Parliamentary Reception: Meet the powerbrokers at the heart of policy

Held in the corridors of power, around 200 Credit Strategy members will meet to discuss the industry’s regulatory requirements for the coming years and deliberate on challenges and observations with those setting policy.

By bringing together power brokers with those who implement policy on the ground, the Parliamentary Reception seeks to:

• Demystify the practical challenges involved in financial inclusion and the customer journey;
• Gauge the expectations and requirements of financial services industry;
• Liaise with those who directly affect credit access

The speakers
In-keeping with previous years, Credit Strategy is delighted to confirm that the Parliamentary Reception will once again host high-quality speakers from across the credit profession.

Among the speakers in 2020 will be Julian Knight MP, Money Advice Trust chief executive Joanna Elson, Experian UK&I managing director Tom Blacksell and newly-appointed interim small business commissioner Philip King.

King has been regular speaker at the Parliamentary Reception through his previous role as chief executive of the CICM, which is partnering with Credit Strategy at the Credit Summit later in Credit Week. In his new role, King will head the Independent Office of the Small Business Commissioner (SBC).

The Parliamentary Reception will be held at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on March 17, 2020, in the historic Members Dining Room in the Palace of Westminster. This impressive room is adorned with wooden relief sculptures and fascinating paintings. The ornate royal coat of arms sits proudly above the main entrance.

While stakeholders will have a crucial chance to raise their thoughts with those driving policy, the reception will provide lenders, regulators, debt purchasers, debt collection agencies, credit scoring experts and trade associations to network and discuss best practice.

In addition to speeches and networking, the results of a research project produced by Experian and YouGov in association with Credit Strategy into the financial condition of UK consumers will be announced. The research forms part of the fourth annual Credit Awareness Week, which seeks to promote financial inclusion through awareness and data.

In 2019, it was found that there are 5.8 million ‘credit invisibles’ in the UK, who struggle to gain access to credit and financial services as a result of a lack of available credit data. The findings from the latest survey will measure what progress has been made and shed light on the scale of the issue, the impact of attempts to improve that access through schemes such as Open Banking and the inclusion of rental data, along with areas in which further improvements can be made. While stakeholders will have a crucial chance to raise their thoughts with those driving policy, the reception will provide lenders, regulators, debt purchasers, debt collection agencies, credit scoring experts and trade associations to network and discuss best practice.

Credit Week also encompasses the Credit Summit and Credit Week Gala Dinner, featuring the Women in Credit Awards and the Credit 500 2020. For more information, including attending and sponsorship, visit the Credit Week website.