TRANSPARENCY TASK FORCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Head of Events & Fundrasing
I currently oversee all of our events programme and our fundraising initiative, helping to expand our community. Please get in touch if you wish to discuss how you can become involved with the TTF.
Andrew has worked in creative and strategic roles across the design, branding and marketing sectors for over 25 years. He is also the creative director of a cooperative art, craft and design gallery. In keeping with many of Transparency Task Force's aims and objectives, Andrew has become a campaigner for UK Banking and Regulatory reform following the catastrophic damage unfairly inflicted on his design business and personal life over the past decade as a result of the admitted "mis-selling" of an Interest Rate Hedging Product (IRHP) with undisclosed / hidden margin credit facilities and risks by his business bank HSBC in 2008. Since 2009 Andrew has been battling for justice, fair treatment and restitution for himself and fellow IRHP victims by bringing his evidence and legitimate complaints to the highest levels of HSBC UK Bank plc, including under whistleblower governance and the auspices of the bank's current CEO Ian Stuart. Unfortunately as a result of the bank's historic and continuing negligence and egregious misconduct, Andrew has also had the distinct displeasure to have been unfairly forced to engage in the further damaging and time consuming process of bringing his legitimate complaints these past 10 years to: the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and its Independent Assessor; the Financial Services Authority (FSA) / Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Supervision & Enforcement Teams; the critically flawed FCA IRHP Review Scheme; the former FCA CEO Andrew Bailey and the former FCA Complaints Commissioner Anthony Townsend. "The unprofessional, negligent, dishonest and disruptive behaviour of staff with whom I've been forced to engage at every level within these organisations has been a truly shocking and traumatic experience, and sadly one I share with hundreds of thousands of UK SMEs and citizens. Our collective experience is a damning indictment of the cancerous culture endemic across UK Finance and also of the obvious contempt with which UK banks and regulators and the establishment treat small and medium-sized business owners. Especially those seeking full and proper restitution for proven mis-selling by the UK Financial & Banking sector. The damage this causes to the wider UK economy is truly staggering. It cannot be allowed to continue and needs to be urgently addressed and properly resolved."
Andy formed the Transparency Task Force after a meeting he led at Senate House, University of London on 6th May 2015. The meeting was about the need for the financial services industry to behave in a more trustworthy way and how harnessing the transformational power of transparency can drive the change that is needed.
Andy is also a Governor of the UK's Pensions Policy Institute and he is the former Founder of Friends of Automatic Enrolment and Chair of the Friends of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees; an organisation he helped to create. CV and bio available on request.
Job Titles:
- Leader - TTF Australia
- Public Policy Specialist and Economist
Benedict Davies is a public policy specialist and economist who has worked in the financial services sector for over 20 years. He has experience across a diverse group of employers, including a large superannuation fund, a major bank, a life office and a funds management company. In 2019, he received an industry award for his contribution to the analysis and debate of superannuation policy issues. And in 2021, he took at career break to work as a Senior Policy Adviser to Senator the Honourable Jane Hume, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy and Minister for Women's Economic Security. He is also the National Treasurer of the Economic Society (Australia) and has been Secretary of the Victorian Council for a number of years. He is a Member of the Cochrane Collaboration, Cochrane's Economics Methods Group and has been an Advocacy Advisory Group Member. Benedict has degrees in economics, philosophy, tax law and policy, as well qualifications in applied finance and health economics.
Bobby is UK Pensions Consulting Market Director at Capita Employee Solution. He combines the role of: a) Senior Investment Consultant who who has over twenty years of experience in advising both the Trustees and Employers of Occupational Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Schemes. b) Responsible for ensuring Capita Pensions thought leadership is delivered to the market and clients. He joined Capita in 2013 and led the growth of the Investment Consulting Team before moving into a wider role. Bobby is a qualified Actuary and is a past Chair of the Association of Consulting Actuaries Investment Sub-Committee and has also served on the Finance and Investment Board of the Institute of Actuaries. As and Actuary and FCA regulated individual Bobby has been subject to Professional CPD requirements since 1995. He has, since early 2000's also been a supervisor on various Professional Standard Schemes, within which role he has monitored and assessed the CPD requirements and achievements of other consultants. He has also assisted his employers with the design of their Professional Standard schemes, all of which have had various CPD requirements and rules. Bobby is a past winner of the Mallowstreet Most Influential Investment Advisor award and has also twice won the industry battle of the bands, as a Bass player. He is also a regular speaker on Investment issues at various conferences and has participated as a judge for a number of industry awards. Bobby is also an Ambassador and Fellow of the Transparency Task Force. Outside of work, Bobby is a County Pool Player and keen runner and also managed the Bedfordshire Youth Pool team to a record 5 consecutive region victories.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer TTF Media Scanners
‘Start-up' Entrepreneur, Freelance Brian is a serial ‘start-up' entrepreneur. He founded and floated The Broad Street Group, which he established after an early career as a financial journalist with the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and The Times. He became an accredited fund manager to research an investigation into the connection between organised crime and the City's money laundering activities. This then became dangerous and there were threats to his children.
