Richard is the Director of Strategy Division at the FCA. Richard has over 15 years’ experience in Financial Regulation, including roles in Supervision, Policy, Enforcement and as Private Secretary to former FSA Chairman, Lord Turner. Richard is responsible for setting the FCA Strategy, embedding the Mission and for delivering cross-cutting strategic policy, such as Climate Change and Intergenerational issues. The Strategy Division analyses sectors, agree sector-specific and cross-sector strategies, and lead the annual strategic planning round.
Mark Babington is the Acting Executive Director of Regulatory Standards at the Financial Reporting Council. He leads the division responsible for the FRC technical and public policy work covering audit, corporate reporting, corporate governance and stewardship, actuarial and the FRC Lab. The division also includes the all FRC’s Investor and Stakeholder Engagement work. Prior to joining ExCo, Mark led the FRC’s UK Audit Policy programme, measures to support greater competition in the UK audit market and work to support the reform of international standard setting for auditors, by global regulatory authorities. Prior to joining the FRC, Mark had a twenty-year career in audit and was a Director at the UK National Audit Office. Prior to that he was a technical advisor to a number of EU capacity-building programmes. He was also involved in the audit of the United Nations. For five years, Mark was a member of the UK government’s counter-fraud taskforce. He is a former Chairman of the International Colleges of Auditors of a number of European defence-related organisations. Mark is an Independent Governor, Board Member and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which is the UK public body dedicated to supporting democracy around the world.
Farnam is HSBC’s EMEA Head of Sustainable Bonds, where she advises HSBC’s debt capital market clients across all sectors on sustainable finance. She also sits on HSBC’s Green Bond and Loan Committee. Farnam joined HSBC in 2017 after completing her MBA at the Said Business School at the University of Oxford. Prior to that, she was with leading ESG ratings firm Sustainalytics, where she developed its second opinion services for green/social/sustainability bonds, consulted on framework development for corporate and public sector issuers, and designed the firm’s product offerings for the assessment of human rights risks. She has over nine years of experience working with investors, issuers, and other stakeholders on the integration of environmental and social factors into investment decisions, including the development of investment strategies for some of the world’s largest asset owners.
Stuart joined Cyan Finance in April 2020 with the specific role of developing the asset finance activity. Previously, Stuart spent over 10 years as Global Co-Head of the structured asset and leasing business in a major European bank and has over 25 years banking experience at US and European banks. Stuart has an extensive knowledge of asset and infrastructure finance over a wide range of asset classes and transactions including leasing. Stuart is a Chartered Accountant and an associate member of the Institute of Taxation and Association of Corporate Treasurers.
Before joining RPMI Railpen to lead their active ownership work, Caroline led on institutional investment and stewardship at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA). Previously she held roles at PIMFA and as Head of Public Policy at the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), and has also previously undertaken fixed income research for a large asset management firm.She is a pension trustee at one of the UK's largest master trusts, is Investment Week's "Investment Woman of the Year" (small and medium firms) and graduated top of her class from the London School of Economics.
Phil became Director of the Financial Reporting Lab in 2017. He is a Chartered Accountant in the UK with over 20 years of experience in accounting and audit, focusing on improving the quality of company reporting. He has worked for the Financial Reporting Council since 2009 and was previously the Head of Case Examination and Enquiries. Phil started his career in the audit practice of KPMG where he spent ten years, the latter half of which he worked as a senior manager in the firm’s professional practice department. After leaving practice, he spent five years as a training consultant helping companies with their corporate reporting requirements before joining the FRC. Phil is also a board member of xBRL International
Adrian Fleming is CEO and co-founder of Accuvio Sustainability Software. He combines this unique combination of interests with a passion for using Easy-to-Use technology to enable large organisations do more to improve their impact on the environment, the economy and society in general. Adrian's background prior to founding Accuvio was in technical architecture with Accenture, and Dell as a Software Development project manager. It was on this career journey that he encountered the challenge of Sustainability reporting across global organisations which lead to his light bulb moment that it needs to be made easier, for such accountability to be "main stream". He was also involved in the early days of CoderDojo.com, a volunteer-led worldwide charity that teaches children from ages 6 - 14 how to develop software and electronics.
Reporting to the international business of Federated Hermes’ CEO, Leon is responsible for developing and directing the responsibility integration program across the group. This includes ensuring that investment teams are aware of and integrate ESG performance in investment decisions and that engagement is effectively incorporated alongside investment activities. In this role he also oversees and contributes to how the firm’s responsibility activities and performance are integrated into our client relationship management and reporting, the delivery of our corporate citizenship programme and the development of responsible structures and processes for the firm. He also leads a number of corporate and public policy engagements. Previously, Leon was responsible for the development and delivery of EOS at Federated Hermes’ global corporate and public policy engagement programme from 2012-2016 and acted as its commercial director from 2009-2012. Prior to that, Leon worked within the Hermes UK Large Cap Focus Fund for seven years, where he was responsible for executing the fund’s engagement programmes. He also has 12 years of strategy consulting and operational industry experience.
