; suggested next steps and close to the formal proceedings

Are the UK’s Financial Regulators Failing?