He moved into corporate communications and eventually founded Broad Street specialising in takeover bid communications. He founded Primrose Care, caring for elderly people in their own homes, which was later sold to BUPA. He founded Equity Development, providing research services to smaller companies, which he sold recently. He founded ArchOver, which is a unique crowdfunding marketplace lender, facilitating secured and insured loans to companies, which was sold to Hampden Group. He initiated a report for Treasury on Smaller Quoted Companies and wrote the well-regarded publication Tomorrow's Giants, with the former senior Treasury official Craig Pickering. Brian's charitable activities include re-stablishing Remembrance in 1995 for the 50th anniversary of World War II. The initiative enabled the Royal British Legion to raise £20m in that year, saving it from probable dissolution. Remembrance, once again, become a regular feature of British life. He conceived the appeal Coming Home to raise funds for seriously wounded military personnel, that also raised £20m. He stimulated the reactivation of the British Dyslexia Association and has run two marathons to raise funds for Prostate Cancer research.
I am undertaking a virtual internship for the TTF. My work is focused on understanding the damage done to human life by violations in the finance sector. I have a background in sociology and am interested in the role that corruption and conflict play in society. Interning with the TTF allows me to learn and work in a way that is driven by the shared goals of equality, justice and honesty.
Charlotte is an experienced pension transfer specialist at bdhSterling, a leading cross border advice firm with offices in the UK and Australia. She specialises in providing financial planning advice to those who have migrated from the UK to Australia. As well as working directly with clients, Charlotte is also very active in the financial planning community helping to educate Australian professionals in all things relating to offshore pensions.
She is a Chartered financial planner and pension transfer specialist in the UK and holds an Australian master's degree in financial planning. As well as being dual qualified, Charlotte is also dual regulated as she's licenced by the FCA in the UK and ASIC in Australia. Charlotte has been in the financial services industry since 2007, starting in the UK and moving to Australia to continue in the profession. Additionally, Charlotte is responsible for the training and competence of bdhSterling's financial planners who provide UK advice in Australia. This role ensures that there are good practices and training in line with the industry and meeting client expectations.
I currently oversee most of the day to day tasks and social media campaigns, helping to expand our ever growing following. My role also involves dealing with our "Membership" initiative and operational accounts. Please get in touch if you wish to discuss how you can become involved with the TTF.
CHRIS TOBE, CFA, CAIA works mostly out of his home office in Anchorage as a pension investment consultant, expert witness, and author. His most recent book is "Kentucky Fried Pensions" and recently filmed with PBS Frontline on a Kentucky pension piece airing in October 2018. He is now working as a Chief Investment Officer with a Public Pension consulting firm out of New Orleans the Hackett-Group, where he has provided project consulting to a number of public pensions in MD, NC and TX.
Job Titles:
- Policy Consultant, Board Member FPSB Darren McShane
Darren McShane, Policy Consultant, Board Member FPSB Darren McShane is an experienced regulator and policy maker across a wide spectrum of financial services. Darren holds several non-executive roles including being a Board Member of the Financial Planning Standards Board. Darren provides advice on regulatory and policy matters to regulatory bodies, multilateral agencies, industry bodies and private firms. He is a regular contributor to conferences and seminars focused on improving outcomes for consumers of financial services. Until March 2017, he was the Chief Regulation & Policy Officer and Executive Director of the Hong Kong pension regulator, the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA). He was an Executive Director of the MPFA for a period of 15 years and guided the Hong Kong pension system through a series of major reforms. He was also, until he finished his role with the MPFA in March 2017, the Chairman of the Technical Committee of the International Organisation of Pension Supervisors (IOPS). In that role he had responsibility for steering the work of IOPS in setting global standards and good practices for the regulation and supervision of private pension funds around the world. Prior to his time at the MPFA, he held a number of senior roles with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and its predecessor bodies and he also worked for a period with the fund management regulator in the United Kingdom (IMRO).
Job Titles:
- Visiting Fellow, Cambridge Judge Business School Member of TTF 's Advisory Group
David is Co-Author of ‘The Purpose of Finance', ‘What they do with your Money' and several other books. He Co-Chaired the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative, and led the Royal Society of Arts Tomorrow's Investor Project. David is the Treasurer of Oxfam, a Board-member at NESTA and is recognised globally as a leading thinker and practitioner in the field of responsible investment and business practice. David is a winner of the Transparency Trophy and his ground-breaking work on ‘Purpose' was the initial inspiration behind the creation of Team PISCES. David is a frequent speaker at TTF events.
