Sharon Collard is Professor of Personal Finance Capability at The Open University’s True Potential Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance (True Potential PUFin). Sharon background is policy-focused social research on personal finance. She has conducted extensive research on financial inclusion, consumer credit use and problem debt, and financial capability. Her research includes understanding motivations and barriers to engagement in the consumer debt marketplace; the work decisions of low-income two-parent households; working households’ experiences of debt problems; the impact of a cap on the total cost of high-cost credit; and the financial dimensions of wellbeing in older age. Sharon regularly acts as an expert adviser on personal finance topics. In 2012-2014, she was a member of the Centre for Social Justice Serious Debt Working Group. In 2014, she was an academic adviser to the FCA on its work to develop a price cap on payday loans. She is currently a member of the UK Financial Inclusion Commission. True Potential PUFin is based at The Open University Business School. It is a pioneering centre of excellence for research and teaching related to personal finance capability, generously supported by True Potential LLP. Views expressed by True Potential PUFin may not reflect those of True Potential LLP.
Stuart Gulliver is Group Chief Executive of HSBC Holdings plc. He is also Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited. Mr Gulliver joined HSBC in 1980 and has held a number of key roles in the Group’s operations worldwide, including postings in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and the United Arab Emirates.
Before his appointment as Group Chief Executive of HSBC Holdings plc in January 2011, he was Chairman of Europe, Middle East and Global Businesses of HSBC Holdings plc. He was appointed Chief Executive of Global Banking and Markets and HSBC Global Asset Management in May 2006. He has also served as Chairman of HSBC France, Deputy Chairman of Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG and on the boards of HSBC Bank plc, HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, HSBC USA Inc. and HSBC Bank USA, N.A.
Mr Gulliver was appointed to the HSBC Group Management Board in March 2004 and became a Group General Manager in August 2000. He has been an Executive Director of HSBC Holdings plc since May 2008 and an Executive Director of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited since September 2006. Mr Gulliver is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and of the International Advisory Council of the China Banking Regulatory Commission of the People's Republic of China.
Mr Gulliver holds a law degree from Oxford University.
Dr. Paul A Jones heads up the Research Unit for Financial Inclusion (RUFI) in the Faculty of Education, Health and Community at Liverpool John Moores University. RUFI undertakes academic, action and evaluative research in a wide range of areas related to the development of financial services for lower and moderate-income households, money and debt advice and credit union development. Paul has published widely in the field of financial inclusion and credit union development. Some examples of research studies include widening access to community and social finance in London (Santander), the strategic development of credit unions in the North East of England and Cumbria (Northern Rock Foundation), the strengthening of credit union governance (Cornerstones for the DWP)], access to affordable credit in Europe (The European Commission), credit union engagement with prisons (Ministry of Justice), access to banking for homeless and vulnerable groups (Northern Rock Foundation) and the development of integrated debt advice services (Citizens Advice).
RUFI also runs a Master’s level University Certificate of Professional Development in Promoting Financial Inclusion in Low Income Communities. This course, designed for practitioners in the field of financial inclusion, runs in January each year in Liverpool and currently in Manchester in partnership with City South Housing Trust. The course is planned to run in Wales and possibly in Scotland in 2015. Full details of Paul’s work can be found on the website:- www.ljmu.ac.uk/HEA/financialinclusion
Andrea Leadsom MP is the Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire, a post to which she was elected in 2010 following a 25-year career in the financial sector and 10 years working as a Charity Trustee of OXPIP, the Oxford Parent Infant Project.
