Upfront Iress

What does the financial services business of the future look like? It’s 2023. We’re in an age of artificial intelligence, digital data and supercomputers. So, er, why is the financial services industry still using pens, paper and post?  In this episode, Olga is joined by global futurist and innovation strategist Anders Sorman-Nilsson, who says the industry is doing too much menial and mundane work. He talks about what the successful financial services business of tomorrow looks like and how they’ll be using technology to make a more meaningful difference to people and the planet.

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What will make financial services a sector where people want to work and stay? The lack of diversity in financial services is putting people off joining the industry - brilliant people who could be bringing much-needed skills, new ideas and different perspectives to the sector. In this episode, Olga is joined by renowned financial adviser and TV personality Emmanuel Asuquo. He talks about his experience joining the industry as a young black man from a council estate in East London, what inspired him to become the success he is today and the change he wants to see happen.

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Who will take one for the team for a better, fairer financial system?

Financial services and technology are moving fast. But stop. We need to pause and ask ourselves what we’re really doing, and who for, otherwise we risk not making progress at all.

In this episode, Olga is joined by Adah Parris, a creative provocateur who helps people see the world differently. She wants financial institutions to get out of their echo chambers, ask some big questions and start building a new world. But first, someone’s got to step off the hamster wheel - fast.

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What is the future of work?

It’s the question everyone wants the answer to. Has anyone got it right yet? The jury’s out. One thing’s for sure, we all want to work smarter, not longer. 

In this episode, Olga is joined by Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder of 4 Day Week Global. She talks about why a focus on productivity, not time, can help us all be happier, healthier and more successful. Anne-Marie Lister, Chief People Officer at Atom Bank, also joins in to talk about their new approach to work.

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Can responsible investing change the world?

It’s going to take $2.5 trillion to solve the world’s societal and environmental problems. Financial services have the means to help, but first, the industry must ask itself some big and difficult questions. One man who’s not afraid to ask those questions is James Perry, an entrepreneur and founder of ethical investment company Snowball. He talks to Olga Koch about ripping up the rule book in an episode that will change the way you think about investment and returns.

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Do financial services need to lighten up? Everyone loves a deal, and this time, you’re getting two for one as Olga is joined by fellow stand-up comedian and consumer champion Vix Leyton. In this episode, Olga and Vix find the funny in everything from car insurance to student bank accounts and badly-advised store cards. They share their experiences of playing fast and loose with pensions, impressing financial advisers and mixing financial services with comedy.

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