Currently working on an idea to help democratise wealth, transparency is an essential component for creating a more equitable society. My background in financial services goes back to 1987 with a significant part of it in marketing and communications, becoming a prominent speaker and commentator on all things money and the economy. I have had the honour to work with leading broadcasters including: David Dimbleby, Dermot Murnaghan, Andrew Marr, Evan Davis, John Humphries and Dame Jenni Murray. Programmes include: BBC Budget Special, BBC News, ITN News, Channel 4 News, SKY News, Newsnight, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Radio 4 Today Programme, Moneybox, Radio 5, Radio 2 and Women's Hour. I was also an original member of Sky News' Money Panel. Other work includes: being on the judging panel of numerous investment and pension fund awards, acting as an expert witness for Which magazine, and being consulted by Government on pensions policy and the issues affecting women. Delighted to be part of the Transparency Task Force team.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Technical Consultant With Aries Insight
Gareth is a pensions technical consultant with Aries Insight. His job is helping pension professionals make sense of ever-changing pensions law and regulation. He has worked in the pensions industry (with a couple of breaks) since 2002. For the last few years he has also volunteered with the Pension Ombudsman's early-resolution service, using that experience to mediate in disputes pension providers and their members. The Financial Services sector was not the most obvious career choice after studying Film at university, so Gareth is delighted that TTF's Film Club gives him the opportunity to marry the two disciplines. He originally learned of the TTF though from its laudable efforts to tackle the greatest blight on his industry: pension scams.
Job Titles:
- Founder, D Gen Member of TTF 's Advisory Group
Gavin explores the impact of data and the web on business, society and culture. Amongst many other things he is involved with important, pioneering work that is highly relevant to the mitigation of climate change risk; highly relevant to the topic of financial stability. Gavin has co-created over a dozen data-driven organisations to bring multidisciplinary leadership to the digital age. These have addressed data infrastructure, policy, science, communications, innovation and skills across fintech, climate change, supply-chain management, modern slavery, the circular economy, digital media, telecoms, machine learning, blockchain and the internet of things. He co-chaired the development of the Open Banking Standard and was founding CEO of the Open Data Institute. He is currently convening federated partnership programmes to help address the Sustainable Development Goals; is Advisory Board Chairman at blockchain company, Provenance.org; Non-exec at circular-economy IoT company, CupClub; Trustee at environmental charity, Blue Ventures; Chairman at Rinse Media Group; strategic advisor to governments, for-profit and non-profit companies who create global impact with data. Some detail: Gavin was the Open Data Institute's founding CEO, working with Sir Nigel Shadbolt and Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Under his leadership, it unlocked over $100M of direct economic impact, incubated over 50 companies, launched franchises across 20 countries, trained 6,000 people, recruited a world-class board and team, and grew its turnover to $7M/y in under three years. In 2015, at the request of HM Treasury, he co-chaired the development of the Open Banking Standard, laying the foundations for regulation and catalysing international innovation. He served on the Data, Science and Evidence advisory board of the Ministry of Justice and the Smart London Board reporting to the Mayor's office. He has been creating businesses for over 20 years, leading projects with organisations such as Arup, Cap Gemini and the World Bank. He has been recognised as one of the most influential people in data: winning awards for his innovation and expertise, and providing Parliamentary Select Committee evidence. He is a regular international speaker on the topic of the web of data and its impact on society. His previous ventures include: organising the world's environmental data and standards into an open web-service, AMEE, raising over $10M from leading VCs (sold 2015); chairing development of the first Gold Standard Carbon Offset; building the world's leading digital music distributor, CI, the first company to deliver digital products to iTunes, and sent Amazon 25% of its download store at launch; creating award-winning streaming media company, Tornado in 1999 (sold 2003); joining Branson's Virgin Net as employee #5 in 1995 to deliver Virgin Net (now Virgin Media). At Jodrell Bank Radio Observatory, Gavin helped develop systems designed to map and interpret the Universe. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, created courses and lectured in Engineering and Music at Glasgow University, and has degrees in both Astronomy and in Electronic Music (on which he has published research & released ab album) He converted a century-old ship to live aboard and built a cooperative historic harbour on the Thames to put it on.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Finance Consultant With Decades
George Mellman is a veteran finance consultant with decades of senior-level, client-facing work for institutional money managers, fiduciary oversight committees, C-suite executives, and third-party advisory firms. He is a skilled analyst in all major asset classes, with special expertise in "best practices" for DB and DC retirement plans. For over fifteen years, George was a Vice President and Senior Consultant at Fidelity's Investment, where he was responsible for maintaining ongoing investments relationships with many of its largest corporate and non-profit clients. Previously, he had been Director of Consultant Relations at a Connecticut-based asset management firm and a pension consultant for multi-employer and public-sector clients. For his institutional clients, George has evaluated investment portfolios, made buy-sell and asset allocation recommendations, and assisted with their other fiduciary oversight decisions. For these clients, this has led to improved portfolio risk-return metrics, measurable cost savings, and greater overall alignment with stated investment goals. Additionally, for many years George was an MBA and undergraduate level Finance Instructor at both Northeastern University in Boston and Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He also has been engaged in litigation analysis support activities and various start-up organizations. Published research includes "401(k) Lawsuits: What Are the Causes and Consequences?" (https://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IB_18-8.pdf) George has been an active volunteer with the CFA Institute, where he has served on Technology, Education, and Committees Governance committees. Earned professional designations include: Chartered Financial Analyst ("CFA"), Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement ("CIPM"), Financial Risk Manager ("FRM"), and Certified Financial Planner ("CFP"). He holds an undergraduate degree from Boston University and an MBA from Carnegie-Mellon University.
