Financial Literacy: Supporting the Next Generation of Savers and Investors

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Following the substantial influx of new retail investors across the Covid pandemic and our responsibility as an industry to support young people in saving and investing, it is more important than ever that we, as an industry, ensure that there are suitable resources and initiatives to provide financial literacy to next generation savers and investors.

In this webinar, we will bring fresh insights in financial literacy, discussing how we can help the next generation of savers and investors protect themselves from scams and in turn, create a more inclusive workforce. Join us to hear about:

1. The FCA’s campaigns that support young people who are new to investing and provide education to raise awareness of scamming and risks
2. How the industry can get involved and support children and young people in developing good savings habits
3. The importance of building a better-informed populace to encourage investment focus and help young people from a diversity of backgrounds into our industry

Chris Cummings, Chief Executive, The Investment Association

Chris Cummings is the Chief Executive of The Investment Association, a post he has held since September 2016.  The Investment Association is the trade body that represents UK-based investment managers.

He is a member of HM Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce, and was a founding member of its Financial Services Trade & Investment Board. He serves on the Chancellor’s Financial Services Industry Advisory Group and Department for International Trade’s Financial Services Trade Advisory Group.  He is a Board member on EFAMA, the European trade association for investment management and is a member of the Regulation Committee of IIFA, the international association for investment management.  He is also a Trustee of Just Finance Foundation.

He was previously a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulatory Decisions Committee, a Settlement Decision Maker for the Payment Services Regulator.  He served on the Foreign & Commonwealth’s Diplomatic Excellence Panel.

Before joining The Investment Association he was the founding CEO of TheCityUK, held senior posts in banking, insurance and consulting with major global firms. He is a regular columnist, commentator and speaker on issues of international competitiveness and regulation in financial services.

Karis Stander, Director of Culture, Talent & Inclusion, Managing Director, Investment20/20

Karis leads the Culture, Talent and Inclusion team at the IA supporting members in driving a forward looking, responsible and inclusive industry that attracts, develops and retains talented people from all backgrounds, from early careers through to senior leaders.  She is the Managing Director of Investment20/20, the IA’s multi-award winning talent solution, and through its dedicated student outreach programme has enabled more than 2,000 young people from a diversity of backgrounds, to start their careers in the industry.  

Emma Stranack, Head of Business & Consumer Communications, FCA

Emma Stranack is Head of Business & Consumer Communications at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). She oversees the FCA’s communication strategy, marketing and behaviour change campaigns, PR, branding, design and production, digital comms and social media, stakeholder engagement and events. 

A qualified barrister, Emma has 25 years’ experience in marketing in both the public and private sector. Since joining the FCA in 2013, she has initiated campaigns including InvestSmart to help new investors understand risks and make smart decisions, ScamSmart– a crime prevention initiative tackling pension scams and investment fraud, an award-winning campaign featuring an animatronic Arnold Schwarzenegger: Make a decision - do it now!– supporting the PPI complaints deadline, and Credit Ready– a business-to-business initiative preparing small firms for FCA authorisation. 

Emma started her career agency-side in advertising and PR, including GGT, Draft Worldwide and McCann-Erickson, with clients including American Express, the Co-operative Group, Coca-Cola and Nestlé. Later moving to the Home Office, working on crime reduction, policing, counter terrorism and immigration, and at the Department for Transport on the THINK! road safety campaigns and the Act on CO2 climate change initiative. As a Senior Civil Servant, Emma chaired the cross-government Heads of Marketing Forum for 3 years. Her award-winning campaigns helped significantly reduce road casualties, increase confidence in the criminal justice system, cut knife crime and improve the diversity of the magistracy and the police service.

Sarah Wallace, Programme Director, The Just Finance Foundation

Sarah is the Director of Programmes & Innovation for the Just Finance Foundation, a national charity dedicated to improving financial education so that every child and family has equal opportunity to thrive. As Director, Sarah has overall responsibility for all aspects of the charity’s operations.

Sarah started her career in HR and recruitment in the private sector, and has spent the last 18 years working on strategy, development, delivery and business improvement within social action charities, including: overseeing the benefits, money and debt advice services and developing multi-channel, multi-disciplinary advice and advocacy services for the Royal British Legion; and managing regional employability services at Shaw Trust.

Sarah has also served as a Board member for a youth education charity and a local Healthwatch and has been a community host for homeless young LGBT people through volunteering for The Albert Kennedy Trust.

Just Finance Foundation is working directly with schools, families and changemakers to improve financial education. LifeSavers is our financial education programme delivered free to primary schools, including curriculum linked resources and practical activities to engage children with money lessons. Recently we have developed a new LifeSavers teaching resource called Milo’s Money, which includes a storybook, online game and instructive toy that helps introduce key money concepts to children aged 5-7.

15:00  Opening remarks - Chris Cummings, Chief Executive, The Investment Association

15:05  FCA Presentation - Emma Stranack, Head of Business & Consumer Communications, FCA

15:20  JFF Presentation - Sarah Wallace, Programme Director, The Just Finance Foundation

15:35  Investment 20/20 Presentation - Karis Stander, Director of Culture, Talent & Inclusion, Managing Director, Investment20/20

15:50  Q&A

15:55  Closing remarks - Chris Cummings, Chief Executive, The Investment Association