By Catrin Griffiths, Editor, The Lawyer

The 2021 edition of The Lawyer’sIn-house Financial Services Conference is just around the corner. Featuring over 15 webinars and roundtables to choose from, storytelling sessions for those interested in a genuine sharing and exchange of ideas, and virtual book clubs to help break the ice with fellow attendees, the programme has something for everyone.

So, if you work with in-house counsel in the financial services industry and would like more information on how law firms and vendors can get involved, please register your interest here.

But which sessions are an absolute must-attend I hear you ask?

They are all brilliant and a lot of effort has gone into designing this year’s event, but the three that come to mind given how topical they are, are as follows:

1. How can the financial services sector lead on ESG?
 

ESG remains at the top of business agendas, with an increased scrutiny on what firms can do to contribute to building back a better world post pandemic and the role FS can actively play in all of this.

In this session, Liberis’s Alexis Alexander, Banco Santander’s Timo Matthias Spitzer, Morgan Stanley’s Gordon Charlton and Standard Chartered Bank’sAndrew Dixon-Smith discuss how ESG will evolve in the coming years and how to measure the success ESG programs. 

2. The trajectory of digitalisation during the pandemic
 

For most businesses, the pandemic accelerated digital transformation plans scheduled for forthcoming years. This panel, which includes Contis’s Lara Oyesanya and GoCardless’s Caroline O’Connor, explores the growth opportunities for legal teams given the surging reliance on digital, as well as trends and future predications in this space. 

3. What’s next with Brexit
 

Brexit continues to impact the UK financial services sector. The conversation is moving beyond Equivalence and arrangements with the EU, to how the UK should design and orient its post-Brexit domestic regulatory framework, its approach to overseas firms operating in the UK, and explore new avenues related to the Digital and Climate Change to ensure that the UK remains a leading global financial centre.  

Join Aviva head of EU & Brexit Public Policy Suresh Weerasinghe and Santander UK Head of Regulatory Affairs Khushal Thakur for an update on where we stand with the post-Brexit agenda to date, what legal teams should be considering and how firms can prepare for the future.  

These are just three of the many reasons you should join us between 29 – 30 June at the In-house Financial Services Conference. For more information about the event and the partnership opportunities available, you can download the agendaor contact the team at [email protected].