Harry Chemay is an experienced finance professional focused on delivering innovative investment solutions. His experience spans a period in excess of 23 years, incorporating: Wealth management/advisory - assisting HNW individuals and SMSF trustees to take control of their own retirement outcomes; Institutional asset consulting - assisting superannuation funds (amongst others) to execute their fiduciary in respect of investment strategy; and A Co-Founder of one of Australia's first digital advice solutions, delivering highly transparent, low-cost investment advice & asset management to cohorts previously priced out of such services. Harry commenced his career in financial services within KPMG's private wealth division. He advised primarily within the accounting sector, with senior adviser roles at Horwath (now part of Grant Thornton) and WHK (now Crowe Horwath). After more than a decade in wealth management Harry transitioned from personal to institutional advice, joining Mercer investment consulting. He spent some 4 years at Mercer, providing advice and asset consulting services to superannuation funds, university endowments and financial planning firms. During that time he completed the Certified Investment Management Analyst programme, offered by the then Investment Management Consultants Association (now the CIMA Society of Australia). Prior to co-founding Clover, Harry consulted in the profit-to-member pension space, with a particular focus on retirement income innovation. His work resulted in an award-winning retirement income solution, one of the first in Australia created to deal with the complexities of sequencing risk. An active participant within the wealth and superannuation space, Harry is a regular contributor to investment websites in Australia and overseas, writing on a range of topics across investing, financial planning and FinTech. Harry is also a sought-after presenter, both in Australia and abroad. He has spoken at numerous conferences, facilitated Australian masterclass panels for S&P Dow Jones Indices, and in 2017 was invited to deliver a presentation on Robo-Advice at the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul. Other invitees to this prestigious conference included former First Lady and Presidential Candidate Hilary Clinton, former French President Francois Hollande and former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Harry holds a Bachelor of Business (Banking & Finance) from Monash University in addition to post-graduate qualifications in finance.
Heidi Fisher is the Director at Make an Impact CIC. Heidi is a multi-award winning specialist in social enterprise and social impact. She received an MBE for Services to Innovation in Social Enterprise and to Impact Measurement in the 2020 New Year Honours. Heidi's background is as a Chartered Accountant, having set up the UK's first social enterprise Chartered Accountancy firm in 2008. Through Make an Impact CIC, Heidi has worked with over 2,100 social enterprises, from start-ups to those with over £1billion of income, supporting them to become more sustainable, develop their trading income and to better measure, manage and communicate their impact. Her vision is a world where all businesses are social enterprises that positively impact people and the planet.
Helen is CEO at Eris FX, an international payments firm based in Leeds promoting transparency, technical innovation, competition and good governance.
I am delighted to be interning at TTF this summer, as I align with the company's core belief that the financial sector must become more transparent, and better serve the needs of society and the environment. I will be focussing on the Violation Tracker group and I will be contributing to the business plan for the successful launch of Violation Tracker UK. I will also be focussing on the PISCES group.
Ian passed away in February 2023. We are continuing to include him on this page so that people can read his comments - they continue to be very important. May he Rest in Peace. I normally repair & service Garden Machinery, but out of necessity, also ended up investigating fraud. when I was conned out of my life savings. This below is from my experience as one of the 11,600 victims of the FCA authorised & regulated London Capital & Finance Plc Ponzi scheme, run by a group of criminals connected to global fraud. Anyone who has been unfortunate to have been a victim of any type of fraud will know only too well the devastating effect it has on you :-
Job Titles:
- Volunteer TTF Media Scanners
Leadership Coach & Change Mentor, Aspiring to Kind Activism Jacqueline wants to make a positive difference by supporting people who are actively working to make the world a better place. Professionally, she offers leadership coaching, change mentoring, reflective practice and connecting good ideas and people (www.jhillassociates.co.uk). More personally, she is developing her approach to #kindactivism, as illustrated in her linked in profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/Jacqueline mhill/ Jacqueline's career started in IT followed by sales and marketing roles in the oil and chemicals and banking sectors for an international decision support software company. After 4 years she joined a client organisation heading up a team delivering management information to foreign exchange traders in a bank. That is when Jacqueline first saw the best and worst of behaviours brought about by deregulation of the markets "people were gambling with my mortgage and savings!"
