Tue 06 Sep 2022 - The role of Non-Executive Directors has become increasingly challenging and critical over the past few years.
Big picture thinking, Governance knowledge, Independent mindset, Ambassador potential and Energy and commitment: these are the essential skills sought in a successful NED, according to the Chartered Governance Institute (UK & Ireland).
In parallel, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria are increasingly key and used by investors to measure the sustainability and ethical impact of investing in an organisation.
Can we separate the long-term ‘signals’ from the short-term ‘noise’? How is ‘directing’ different from ‘managing’? How do we bring stakeholders with us?
Join us to hear insights on the challenges faced by NEDs, from our panel of esteemed speakers: Professor Michael Mainelli, Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE DL and Louise Pryor (past president of the IFoA).
Seamus Creedon is an independent non-executive director at four financial services firms – two on each side of the Irish Sea and embracing life and non-life (re)insurance and asset management. An actuary by profession, he was formerly a partner in the London firm KPMG. He was responsible for leading the provision of actuarial audit and advisory services to KPMG clients in several European countries. Seamus had previously been associated with Bank of Ireland, Abbey Life Group, and Irish Life. He led the volunteer involvement of the European actuarial profession (through the then Groupe Consultatif Actuariel Europeen) in the Solvency II development for several years. He served five years as a stakeholder representative to EIOPA until April 2016.
A dynamic leader with substantial experience in the communications industry Dr Thompson is a renowned and respected champion of diversity and inclusion in the UK.
Relying on her personal experience and other women she published a leadership Amazon bestseller book “7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards", promoting greater gender and race diversity in company boardrooms.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of WinTrade Global Women In Business Network Convention and Awards which she founded, Dr Thompson orchestrates a powerful network, whilst supporting UNSDGs for greater gender and race equality.
Having been the only woman on the board of the first 24 Hr radio station Choice FM, worked with DCMS and OFCOM on equality and diversity within the broadcast space her most recent Chairing appointments include OKRE.org a charity researching the effects the entertainment and gaming industries have on mental health, it is based at and funded by the Welcome Trust; she also Chairs The Black Cultural Archives, custodian of Black History in the UK, facilitating substantial knowledge to the Parker Review.
Dr Thompson was this year appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant in Greater London.
Immediate past President, IFoA
In the course of a varied career as an actuary, software engineer and academic, Louise was Director, Actuarial Standards at the Financial Reporting Council, where she led the development of the Technical Actuarial Standards. She has practised as an independent consultant in the areas of software risk and sustainability and has worked on financial modelling for social security and pensions reform in a number of emerging economies.
Louise is Chair of the London Climate Change Partnership and a non-executive director at the Ecology Building Society.
She became a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries in 1987 and a Fellow of IEMA in 2019. She has a degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Northwestern University.
Chairman, Z/Yen Group
Michael is a scientist and economist trying to promote societal advance through better finance and technology. He founded Z/Yen, the City of London’s leading think-tank and venture firm, in 1994. Z/Yen is renowned for its Global Financial, Green Finance, and Smart Centres indices, as well as notable ‘firsts’ in research.
Educated at Harvard, Trinity College Dublin, and LSE, where he was also Visiting Professor in innovation and IT, Michael became a senior partner with BDO Binder Hamlyn, and Corporate Development Director for the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Evaluation & Research Agency.
Michael is a fellow of Kings College London, Goodenough College, and Gresham College, visiting professor at UCL’s Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, non-executive director of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service and a listed mining company. He is active in ten livery companies, past Master of the World Traders, an Alderman of the City of London, and late Sheriff of the City of London 2019-2021, with charity interests in the environment, education, and care.