Justine has spent much of her career helping business leaders and governments find solutions to the global challenges of climate change and sustainable development. She has provided advisory services for a number of global institutions and governments across Europe, Africa, India, Indonesia and Latin America. Her areas of focus includes sustainable development in emerging economies, climate change mitigation/adaptation strategies, climate finance, economic valuation and market based instruments for managing natural resource assets.She is currently the Deputy CEO & Director of Market Development at the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), an investor focused not for profit working to mobilize debt capital markets for climate change solutions. Her primary focus is in the emerging markets where she works closely with both public and private sector actors in developing national policy guidelines and investment roadmaps that will enable access to green bond financing. Currently, she leads CBI’s efforts in the Americas and Africa where market development programs are underway. Previously, she was heading the development of the International Climate Bonds Standard Program, where she worked closely with industry leaders and global experts in establishing a screening tool for investors to easily prioritise climate and green bonds with confidence. Justine has an MSc. in Molecular Science from Yale University and an MSc. in Environmental Economics and Policy from Imperial College, London.
ShareAction is UK-based charity that has been working for 12 years to build the movement for responsible investment. Simon leads ShareAction's work with companies to drive responsible business practices, across a range of ESG campaign areas, including climate, food and health, and workforce. He is passionate about the power of good work to deliver positive social impact.
Prior to joining ShareAction in early 2020, Simon built and led the social responsibility function at McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy. While at McKinsey, he also worked with social sector organisations, advising global foundations and non-profits on strategy, governance and external relations. Simon served for seven years as a diplomat for the British government, including an overseas posting to Pakistan and as a private secretary to the Minister for Europe.
Mitch joined the international business of Federated Hermes in February 2010 as Head of Research on the Credit team before becoming Co-Head of Credit from 2012 to 2019. In 2019, in addition to his role of Head of Research, he became Head of Sustainable Fixed Income and co-manager of the Federated Hermes SDG Engagement High Yield Credit Fund. Prior to this he was Co-Head of Credit Research for the global credit team at Fortis Investments. Other roles at Fortis include portfolio manager of European high yield funds, based in London, and senior credit analyst, based in Paris. Before this he worked as an associate analyst in the leveraged finance group at Moody’s Investors Service in New York. Mitch earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs at Columbia University in New York City and a Bachelor’s degree in History at Pitzer College, one of the Claremont Colleges in California. He is a CFA charterholder; Co-Chair of the Capital Markets Advisory Committee of the IFRS Foundation; founding member of the Executive Committee for the European Leveraged Finance Association; member of the Sovereign Working Group and the Credit Rating Advisory Committee for the PRI; member of the technical Working Group (Communications and Technology) for the US-based Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB); a workstream member of the UK-China Green Finance Task Force; and sits on the Green Finance Advisory of the City of London.
Adrian is currently leading a programme to scale-up sustainable finance and ESG disclosure across London Stock Exchange Group’s Capital Markets business, which to date has established a Green Economy classification across its markets; an ESG Disclosure benchmarking tool for companies; and the publication of a guide to green finance, in addition to supporting the launch of a new Sustainable Bond Market. Adrian established ABN AMRO’s Environmental Markets business in 2006 and later supported renewable energy and clean-tech clients as a Director in RBS’ corporate finance team. As CEO of international certification body the Gold Standard, Adrian oversaw the development of result-based finance tools that have enabled hundreds of clean technology and sustainable land-use projects to attract millions of dollars in investment, including via his involvement in creating Fairtrade International’s Fairtrade Climate Standard. Adrian is a Non-Executive Director of Evora, a leading sustainable real-estate advisor and software business.
Keith Skeoch started his career in the UK Government Economic Service before moving into financial services with James Capel (HSBC Securities) where he became firstly Chief Economist and then Managing Director of International Equities. Keith joined Standard Life Investments (SLI) in 1999 as Chief Investment Officer and was appointed Chief Executive of that division in 2004 and to the main board of Standard Life plc following demutualisation in 2006. Keith led the exponential growth of SLI in terms of assets under management, geographic footprint, revenue stream, organisational capability and brand strength. He was appointed CEO of Standard Life plc in 2015 and sole CEO of Standard Life Aberdeen (SLA) in 2019 having led the separation of the life business to Phoenix in 2018 and the subsequent formation of a global, focussed and capital light investment house. Keith Stepped down as CEO of SLA in September 2020. He is currently Chair of the ASI Research Institute, Chair of the Investment Association and a member of The UK Takeover Panel. Keith holds a degree from the University of Sussex, a MA from the University of Warwick and in recognition of his wider contribution to the financial services industry, and particularly his work in response to the GFC, he was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Sussex and Teesside University. Keith is a Fellow of the Society of Business Economists and a Trustee of Edinburgh International Festival. Keith is married to Andrea with whom he has two sons and divides his time between London and Edinburgh.
Kay is the Vice Chair of Financial Services at KPMG, leading C-suite engagement for FS clients and special projects including ESG, Libor and Responsible tax. Prior to joining KPMG, Kay served as Vice Chair of the European Parliament’s influential Economics and Monetary Affairs Committee, shaping EU and global financial services legislation, including setting up the EU supervisory bodies (ESAs, SSM, SRM), capital markets union (EMIR, MiFID II, Prospectus, CCP Recovery & Resolution), and the broader banking union files. Prior to Kay’s career as an MEP, she worked in investment banking.