Headhunted to join a start-up software company, Jacqueline spent the next six years leading teams and developing customer and partnership relationships. To satisfy her increasing curiosity about what makes organisations and people tick, she spent the following six years with Hay Group (now Korn Ferry) as a management consultant. Jacqueline then experienced her first career cross-roads and first work with a coach who helped Jacqueline to get in touch with her values and identify her personal purpose. As a result, Jacqueline negotiated a sabbatical year from Hay Group and volunteered as a strategic planning advisor for a small not-for-profit organisation in Bangladesh - a life-changing experience. Jacqueline realised that she could contribute best by sharing her skills with those actively working to make the world a better place and has found Transparency Taskforce to be full of such people!
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Adviser
- Group Group Leader
Affectionately known as JB, Jon Beckett was a well known and outspoken professional fund investor and analyst for two decades until he retired in 2018 including the world's largest single asset mandate (£189bn) for Lloyds Banking Group where he was also co-Lead if it's Responsible Investing framework for the Insurance division. As a Non Executive Director (NED) JB continues to be a vocal campaigner for better fund governance and value. A campaigner for professionalism and better standards in fund investing and due diligence; as Emeritus of the Association of Professional Fund Investors he previously led a global team to tackle issues arising from transparency, sustainability and technology. As Author of ‘#NewFundOrder' and Co-Author of ‘The WealthTec Book' and ‘Paytech Book' JB has been a thought leader in the digitalisation and sustainability of asset management, speaking and writing globally. A dedicated educator, JB is a guest lecturer at Stirling and Herriot Watt Universities and has written textbooks up to NQ Level 7 for the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments, with which he is Chartered and a member of its disciplinary panel. He is a member of the Stirling Student Investment Managed Fund oversight committee and a NED for Royal London and SVM Limited.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of TTF 's Advisory Group
John Howard joined the BBC as one of the leading voices on Radio 4. He presented documentaries, phone-ins and discussion programmes, winning several awards. He became best known as the consumer's champion on the daily magazine programme ‘You and Yours', which he presented for 14 years. In 1997 he was invited to join the Mortgage Code Compliance Board as an independent director. He subsequently became a member of the Financial Services Consumer Panel, which he chaired for 3 years until 2008. Between 2006 and 2008 he was a member of the Market Participants Group of CESR, the European committee of securities regulators, and he also joined the Treasury's Retail Financial Services Group. On stepping down from the Consumer Panel, he joined the Board of the Financial Ombudsman Service and also became a Non Executive Director of the energy Regulator, Ofgem. In 2010 he was appointed as an Independent Commissioner by the Treasury for the Equitable Life Payments Commission. He served on the With Profits Committee and the Independent Governance Committee of Scottish Widows. He was a Trustee of the Thalidomide Trust. He is currently Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director of the Family Building Society and a Non Executive Director of the Banking Competition Remedies Company. He is Chief Executive of the company he founded, Consumer Insights, which provides advice on principles based regulation and fairness in the financial, energy and water sectors.
Julian is Liminal's founder and ManagingDirector, andhas been advisinginternational financial services brands on communications strategy for 15 years. His work ranges from global banks and asset managers to local startups, disruptive FinTechs, and anything in between. He focuses on devising and executing thoughtful, results-led communication programmes that help clients stand out in an often crowded space. Prior to this he ran the UK operation of CitySavvy, for several years. Julian is a fluent Dutch speaker, and in 2015 was recognised as one of Britain's outstanding PR practitioners in PR Week's ‘30 Under 30' list.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer TTF Media Scanners
, Tech IOSH, AIIRSM, Health & Safety Advisor, Bureau Veritas Laura graduated from the University of Warwick in 2013 with a 2.1 Honours degree in German with French. During her time at Warwick she was awarded the Warwick Skills Portfolio Award, completed the Warwick Leadership Scheme and lived/worked in France and Germany. Whilst working as a teaching assistant at a German school, she set up a pen pal scheme with an English school and ran an English language club for German pupils.
After graduate jobs in Human Resources and general administration, Laura now specialises in Health & Safety Risk Management and has undertaken a variety of Health & Safety roles over the last 6 years. She is currently working as a Health & Safety Advisor for Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspections and certifications, and is a Technical Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) and an Associate Member of the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM). Laura was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) in January 2019 and linked up with the Transparency Task Force via the RSA, as she strongly believes in the proactive approach the TTF is taking towards changing the current system that lets down victims of pension scams, and the implementation of all-important safeguards that prevent scams from happening in the first place.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner, Camarco
Louise Dolan, Founding Partner, Camarco "Louise has over 25 years' of media and communications experience specialising in pensions, investments and wealth management. She started her career working in-house for a specialist pension firm before moving into agency life. As a media relations and communications specialist Louise has developed a network of top tier media and business contacts. In addition to successfully running critically acclaimed campaigns and on-going public relations programmes, Louise is highly experienced in issues and change management having headed a number of sensitive projects for global organisations. Louise is one of the founding partners of Camarco, an employee owned communications consultancy, which protects and promotes its clients' reputations. The consultancy helps clients communicate with all their critical stakeholders so they can meet their business and social objectives and enhance their valuations. In a world where businesses need to consider multiple stakeholders, Camarco's multi-disciplined, holistic approach to communications helps their clients, which include companies in the FTSE100, FTSE250, multi-national, European listed and private companies, navigate the complex stakeholder issues and risks of today and of tomorrow."
