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‘Comply or explain’ can it survive in a global marketplace?

5th June 2014 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Tomorrow’s Finance is a programme of lectures and other events being organised by Tomorrow’s Company in partnership with Miton Group plc – we are inviting some of the most senior and thoughtful figures from and about finance to consider what is the purpose of finance and is the finance sector fit for purpose? The lectures will be challenging, often controversial, and always stimulating and enjoyable.

The event will be held at the offices of Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co – 4 More London Riverside London SE1 2AU.

We are delighted that Guy Jubb, Global Head of Governance & Stewardship at Standard Life Investments, will be giving our next Tomorrow’s Finance lecture.

Guy heads Standard Life Investment’s Governance & Stewardship Team, which he pioneered in 1992 to develop and implement an efficient approach to governance and stewardship. The team is responsible for fulfilling all aspects of Standard Life Investments’ governance and stewardship responsibilities. Each year, Guy and his team engage with over 200 companies to discuss a wide range of corporate governance topics to assist the evaluation of governance and stewardship for investment purposes.

Guy is extremely well respected and influential in the governance and stewardship arena and we are honoured that he will be delivering a ground-breaking lecture on the evolution of ‘comply or explain’ – past, present and future.

Although ‘comply or explain’ has worked well in the UK so far, is it still the right balance of legislation, regulation and best practice? In an increasingly globalised financial market with developments such as shorter holding periods, increased volatility and a reduced exposure to equity markets, is ‘comply and explain’ still fit for purpose?

Guy believes that change is a constant and the environment in which companies operate will continue to evolve over the next few years. With society’s expectations and attitudes towards businesses shifting, stewardship is no longer an optional extra.

Guy has been deeply involved in developing best practice approaches to governance and stewardship. He is a member of a number of influential committees including the ABI Investment Committee. He is Co-Chair of the Conference Board’s European Corporate Governance Council and the Global Auditor Investor Dialogue. In 2014 he was appointed to the Standing Advisory Group of the PCAOB, the US audit regulator.

A Scottish chartered accountant, Guy’s career spans merchant banking, corporate finance, venture capital and fund management roles in London, New York and, his home town of, Edinburgh. Before taking up his current role, Guy headed up Standard Life Investment’s smaller companies and private equity teams.

Melanie McLaren is a member of the Financial Reporting Council Board and leads the FRC’s work on developing Codes, Standards and related guidance across all areas of the FRC’s remit: Corporate Governance, Stewardship, Financial Reporting, Audit and Assurance and actuarial work. Melanie is an experienced business leader with strong financial and professional services background and in-depth expertise in risk, regulation and assurance. Between 1999 and 2009 Melanie was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers within their Financial Services Assurance Practice. Before joining the FRC in June 2012 Melanie was CRO to a major UK listed life assurer. Melanie qualified as a chartered accountant in 1990 and read Arabic Studies and German at St Andrew’s University. Melanie is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Gervais Williams, Managing Director at Miton Group plc and author of Slow Finance will be joining Guy on the business panel of this event with his own insights. Gervais has been an equity portfolio manager since 1985. His career includes 5 years with Throgmorton Investment Management, 3 years with Thornton Investment Management and 17 years with Gartmore Group Ltd where he was Head of UK Small Companies investing in UK smaller companies and Irish equities. He won Investor of the Year awarded by Grant Thornton at their Quoted Company dinner in both 2009 and 2010.

Andrew Hobbs is an Associate Partner leading EY’s UK Regulatory and Public Policy team. It is responsible for addressing key national and international regulatory and policy matters affecting EY and its clients. Andrew sits on a number of policy driven committees at the CBI, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and the Quoted Companies Alliance. Andrew is a qualified solicitor (15 years PQE). He is also a leading member of EY’s Corporate Governance team providing advice and insight to boards and companies.

Julian Henwood sits in the Equity Markets Team within Wragge Lawrence Grahame & Co.’s wider Corporate Group. He has extensive experience of advising listed and quoted companies upon various corporate governance issues, including disclosures required under the UK Corporate Governance Code’s “comply or explain” regime.

Tomorrow’s Finance is a collaboration between Tomorrow’s Company and Miton Group plc. The inaugural Tomorrow’s Finance lecture was delivered by James Featherby, author of ‘The White Swan Formula’ and Chair of the Church of England Ethical Investment Advisory Group where he set out the key arguments of his new publication ‘Of Markets and Men’. This was followed by David Pitt-Watson’s, Chair of Hermes Asset Management Ltd, lecture on ‘Regulation – but is it effective? How to avoid the next financial crisis.’ More recently, Matthew Bishop, New York Bureau Chief of The Economist asked ‘How is finance socially useful?’; economist John Kay, author of the Review of UK Equity Markets and Long-Term Decision-Making talked about ‘Building trust & confidence by changing behaviours in financial services’; David Blood, co-founder and senior partner at Generation Investment Management on ‘Sustainable capitalism and the transition to a low-carbon economy’ and Colin Melvin, CEO of Hermes Equity Ownership on ‘Finance, business and the public good’.

Details

Date:
5th June 2014
Time:
8:00 am - 5:00 pm