Conflicts of Interest - A Practical Guide & Workshop

• We will demonstrate that it is possible to make this part of Business as Usual without either over-engineering the process or falling short of Regulatory expectations
• As regular participants in this topic, we are well aware from delegate feedback what the current challenges and regulatory “hot-buttons” appear to be.
• We have been delivering training for over 20 years and this is one of our core competencies. We believe we are experts on this topic and have delivered training to a wide range of firms and businesses, we are certain we know the topic as well as anyone in the market place.
• Your course director is a highly successful, qualified and experienced executive who will pass on past experiences and “war stories” generally to enhance the workshop and help bring it to life.
• We do not employ All our trainers are highly experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and vocational experience in the real world.
• We have delivered many core governance, risk and compliance courses over recent years and have a very clear understanding of what good and bad look like and the consequences, intended or not, of poor decision making.
• We have developed highly interactive and very enjoyable case studies to enhance the learning points. All delegates report that these are a high point.
• We are always judged by our results which speak for themselves and the feedback received from previous delegates has always been excellent.

• To be able to identify formally and in a risk based manner, conflicts of interest whether they be Actual, Potential or Perceived
• To appreciate the ethical approach to conflicts of interest and why it is critically important
• To understand the challenges created by the three major types of exposure to conflicts in a regulated firm
• To understand the legal and regulatory framework
• To appreciate the UK Regulators “default” position is that every effort must be made to eliminate Conflicts of Interest where possible as the first step.
• To realise that the “Disclosure and Client Consent “ approach is a “second step” and MUST always follow concerted efforts to eliminate Conflicts of Interest completely. It is should never be regarded as the “first step” or the “default response”
• To recognise the need for a clear line of communication between operations and senior management for managing conflicts of interest
• To recognise good practice
• To avoid poor, sloppy or ineffective management of conflicts of interest
• Be able to define an effective and comprehensive conflicts of interest policy
• Learn how to identify unexpected consequences or hidden conflicts of interest
• Be able to identify the best response
• Be able to create a clear and auditable method for managing conflicts of interest to ensure transparency
• Think like either a risk owner or a compliance professional and make sure you have all the right information

The trainer had a highly successful, long and varied “fast track” career in Lloyds Bank, which led him to a very senior management position in the bank’s private banking and wealth management division at an early age. He was then “head hunted” to join a merchant bank at the main board director level to head both the private bank and the group risk management function. He now has over 40 years experience in managing risk in the UK banking and financial services sector.

The trainer has been a freelance risk management training consultant since retiring and is currently an external Master Trainer at both HSBC and Bank of China where he has delivered major projects on a wide range of topics. At HSBC he helped design their global flagship Risk Management Programme for senior middle managers and has delivered this globally for the past 5 years. He has also created and delivered training to a vast range of clients, from global giants to small firms and partnerships. He is an accomplished global trainer and has delivered extensive programmes in the UK, USA, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

He is a highly adaptive, hands-on and highly sought-after facilitator who always receives excellent feedback from delegates. He is comfortable training at any level of seniority and experience, from “black belts” to novices. In addition to his specialism  in risk management, his expertise includes but is not limited to Risk Management, Trade Finance, Regulatory Compliance, FCC & AML and all aspects of Corporate, Private & Retail Banking. He is also a highly experienced soft skills trainer and has completed numerous “train the trainer” assignments.

Conflicts of interest is an area coming under increasing regulatory scrutiny, with firms being asked to submit their policies and procedures, which are often found lacking. The market is also changing rapidly, with consolidation and restructuring becoming a regular occurrence. Both these involve changes to business models and it is important firms have a robust approach in place for dealing with any conflicts that may arise.

All too often, firms think that having a generic conflicts of interest policy and an (empty) conflicts of interest register is job done. These potential conflicts are often inherent in such arrangements and cannot always be prevented. In such cases, you need to be able to show that, although conflicts may be present:

• There’s evidence of proper thought and consideration of the conflicts by senior managers.
• Any conflicts have been effectively managed, clearly disclosed, and clients’ interests remain at the heart of your firm’s decision-making process.

Conflicts, particularly those relating to governance structures and business models, often need managing through a combination of measures depending on the firm, its staff and business model. This Webinar demonstrates how this should be done

Note: The public webinar course covers the topic generally in an EU setting. For private or client-based delivery, it can be modified to make it more or less FCA specific and more or less EBA/ESMA specific depending on client requirements