Job Titles:
- Social Media Advisor & Administrator
Job Titles:
- Leader - Woodford Campaign Group
- Strategy Advisor and Member
Mark advises the Transparency Task Force leadership team on strategy matters. Having entered the world of financial services consumer advocacy in 2012 as de facto leader of the Connaught Action Group and member of the liquidators' committee of the Connaught Income Fund Series 1, Mark now works with the principals of other action groups and lobbies regulators and politicians to improve the regulatory environment. Having worked as a journalist, media company executive, strategy consultant and corporate finance advisor, Mark holds an MBA from Cranfield University School of Management (where he is now a Visiting Fellow) and sits on the Advisory Board of the MBA programme at Sussex University, where he gained his first degree. He is also the author of a business book, The Future of Private Equity - Beyond the Mega Buy-Out. Mark Ormston Volunteer: TTF Consultation Response Committee "Mark has worked in the pensions and in particular pension income (decumulation) space for many years. His passion for helping consumers to understand their pension income options and to get the very best out of their pension savings is widely known. He frequently promotes best practice through his research, speaking, presentations and articles. Mark is a Director of Retirement Line ltd, a leading pension income intermediary in the UK and is an active member of multiple pension sector groups. He has great policy and consultation experience through his various positions across the pensions sector. Mark is extremely proud to be a TTF Ambassador and believes that the TTF has the consumer in mind with everything it does" Max Campbell Financial crime and Fraud Investigator
Job Titles:
- Financial Crime and Fraud Investigator
Job Titles:
- Director of Fundraising & Communications at UK Charity Arthritis Action
- Financial Stability and Public Relations Advisor
Noha is the Director of Fundraising & Communications at UK charity Arthritis Action. She has over 15 years' experience in marketing, communications and fundraising. She has worked across various sectors, including higher education, nonprofits and healthcare, both in the UK and internationally. She has recently been named in PRWeek UK's Power Book 2021, which recognises the top comms professionals in the country. Noha joined TTF to advise on income generation strategies to help it become more financially sustainable. She also supports its PR activities to extend its reach and impact across the UK.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer TTF Media Scanners
Independent Shareholder Activist, Exposing the need for improved corporate and financial product transparency has been at the core of Philip's campaigning activities which has grown out of his experience as chairman and investment trustee of his family trading company's SASS. He came to prominence gaining wide media coverage during the 2012 Shareholder Spring through critical AGM comments on excessive boardroom pay. He demonstrated that company AGM's could be - and should and indeed have been - converted, where appropriate, into robust challenges from ordinary retail shareholders - the more so when institutional shareholders generally prefer to stay away from such meetings. He applied the same relentless approach in pursuing and tackling Andrew Bailey at the FSA (then FCA) with particular reference to the way in which the regulator had found itself hamstrung by its application of the so-called principles of Maxwellisation (a concept which quaintly happens to immortalise one of Britain's biggest corporate crooks) which seriously delayed publication of the FCA's report into the collapse of HBoS. The FCA ‘s separate report, instructed by the Treasury Select Committee, into the suitability of the former HBoS directors to serve as company directors was eventually published, jointly by the PRA and FCA, in August 2022. The conclusion was not to pursue the investigation. No reasons were given for the decision. Given the amount of available evidence and the conclusion of other investigations it is unthinkable that the PRA/FCA August 2022 will not be challenged. He is an Ambassador for the Transparency Task Force - a world-wide think tank and forum of financial commentators, academics, financial professionals, politicians - dedicated to improving transparency in financial services. He graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Industrial Economics.
