PROGRAMME
This year's conference will once again bring together leading keynote speakers and panel sessions covering the key issues affecting the building society sector. This page will be updated on a regular basis, so please check back for the latest updates and information.
WEDNESDAY 07 MAY 2025
All conference sessions to be held at ICC Birmingham unless otherwise stated.
10:00 - 14:00
Registration and exhibition opens
(Foyer and Hall 3)
11:00 - 13:00
CEOs Forum - Ground truth: the increasing overlap between macro risks and cyber threats
- Kris McConkey, Global Threat Intelligence Leader, PwC
- Steve Hill, Strategic Advisor, PwC
(Strictly Building Society and Credit Union CEO's only)
11:15 - 11:45
- Ruth Handcock, Chief Executive, Octopus Money
- Alex Windle, Chief Customer Officer, West Brom Building Society
(Seminar Theatre, Hall 3)
12:00 - 12:50
Lessons from open banking and how mutuals can benefit from open finance
- Dan Wilson, Head of Payments Strategy, Industry and Roadmap, Nationwide Building Society (chair)
- Isabel Pitt, Deputy Payments Director, Nationwide Building Society
- Michael Lawrence, Chief Executive, Customer Owned Banking Association
- Ellie Duncan, Head of Content, Open Banking Expo
- Charlie Mercer, Policy Director, Startup Coalition
(Seminar Theatre, Hall 3)
12:30 - 13:45
Lunch in the exhibition hall (Hall 3)
13:00 - 13:50
Presentations from leading suppliers
(Seminar Theatre in Hall 3)
13:00 - 13:15
BSA Annual General Meeting 2025
(BSA Building Society and Credit Union members only)
14:00 - 14:10
Chair's welcome
Rob Pheasey, Building Societies Association Chair 2023-2025 & Chief Executive, Marsden Building Society (Hall 1)
14:10 - 15:20
Keynote: Change and continuity: Building societies as safe harbours in stormy waters
Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Executive, CBI
Keynote: The future is mutual - if we want it to be
Robin Fieth, Chief Executive, Building Societies Association
Followed by Q&A
(Hall 1)
15:20 - 15:50
Exhibition and refreshments (Hall 3)
15:25 - 15:45
Presentation from leading suppliers
Held in the Seminar Theatre in Hall 3
15:50 - 16:50
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
1. Homeownership in the UK – challenges, mortgage reform & the future of lending
FCA Keynote: Mortgage reform and regulatory landscape
- Emad Aladhal, Director of Retail Banking, Financial Conduct Authority
Followed by a panel discussion with:
- Paul Broadhead, Head of Mortgage and Housing Policy, Building Societies Association (chair)
- Emad Aladhal, Director of Retail Banking, Financial Conduct Authority
- Emily Wilson, Head of Home Ownership Strategy, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
- Ben Merritt, Director of Mortgages, Yorkshire Building Society
- Sarah Brown, Head of Mortgage Propositions, Coventry Building Society
- Andy Deeks, Chief Executive, Leek Building Society (chair)
- Joanna (Asia) Drobnik CFA, Managing Director, Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA)
- David Bholat, Director for Financial Services, Faculty AI
- Caroline Vahrenkamp, Director, Advisory Services, Filene Research Institute
3. Navigating the upcoming climate risk management and reporting updates
- Ruth Doubleday, Head of Prudential Regulation, Building Societies Association (chair)
- Pierre-Alexandre Germont, Director – Global Climate Risk Lead, Forvis Mazars
- Paul Hamalainen, Director and Group Lead for Financial Services Sustainability Policy, Forvis Mazars
- Dr Louise Pryor, Chair, Ecology Building Society
4. Future-proofing branch networks: go digital, stay human
- Geert Pick, Head of Clients and Growth, SBS (chair)
- Barry Carter, Chief Executive, Hinckley & Rugby Building Society
5. From excluded to empowered: engaging forgotten savers
- Lauren Peel, Senior Partner, Inclusive Outcomes (lead)
- Caroline Domanski MBE, Chief Executive, No1 CopperPot Credit Union
- Jo Phillips, Director of Research and Innovation, Nest Insight
6. Exhibition open
16:50 - 17:00
Room change
17:00 - 17:40
Keynote: The customer experience renaissance
Steven Van Belleghem, Author, Speaker and Entrepreneur. Member of SRM Advisory Board
Followed by Q&A
(Hall 1)
17:40 - 17:45
Closing comments
Rob Pheasey, Building Societies Association Chair 2023-2025 & Chief Executive, Marsden Building Society
(Hall 1)
17:45 - 20:00
Welcome party
Sponsored by Skenario Labs
Held in the exhibition hall, Hall 3
17:50 - 17:55
Short BSA Council Meeting
(BSA Council Members only)
THURSDAY 08 MAY 2025
All conference sessions to be held at ICC Birmingham unless otherwise stated.
