Break the bias
This year, the theme of International Women’s Day is ‘Break the Bias’. Bias is at play on several levels when it comes to women and investing – both in terms of the customers that invest in funds and the people who run them. We see first-hand, the perpetuation of common myths about why so few […]
Is the Consumer Duty really so new?
We look at the latest iteration of the FCA’s new Consumer Duty and consider whether firms will need to think and act differently once it is implemented. Not a huge amount has changed in the latest iteration of the FCA’s new Consumer Duty proposals, though the draft guidance gives a real flavour of how important […]
Post COP26: Creating a sustainable strategy blueprint
Last week, our CEO Anna Lane and Head of Research and Operations, Josh Blundell, sat down with Harriet Howey, Global Non-financial Reporting and ESG lead at Diageo. During our webinar, The Climate Crisis: Corporate strategy eats product comms for breakfast, the panel covered the many complexities of the drive towards a more sustainable corporate future. […]
Diversity needs to be at every level – not just above the class ceiling
As a female-led business, The Wisdom Council has experienced first-hand the lack of diversity in financial firms and the challenges that can bring. To be truly effective companies need diversity of thought and approach at every level in the organisation. The lack of diversity is at the top of the news agenda with the Bank […]
10 points for the FCA to ponder on consumer duty
Reading the FCA’s Business Plan 2021/22 published in mid-July makes it clear that the regulator remains determined to do what it can to ensure better consumer outcomes. No doubt many of you will have spent time responding to their consultation paper CP 21-13 ‘A new consumer duty’ initially published in May. Although there will be […]
The Culture Conundrum: unpicking inclusion and governance
The regulatory focus on corporate culture was initially targeted at challenging the status quo in the wake of the financial crisis in 2008/2009 – too much group think, too little effective challenge were the charges laid at the industry’s door. Financial services as a sector had also lost consumer trust – and is still battling […]
Yes She Can
Accelerating change to close the gender investing gap With our Yes She Can campaign, we set out to understand women’s attitudes to investing. Now a sustainable finance initiative, underpinned by powerful insights, our research reveals how financial services organisations can connect with female investors – and has given us a blueprint for engaging any ‘hard […]
Responsible Investment
An in-depth study by The Wisdom Council, the financial services consumer insight and engagement specialists, on investor attitudes and behaviours towards responsible investing shows that while 78% of consumers who are contributing to a pension feel a personal responsibility to combat environmental challenges, almost 60% didn’t realise that they can make a difference through their […]
ESG: Are Retail Investors Being Left Behind?
by Josh Blundell, Head of Research and Operations There can be no arguing about the explosion of ESG or responsible investing in the past few years. The emergence of a dedicated publication such as ESG Clarity is testament to that. But the facts are also clear to see too, whether you look at the growth […]
Innovation. Collaboration. Inclusion
by Anna Lane, CEO Although the year so far is not proving hugely different to 2020, on a personal note I am extremely proud to be kicking off 2021 as President and CEO of Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF). A non-for-profit, volunteer-led network dedicated to increasing women’s visibility, participation and engagement in financial services […]