Philip demonstrated that company AGM's could - and should - be converted, where appropriate, into robust challenges from ordinary retail shareholders - the more so when institutional shareholders generally prefer to stay away from such meetings. Earlier Philip was - and still is - a leading member of NUPAG (Norwich Union Policyholders' Action Group) which campaigns for with profits policyholders to be treated respectfully and fairly by both providers and regulators. He has applied, with prominent media backing, the same relentless approach in tackling the FSA/FCA with particular reference to the way in which the current regulator, the FCA, has found itself hamstrung by its application of the so-called principles of Maxwellisation (a concept which quaintly happens to immortalise one of Britain's biggest corporate crooks) thus seriously delaying publication of the FCA's report into the collapse of HBoS and RBS. Pursuing improved corporate and financial product transparency has been at the core of Philip's campaigning activities. Philip commented: "To be invited to be a TTF Ambassador is a considerable privilege though it is surprising because I am not a mainstream financial professional but I am absolutely independent and beholden to no organisation. TTF has already made an indelible mark on the financial services scene and is now poised to become an even more influential force in coordinating intelligent and experienced evidence-based opinion to inform our political masters and product providers on the critical aspects of restoring, through markedly improved transparency, public faith and confidence in financial services."
"I am really excited to be undertaking a four-week internship with the TTF because of the fundamentally important work it's doing. Finance affects everyone's lives in one way or another, which is why making the sector transparent, accessible, and accountable should be a top priority.
I was previously unaware of the sheer extent of the problem of the malpractice taking place within the financial industry, and of the devastating human cost that has arisen as a result. Not only do victims deserve justice, but the public need to be better informed of the current situation, so as to help drive much needed change. I will be spending my time with the TTF carrying out research specifically on the social impact of such financial misconduct, in order to contribute to the call for much needed reform."
Scott is kindly leading a very important TTF initiative, the retired professionals project is all about providing an active forum for individuals that have retired from the financial services sector, wherever they might be in the world, who want to "put something back" into the financial services sector. This project will appeal to retired individuals who have one or more hours available per month, who would like to be part of a collaborate team that is dedicated to helping the financial services sector to become more ethical. If this appeals to you or somebody you know, please get in touch. SCOTT'S BIO: Having spent many years in the financial services sector, Scott is passionate about ensuring consumers (personal and corporate) get a fair deal from their financial service providers, and are not penalised by fraudulent activity. He is also keen to ensure that issues of financial exclusion for whatever reason are addressed. Scott started life in the late 1960's as a government statistician working in HM Treasury for 10 years, including 2½ years at the OECD in Paris. From there he moved into financial services, working in Williams & Glyns, RBS Group, Girobank (when part of Royal Mail) and Bradford & Bingley when it was still a building society. After Bradford & Bingley, Scott joined the LINK Interchange Network in 1999. He won a contract with the Post Office to enable individuals on state benefits to use their benefits card account to access cash at post office counters. This primed Scott's fascination in financial exclusion and the treatment of customers by financial institutions generally. His work in LINK on access to cash and the wider aspects of financial services brought him in to contact with a fintech start-up company, Monitise. In the early years of this century, Monitise was one of the very first companies to commence developing mobile banking services. Early business development included working in Uganda, to bring mobile banking to the country. This was around the same time that M-PESA was starting to take off in Kenya. Latterly at Monitise, Scott took on responsibility for corporate responsibility, ethical behaviour and regulatory relationships. Semi-retirement has included work with the Open University, working with Helen Scott (a TTF Ambassador) at Eris FX to help obtain equity and transparency in the foreign exchange market, and a non-executive directorship at ALCO, a small technology company focusing on programme assurance and transit solutions. It has also provided more time for his other passion - walking. Following a catastrophic fall in the Yorkshire Dales in 2018, Scott was airlifted to the major trauma unit at Leeds General Infirmary. As a result, he is now an authorised volunteer for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance!
Job Titles:
- Fundraising and Operations Manager at the Centre for European Reform
Sophie has been the fundraising and operations manager at the Centre for European Reform, an independent think-tank, since 2014. Since graduating she has been involved in the charity and not-for-profit sector, including the then think tank Open Europe and most predominantly for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) in Cambridgeshire.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer TTF Media Scanners
Director, Stephen Huppert Consulting I provide advice to organisations that are committed to improving the retirement outcomes of Australians. These range from some of Australia's largest superannuation funds and their service providers to new entrants businesses bringing innovative solutions to the industry. I have nearly 30 years of experience in Superannuation, Wealth Management and Life Insurance in a range of consulting and corporate roles. I am active on social media, a frequent contributor to publications, and a regular speaker and facilitator at industry events.
I'm a retired academic and public sector lecturer and manager with a degree in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Physics which I gained part-time. Coming from an engineering and science background and thinking about economics issues is fascinating. Unlike many TTF members I do not have professional experience in financial services. However, when combined with those who do, this may in some way be beneficial because it perhaps enables me to look at the issues from a different perspective. Part of the fun is meeting and listening to people who are involved in the TTF, and hoping to make a difference by working with others in meeting our shared objectives.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, UN Global Compact UK Member of TTF 's Advisory Group
Steve has managed the Secretariat of the UN Global Compact Network UK since 2008, connecting UK companies and other organisations in a global movement dedicated to driving corporate sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals. He also Chairs UNGC's Global Network Council and sits on the UN Global Compact Board. He was previously a Programme Director at the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) leading projects across a wide range of responsible business issue areas. Prior to joining IBLF, Steve was the founder and Managing Director of a successful retail sports equipment business in Canada. He has a B.Comm from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in Business & Environment from Imperial College London.
