Sir Brendan Barber, Chairman, Professionalism Forum:

Last week (23 May) saw the BSB’s first Professionalism Forum held at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. The session was very well attended by a diverse and varied mix representing banks, building societies, trade unions, professional bodies, regulators, qualification providers, academics and other interested stakeholders. (See below for the full list of firms and organisations that attended the first Forum.)

I was keen that this first Forum establish a collaborative environment where participants could share views and experiences, and discuss and debate issues openly, and it was pleasing to see and hear all engaged in lively debate and willing to share opinions throughout the morning, so my thanks go to all who attended and made the session engaging and worthwhile.

The Forum had two aims: the first was to discuss the definition of professionalism in the banking sector, its purpose and why strengthening professionalism is important – not to supersede or override existing definitions, but to establish a common starting point from which the BSB’s thinking in this area can develop through the work of the Professionalism Working Group and the wider Forum.

The second was to consider both ‘enablers’ and ‘barriers’ to strengthening professionalism in banking. Identification of these issues will help to inform and structure our work and discussions in the context of the Professionalism Forum over the coming year.

I came away from this first Forum impressed by the engagement and commitment of such a wide range of organisations and individuals to raising professionalism in banking – and indeed, more widely across financial services and elsewhere.

The second Forum is scheduled for 13 September 2017. If you have any questions about the BSB’s work on Professionalism in the meantime, or any thoughts or ideas to share, please get in touch at professionalism@bankingstandardsboard.org.uk.

Attendee firms/organisations

Advance Union
Aegis Union
AFME
Alliance for Finance
Atom Bank
Buckinghamshire Building Society
Building Societies Association
CFA UK
Chartered Banker Professional Standards Board
Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment
Chartered Institute of Credit Management
Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors
Chartered Institute of Personnel Development
Chartered Institute of Taxation
C. Hoare & Co.
City HR
City of London Corporation
Clydesdale & Yorkshire Banking Group
FCA
General Medical Council
Global Association of Risk Professionals
HSBC
ICAEW
Institute of Banking for Ireland
Institute of Business Ethics
Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland
Institute of Leadership and Management
Institute of Risk Management
International Compliance Association (ICA)
Ipswich Building Society
Law Society of England and Wales
Linklaters
Lloyds Banking Group
National Skills Academy for Financial Services
Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Group Staff Union
PRA
Professional Risk Managers International Association
RBS
Retail Banking Academy
Standard Chartered
The Association of Corporate Treasurers
The Cooperative Bank
The London Institute of Banking & Finance
Unite
Unity Trust Bank
University of Leeds IDEA CETL