PIMFA, the trade association for the wealth management and financial advice industry, will welcome former Bank of England governor, Mark Carney and former Secretary of State, the Rt. Hon. Baroness Morgan of Cotes as keynote speakers to its inaugural Virtual Fest on June 3 and 4.

Both keynote speakers have a wealth of experience within financial services and will be speaking as part of a busy agenda that will look topics including Cyber Resilience, Operational Resilience, ESG & Impact Investing and Compliance and Regulation.

Mr. Carney, who served as Governor of the Bank of England for almost seven years until March 2020 and is now the UN’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Finance Adviser to the Prime Minister for COP26. He will set his agenda for private finance for COP 26, focusing on reporting, risk management and return.

The Rt. Hon Baroness Morgan of Cotes (Nicky Morgan) will offer attendees her insights into the impact COVID-19 and Brexit might have on the UK’s Financial Services Industry. The former Conservative minister served in the Cabinets of both David Cameron and Boris Johnson as, respectively, Secretary of State for Education and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. She was also chair of the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee for 2 years and was the Member of Parliament for Loughborough between 2010 and 2019. Before being elected she worked as a solicitor specialising in M&A. She is now a member of the House of Lords.

PIMFA is also pleased to announce that Royal London Group and Six Group are partnering PIMFA to support Virtual Fest. The event will provide 10 CPD hours and so help those self-isolating continue their professional development. The virtual fest will be held entirely online, with the opportunity for delegates to interact and ask questions live on the day. Registration is now open and further details are available on the PIMFA website or via events@pimfa.co.uk.

Liz Field, Chief Executive of PIMFA, commented: “We are delighted that both Mark Carney and Baroness Nicky Morgan will be joining us as keynote speakers for Virtual Fest alongside a number of other leading industry figures.

“Their expert knowledge and experience will provide extremely valuable insights into some of the biggest challenges facing both financial services and wider society as well as current Government thinking in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects.

“We said at the start of the pandemic and the current lockdown restrictions that PIMFA would be there to provide our wealth management and financial advice colleagues with as much support as possible and Virtual Fest is an illustration of our continuing commitment to supporting our member firm operations and individuals continued professional development during this period of isolation.”

Baroness Morgan of Cotes, commented: “A well-functioning UK financial services sector has been the engine of the UK economy for decades but it faces twin challenges at present from both COVID-19 and from preparations for our future trading relationship with the European Union.

“No-one can predict with any certainty what the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be on society or the economy, or how long lasting the effects will be, and there remains a high degree of uncertainty around what the basis of our future financial services arrangements with the EU will look like.

“Understandably this is a cause of deep anxiety for many, and it is clear that a properly functioning financial services industry will be vital to ensuring that we can return to something approaching normality in the future. I look forward to sharing my insights into the current debate in Westminster on these issues, and what it will mean for the future of financial services in the UK at the Virtual Festival”

About PIMFA – the Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association

· PIMFA is the trade association for firms that provide investment management and financial advice to everyone from individuals and families to charities, pension funds, trusts and companies.

· The sector currently looks after £1.5 trillion in private savings and investments and employs over 55,000 people.

· PIMFA represents both full and associate member firms. Full members provide a range of financial solutions including financial advice, portfolio management, as well as investment and execution services. They assist everyone from individuals and families, to charities and pension funds, all the way to trusts and companies.  Associate members provide professional services to the PIMFA community.

· PIMFA leads the debate on policy and regulatory recommendations to ensure that the UK remains a global centre of excellence in the wealth management, investment advice and financial planning arena.  Our mission is to create an optimal operating environment so that its member firms can focus on delivering the best service to clients, providing responsible stewardship for their long-term savings and investments.

· PIMFA was created in 2017 as the outcome of a merger between the Association of Professional Financial Advisers (APFA) and the Wealth Management Association (WMA) with a history as a trade association since 1991 – read more.

· Further information can be found at www.pimfa.co.uk

· To become a member of PIMFA for access to training, benefits and discounts, please visit https://www.pimfa.co.uk/become-a-member or contact us directly at membership@pimfa.co.uk

For further information on this release or other press matters please contact:

· Matthew West, PIMFA PR Manager – MatthewW@pimfa.co.uk, +44 (0)20 7382 0376 / +44 (0)78439 03258

· Sheena Gillett, PIMFA Communications & PR Director – sheenag@pimfa.co.uk, +44 (0)20 7011 9869 / +44 (0)7979 493225