In Parliament and beyond, Andrea campaigns on her three major areas of interest: reform of the European Union through her work as co-founder of the Fresh Start Project; reform of the banking system, as a Member of the Treasury Select Committee, particularly with regard to increasing competition and removing barriers to entry; and establishing a national network of parent-infant psychotherapeutic support services for families and their newborn babies through her new charity, PIP UK, and the 1001 Critical Days campaign, a cross party initiative to re-think how statutory services support new families. In April 2014,
Andrea was appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
Catherine is a New Zealander who has spent the majority of her career in financial services in the UK. She is currently leading the Transactions, Insurance and Community Banking Propositions for Personal and Corporate Bank at Barclays. Having just returned from NZ where she was Chief Executive, Customer Markets and Products for ASB Bank. Prior to ASB, Catherine worked at Lloyds TSB where she ran the legal and risk function for the retail bank, and then led the current account business. Catherine also worked at the Prudential where she launched PruHealth - an innovative health insurer as its Chief Executive. She also worked at ITV Digital (pay television company) and worked for National Australia Bank both in the UK and New Zealand.
Peer Stein, a German national, is Director in the Finance and Markets Global Practice of the World Bank Group, a position he assumed in July 2014. In this role, he is responsible for delivering the Practice’s financial, advisory and knowledge, and convening services for the global themes, such as financial systems and stability, financial inclusion, and SME finance. Before that, Peer was responsible for IFC’s Access to Finance Advisory Business Line, a position he has held since 2012. Peer has also been leading the World Bank Group’s engagement with the G-20 on financial inclusion and is the current chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Finance. He joined IFC in 1996, and has worked in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe on both the investment and advisory sides of IFC. Prior to joining IFC, Peer worked in Germany as a management consultant in enterprise restructuring and as a partner in a strategic market research firm covering Eastern Europe. He also teaches financial sector reform and development at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
Peer is married and has two children.
Peer Stein, a German national, is Director in the Finance and Markets Global Practice of the World Bank Group, a position he assumed in July 2014. In this role, he is responsible for delivering the Practice’s financial, advisory and knowledge, and convening services for the global themes, such as financial systems and stability, financial inclusion, and SME finance. Before that, Peer was responsible for IFC’s Access to Finance Advisory Business Line, a position he has held since 2012.
Peer has also been leading the World Bank Group’s engagement with the G-20 on financial inclusion and is the current chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Finance. He joined IFC in 1996, and has worked in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe on both the investment and advisory sides of IFC. Prior to joining IFC, Peer worked in Germany as a management consultant in enterprise restructuring and as a partner in a strategic market research firm covering Eastern Europe. He also teaches financial sector reform and development at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
Jen is the Managing Director of Retail Business Banking at Lloyds Banking Group and a member of the Retail Executive Committee. She is responsible for the providing service to nearly a million small business customers in the UK through the Lloyds and Bank of Scotland brands. Previously Jen was the Business Design and Delivery Director for the Retail division where she was accountable for aspects of branch and telephone banking support and the delivery of strategic change. In her career at Lloyds, Jen was also the Shared Services Director for the Retail branch network for the Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands. She also ran telephone banking, the ATM network and account processing for millions of Halifax / Bank of Scotland customers at the height of the financial crisis.
Before joining Lloyds, Jen was the VP, Global Accounts at Invensys Plc where she was responsible for sales to several major oil and gas clients. She started her career at British Airways Plc where she assisted the Board and General Counsel at the time of 9/11 and was the General Manager, Flight Training providing technical and customer service training for thousands of pilots and crew at airlines across the world. Jen is a non executive director and Board member of the Kent Community Trust, one of the largest Trusts in the UK. She is also a member of the Finance and Business Performance Committee and Chair of the Charitable Funds Committee. Jen graduated with an MA (Hons) in Modern Languages from St. John's College, Oxford. She lives in Sevenoaks, Kent together with her husband and their three young children.
Between 2003 and 2007 Simon worked at Reuters as Director of Corporate Communications and Marketing. He was Communications Secretary to HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace from 2000 to 2003. Earlier he served as Director of Corporate Affairs at British Airways and a non-executive director of Comair Ltd (South Africa). From 1996-1997 Simon worked as a special adviser in the Prime Minister's Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street.