Member Update March.
We were delighted to find out that Edinburgh (#21) and Glasgow (#52) had improved their rankings in this year’s Global Financial Centres Index. Glasgow’s 13-place rise in the index was joint-largest in Western Europe, while Edinburgh came through as number five globally for talent, so there really is much to be positive about in these results.
They also come at a timely moment in terms of our own agenda. As we move into the second quarter of 2022 we are going to be thinking more about Scotland’s place as an international financial centre, our distinctive strengths, our ecosystem and our unique industry story.
This agenda will spring to life soon with the launch of our new brand identity and website. As the industry body for Scotland’s financial services industry, we need a brand identity that matches the ambition and values of the sector we represent. Our new identity will help us cut through to new international and domestic audiences, and shape the narrative around what Scotland’s financial services sector excels at. The project is now near to completion and we are excited to share it with you.
This will be the first step in a broader campaign to further enhance Scotland’s reputation as a leading global financial centre, attract new investment and continue building our international competitiveness. Its also an opportunity for us to support members and partners to achieve their UK and international business objectives, and to develop and deepen our relationships with key, relevant financial centres around world.
By focusing on the things we excel at and that are unique to Scotland, the campaign will tie back in to our strategy. It will be a chance to promote our green finance credentials and ambitions, our skills-base, universities and fintech cluster, and our supportive cross-sectoral ecosystem which spans asset management to legal and professional services.
Our members will be at the heart of this new programme of activity, and we are putting changes in place to make participating and engaging with us easier, more accessible and more rewarding. As part of the new website we are launching a new members-only platform. This is an exciting investment for us which will completely transform our member experience. We will be sharing more details with you shortly, including on how you and your colleagues can register on the platform.
I look forward to working closely with you in the weeks and months in what will be a key moment for us and the entire industry.
Kind regards
Sandy Begbie CBE
Skills and inclusion
Apprenticeship Week
For Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022 we spoke with apprentices and former apprentices now making their careers in financial services to find out what the benefits of doing an apprenticeship are for your personal development and your career path. Read the blogs by Katie Mint, David Scott, Jack Scott, and Carly Taylor. Caitlin Cooke, our Head of Skills and Inclusion, also wrote our latest Insight blog, explaining the key role apprenticeships have as a skills pathway into the sector and how they fit into industry plans moving forward.
SFE USP at Global Money Week
A number of SFE Young Professionals took part in DYW Live’s day of events for Global Money Day through our Unified Schools Programme. The events aimed to help young people develop their money skills and inspire them to consider financial services as an employment option. You can share them with any young people who may be interested, here.
SFE in the media
Press & Journal op-ed
Sandy wrote an article in The Press & Journal about opportunities for Scotland to create a world-leading green energy hub and inviting the Chancellor to visit Scotland and discuss how our world-class energy and finance industries can collaborate to accelerate a just transition to net zero.
Scottish Business Insider roundtable
Sandy took part in a Scottish Business Insider/ Bank of Scotland round table to discuss the actions Scotland’s business sector take to drive forward and build on COP26 momentum. Find out more here.
Country Reports by Newsweek
Our Chair, Philip Grant, Board Director, Sue Dawe and CEO Sandy Begbie took part in this exclusive with Country Reports by Newsweek about the vital role of financial services in supporting growth and investment in Scotland. Read here.
Industry and member news
Downing Street visit for award winners
Winners from the 2021 Scottish Financial Services Awards attended a ‘Best of Scotland’ reception at 10 Downing Street – a fitting recognition of the positive impact they’ve had on their customers, colleagues and communities. They included Nathalie Cutting from Barclays, Asabea Owusu from Capco, Rabya Akhtar from Phoenix Group and Nik Bobb and Tracy Robinson from HSBC.
Latest FSSC research demonstrates need for diversity
The Financial Services Skills Commission have released a new report identifying tech skills, coaching skills and creative thinking as key areas of focus for financial services organisations looking to fill skills gaps. Read it in full here.
Edinburgh contains high numbers of 'credit invisibles'
New research from Experian shows there are 5 million brits with little or no credit history, greatly reducing their access to mainstream financial services, highlighting Edinburgh as a key area of concern. Commenting on the report, Sandy said: This report reminds us that more needs to be done to ensure that every customer is connected to the financial system in ways that cater for their needs and support their wellbeing.”
Blogs, podcasts and more
The economic power of a healthy organisational eco-system
Our Director of Public Policy and Communications, wrote an article for Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations arguing that collaboration is the key to more effective outcomes across our economic and organisational ecosystems. Read it here.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week
The SFE Young Professionals did a couple of blogs for Neurodiversity Week, which is worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. Read Olivia Embling’s blog here, and Rebecca Yepez Corsetti’s blog here.
Sustainability Week
For Sustainability Week, the SFE Young Professionals Climate Workstream took over the SFE YP Instagram, highlighting how each of them are doing their part for sustainability. Visit their Instagram and give them a follow to keep up to date with their sustainability posts and for more information about future SFE YP content, at sfe_yp