07:45 - 09:15
Conference Breakfast
Sponsored by LifeSearch Ltd
Paul Johnson CBE, Director, Institute of Fiscal Studies
(by invitation only - Hall 11)
08:30 - 09:30
Registration and exhibition opens
(Foyer and Hall 3)
09:30 - 09:40
Chair's welcome
Julie-Ann Haines, Building Societies Association Chair 2025 - 2027 & Chief Executive, Principality Building Society (Hall 1)
09:40 - 10:30
Keynote: Reimagine the future
Shawn Kanungo, Innovation Strategist and Best-Selling Author
Followed by Q&A
(Hall 1)
10:30 - 11:10
Exhibition and refreshments (Hall 3)
10:40 - 11:00
Presentation from leading suppliers
Held in the Seminar Theatre in Hall 3
11:10 - 12:15
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
1. Mutual measures - evolving the regulatory landscape to support mutuals
- Julie-Ann Haines, Chief Executive, Principality Building Society (chair)
- Charlotte Gerken, Executive Director for UK Deposit Takers Supervision, Bank of England
- Kevin Parry OBE, Chair, Cooperatives & Mutuals Business Council
2. Communicating with customer on climate risk: barriers, motivations & ways forward
- Paul Broadhead, Head of Mortgage and Housing Policy, Building Societies Association (chair)
- Professor Iain Clacher, Co-Lead at UK CGFI & Professor of Pensions and Finance, Pro-Dean International, University of Leeds
- Professor Jason Lowe OBE, Co-Lead at UK CGFI, University of Leeds & Head of Climate Services, Met Office
3. Financial inclusion: how can we make a meaningful difference?
- Andrew Gall, Head of Savings & Economics, Building Societies Association (Chair)
- Oliver Morley CBE, Chief Executive, Money & Pensions Service
- Kate Pender, Chief Executive, Fair4All Finance
- Muna Yassin MBE, Chief Executive, Rooted Finance
- Richard Fox, Head of UK Public Policy, Schroders
4a. Modernising legacy platforms: a strategic imperative for building societies
- Iain Lister, IT & Change Executive, Mansfield Building Society
- Ian Stacey, Chief Information and Transformation Officer, Cumberland Building Society
- Shankar Prahalad, Director - TCS BaNCS, UK and Europe, Tata Consultancy Services
- Arindam Chaudhuri, Director - Digital Mortgage Products and Solutions, UK and Europe, Tata Consultancy Services
4b.Elevating customer and colleague experience by leveraging business & technology expertise
- Matthew Carter, Head of Product, Coventry Building Society
- Paul Howley, Chief Technology & Transformation Officer, Nottingham Building Society
- Satya Mishra, Business Unit Head, Banking & Financial Services, UK & Middle East, Tata Consultancy Services
- Sandeep Mishra, Building Society Segment Head, UK, Tata Consultancy Services
- Padmavathy Ramesh, Head of Innovation and AI, Banking & Financial Services , UK & Middle East Tata Consultancy Services
5. Exhibition open
12:15 - 13:20
Lunch in the exhibition hall (Hall 3)
12:15 - 13:20
NED's Lunch
(Building Society and Credit Union NED’s only)
12:25 - 13:15
Presentation from leading suppliers
Held in the Seminar Theatre in Hall 3
13:20 - 16:30
This year the BSA welcomes the Global Co-operative Banking Forum as part of the agenda. Full details of the programme are listed below:
13:20 - 13:30
Opening of the Global Co-operative Banking Forum
Nina Schindler, Chief Executive, European Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB)
Robin Fieth, Chief Executive, Building Societies Association
13:30 - 14:00
Keynote: Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Emma Reynolds MP, Economic Secretary, HM Treasury
14:00 - 14:15
Keynote: A moden mutual in the UK
Debbie Crosbie, Chief Executive, Nationwide Building Society
14:15 - 15:00
Co-operative and mutual banking: perspectives for expansion
- Debbie Crosbie, Chief Executive, Nationwide Building Society
- David Murano, Deputy Chief Executive, Caja Ingenieros (Spain)
- Steve Laidlaw, Chief Executive, People First Bank (Australia)
- Professor Barbara Casu, Professor of Finance, Deputy Dean, Bayes Business School, City St George's, University of London
Moderated by: Baroness Nicky Morgan, House of Lords
15:00 - 15:30
Exhibition and refreshments (Hall 3)
15:05 - 15:25
Presentation from leading suppliers
Held in the Seminar Theatre in Hall 3
15:30 - 15:45
Keynote:
Rodney E. Hood, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
(Hall 1)
15:45 - 16:25
Co-operative, mutual and community banks in the 21st century - regulation and mission
- Marcus Barboza, Chief Risk Officer, Sicredi (Brazil)
- Harri Nummela, Executive Vice President, Retail Banking, and Deputy to President and Group Chief Executive Officer, OP Financial Group (Finland)
- Vincent Maagdenberg, Chief Risk Officer, Rabobank
Moderated by: Baroness Nicky Morgan, House of Lords (Hall 1)
16:25 - 16:30
Conclusions
Priscille Szeradzki, President, European Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB), and Deputy Director General, Confédération National du Crédit Mutuel (CNCM)
16:30 - 16:35
Closing comments
Julie-Ann Haines, Building Societies Association Chair 2025 - 2027 & Chief Executive, Principality Building Society (Hall 1)
19:00 - 20:00
Conference drinks reception
Sponsored by The Evolution Group
(The Library of Birmingham, pre-purchased tickets only)
20:00 - 00:00
Conference dinner
Sponsored by The Evolution Group
(The Library of Birmingham, pre-purchased tickets only)
FRIDAY 09 MAY 2025
08:30 - 12:30
EACB General Assembly (invitation only)
Details to be confirmed
12:30 - 15:30
Lunch
*The BSA reserves the right to make alterations in the format, agenda or programme of the conference.