Sue Flood has worked in the Television Industry since 2001, starting out at Television Centre and progressing through a successful TV programme-making career that included various roles such as Researcher for Top of the Pops, Celebrity Guest Liaison, Location Sourcing, Production Budget, Sales and Promotions (including through BBC Worldwide with responsibility for selling all BBC Programmes to all 130 Global TV Stations Worldwide). More recently, Sue flood has become a key figure in helping to prevent people falling victim to pension fraudsters, having become a victim herself. Sue lost here entire pension fund; along with over 500 other victims of the Ark Pension Scandal. Her response was to set up a campaign group which she has tirelessly supported ever since. She is now also involved in supporting numerous other pension scam victims and pension scam support groups. She has unique insight and experience in the pensions scam prevention and support space and her relentless campaigning has led to interaction with the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Financial Conduct Authority - watch this space. Sue is also highly supportive of the Transparency Task Force; for which she is a central figure in our Anti-Scams Special Interest Group, an Ambassador and a member of the Transparency Task Force Advisory Board.
Job Titles:
- Trustee Director, the People's Pension Member of TTF 's Advisory Group
Sue is an independent Board member and consultant. She is a Trustee Director at The People's Pension, a leading UK multi-employer scheme. She is also a Trustee of UK national charities StepChange debt charity, the FairBanking Foundation and Surviving Economic Abuse. Until December 2018, Sue chaired the Financial Services Consumer Panel, an independent statutory body that advises the UK Financial Conduct Authority on consumer issues in financial services regulation. Sue is a member representative on the EIOPA Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group, and was previously a member of of the European Commission's Financial Services User Group. She is also a consultant specialising in financial education, financial inclusion and consumer protection regulation, working with international organisations such as the OECD and Alliance for Financial Inclusion. Sue was previously a senior civil servant, working in HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and Department for Education. Sue has a B.Sc degree in Mathematics and a Masters degree in Statistical Methods.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer TTF Media Scanners
Advisory Board Member, Association of Professional Fund Investors Sunil is an Advisory Board member and Special Adviser to the Association of Professional Fund Investors (APFI). Sunil has 32 years' experience in the asset management sector and is regarded as a UK leader on the subject of investment costs and charges and the impact of regulation thereon. Sunil is passionate about cost transparency and seeks better social and financial outcomes for consumers of financial services. An asset management subject matter expert with 32 years' experience in the asset management sector here in the UK, and abroad. Sunil has spent the last 17 years or so consulting at numerous asset management firms and was an Associate Principle, Investment Costs & Charges, at Grant Thornton.
Job Titles:
- Certified Fraud Examiner / Forensic Accountant
Tom is a Certified Fraud Examiner / Forensic Accountant who has, for 35 years, specialized in detecting and investigating complex accounting fraud schemes within the insurance and reinsurance industries. Tom's career has been a wild ride…ranging from state regulatory examiner of insurance companies, to assisting the U S Attorney's Office and FBI in an undercover capacity, to consulting and testifying as an expert. In recent years he has focused primarily on accounting sleight-of-hand and absolute absence of transparency within the for-profit life insurance industry. Tom felt compelled to reach out to the TTF to expand his reach in educating consumers and regulators in Europe and elsewhere where he has seen the U.S.-based schemes flourishing.
Job Titles:
- Volunteer TTF Media Scanners
Teaching Fellow, University of Melbourne Warren McKeown had a career in secondary school teaching before joining a Chartered Accounting firm in Melbourne. His role was to take on the superannuation and financial planning work at the time when superannuation was in its early stages of evolution in Australia.
As an educator, he was then attracted to a position of Senior Lecturer and Course Director of Financial Planning, at RMIT University where he devised and taught the range of financial planning subjects in the first financial planning degree program in Australia. During that period he conducted financial planning courses and workshops for CPA Australia; served as a panel member of the Financial Industry Complaints Service (now the Australian Financial Complaints Authority); presented as a subject expert for the Ethics, Professionalism and Compliance module of the Financial Planning Association's CFP program; and was a founding member of PetersMcKeown, an independent financial planning firm. He is a co-author of ‘Essentials of Financial Planning", a text book (retitled in its 8th edition) used by a number of universities in Australia and New Zealand. He has degrees in economics and education and a business master's degree by research. He has over 30 years' experience in financial planning as a Chartered Accountant and as a Certified Financial Planner. He has retired from offering financial planning services but is currently a Teaching Fellow in Financial Accounting at the University of Melbourne. Because of his assistance to a number of clients who fell victims to the advice of an adviser he has maintained a deep interest in the area of financial advice and mismanagement of client financial affairs. He is pursuing Ph D research in the field of financial literacy.