Sector & Special Interest Groups
SFE’s sector and special interest groups bring our members together around the issues that matter most to their part of the industry. Each group is chaired by a senior figure and gives leaders across banking, wealth, pensions, asset management and other areas a direct channel to shape policy, share insight and work through shared challenges.
We set these groups up because no single firm has all the answers. By bringing the right people into the room, our members can collaborate on the things that affect the whole sector, from regulation and skills to financial inclusion and emerging technology, whilst building relationships with peers across Scotland’s financial services industry.
Being part of one of these groups means earlier sight of regulatory and policy developments, a stronger voice in shaping SFE’s work on your behalf, and the chance to learn from how other firms are approaching similar challenges.
Sector Groups
Six groups representing the core sectors of Scotland’s financial services industry, each chaired by a senior industry figure.
Asset Management
Chair: Mike Tumilty, Aegon AM
Promotes Scotland as a location for asset management firms, drawing on the country’s talent, heritage and growing capability in data and AI, while keeping an eye on emerging trends such as tokenisation and digital currencies.
General Insurance
Chair: Alex Cross, Tesco Insurance
Brings together members from across the general insurance sector to strengthen collaboration, share insight and consider common priorities including customer outcomes, regulation, innovation, resilience and the future growth of the industry in Scotland.
Banking
Chair: Kevin Havelock, NatWest
Brings together our banking sector members to work on shared priorities such as financial inclusion, fraud and cyber security, and the wider health of the industry in Scotland. Current focus areas include the schools banking pilot.
Life & Pensions
Chair: Jenny Holt, Standard Life
Represents members working across pensions, protection and long-term savings, with a focus on industry-wide issues such as the Pensions Schemes Bill, targeted support and the advice and guidance boundary.
Credit Unions
Chair: David Ross, Glasgow Credit Union
Brings together Scotland’s credit unions to strengthen collaboration across the sector and champion their role in supporting financial inclusion, community resilience and access to fair and affordable financial services.
Wealth Management
Chair: Ross Liston, M&G Wealth
Brings together members working in wealth and investment management to help position Scotland as a leading hub for the sector, with a focus on trusted advice, technology and building the skills and talent the industry needs.
Special Interest Groups
Seven cross-sector networks tackling the themes that matter across the whole industry, from skills and inclusion to data and AI.
Public Affairs Communications (PAC)
Co-Chairs: Neil Moore, LBG & Steven Hill, Royal London
Connects communications and public affairs professionals from across our membership, providing them with a forum to discuss political and policy developments and engage with politicians and stakeholders on behalf of the industry.
Skills & Inclusion
Chair: Sandy Begbie, SFE
Works to close future skills gaps in financial services and build a stronger talent pipeline, with a particular focus on the getinto.finance programme and closer collaboration between industry and academia.
Young Professionals Network (YPN)
Co-Chairs: Daniel Lindley-Pilley, BlackRock & Jess Insall, EY
Supports the next generation of talent in financial services, connecting young professionals from across our membership through events, networking and a growing community of firm representatives.
Changing Customer Needs (CCN)
Chair: Emma Noble, Lloyds Banking Group
Focuses on improving financial inclusion and resilience in Scotland, bringing members together to share insight on vulnerable customers and support initiatives such as the Vulnerable Customer Summit and the schools banking pilot.
Operational Risk Group
Chair: Samantha Croll, BlackRock
A newer addition to our network, bringing together risk professionals from member firms to share perspectives on managing operational risk, with an early focus on the risks and opportunities of AI adoption.
Data & AI
Co-Chairs: Roland Inglis, Capco & Khalid Rafiq, Morgan Stanley
Helps members share expertise and accelerate the adoption of data and AI across financial services in Scotland, covering themes such as governance, data foundations and practical use cases.
Gender Equality Network (GEN)
Chair: Arlene Stokes, Aegon
Works to increase the number of women in senior leadership and executive roles across Scotland’s financial services sector, through mentoring, events and insight from its annual member survey.