Part of WPB
Critical thinking for financial services
Building a sustainable business (ESG) is presenting organisations with new challenges.
Welcome to theChair.
Matt Smith
Owner WPB and Editor Future Housing
Lynda Blackwell
Mortgage market professional, with over 25 years experience
Stephen Smith
Non-Executive Director at Twenty7Tec, Legal & General Home Finance, and Mortgage Advice Bureau
Sarah Davidson
Money editor at
the i Paper and inews.co.uk
Tony Ward
CEO Home Funding,
Chairman Link Mortgage Services Ltd, Chairman Landbay Partners Ltd
Fionnuala Earley
Industry figure and commentator on the economy and housing markets
Who are we?
Matt Smith
Owner WPB and Editor Future Housing
Matt is the chief content officer for WHJE and owner of WPB, a financial and professional services agency that specialises in thought provoking content. Matt’s career in Financial Services includes posts in the Natwest Group, First Active and Britannic Money. He joined WPB in 2002. Clients over that period have included banks, building societies, brokers, valuers, insurers, derivatives markets, estate agency, regulators, international and UK based wealth management firms, asset managers and trade bodies.
With over 20 years industry experience, Matt has seen trends in financial services come and go but recognises ESG strategies and concerns to be going nowhere. He currently advises many clients on their next steps to becoming ESG leaders in their markets.
Lynda Blackwell
Mortgage market professional, with over 25 years experience
Lynda is a highly regarded mortgage market professional, with over 25 years industry and regulatory experience and a demonstrable track record of achievement, having been responsible for a complete transformation in the regulation and operation of the world's second largest mortgage market; well-known with a respected and influential voice in the market and a recognised ability to manage challenging and sensitive relationships and to achieve change through building open, trusted relationships and consensus.
ESG is at the beginning of its regulatory journey, and with years of experience in transforming the regulation in the UK’s mortgage market, Lynda understands the opportunities to help navigate your business on the sustainable finance journey.
Stephen Smith
Non-Executive Director at Twenty7Tec, Legal & General Home Finance, and Mortgage Advice Bureau
Stephen is a highly experienced financial services leader, with 25+ years’ experience in Executive and Non-Executive Director positions, with a combined 40 years spent in the areas of insurance, mortgage lending, distribution and marketing. He is a former Deputy Chair of the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries and member of the Bank of England Residential Property Forum. He is a Fellow of the Chartered institute of Bankers and has an in-depth knowledge of FCA regulation, strategy development, PR, and both client and stakeholder relationship management.
Stephen is currently a Non-Executive Director of L&G Home Finance, Mortgage Advice Bureau and Twenty7Tec. He was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the Mortgage Strategy Awards, 2018.
Sarah Davidson
Money editor at the
i Paper and inews.co.uk
Sarah is money editor at the i Paper and inews.co.uk covering all aspects of personal finance. She has written extensively for private investors, financial advisers and consumers at a range of national publications including This is Money at the MailOnline, the Financial Times group, the Independent on Sunday and The Sunday Times. She has written for trade titles Financial Adviser and Mortgage Solutions, and has edited Mortgage Introducer, Bridging Introducer and Every Investor, launching two of those publications from scratch. She is a regular public speaker on the housing market and has been interviewed on the BBC, Channel 5 and by broadcaster Andrew Neil on multiple occasions.
In order to know what to tackle, you need to know what consumers are thinking. Consumers and stakeholders are at the forefront of managing your ESG concerns and strategies. Sarah knows the consumers and recognises the trends.
Tony Ward
CEO Home Funding,
Chairman Link Mortgage Services Ltd, Chairman Landbay Partners Ltd
Tony has extensive experience in the mortgage, structured finance and banking markets and is a risk professional. Until recently, Tony was CEO of Clayton Euro Risk responsible for delivering their risk services across Europe. As Chief Executive of award winning mortgage lender Britannic Money plc, Tony led the first lender to offer current account mortgages and pioneered the use of flexible mortgages in other types of lending in the UK. Tony has held various senior positions in international banking, treasury, foreign exchange and structured finance and was a founder and Group Treasurer of the Mortgage Funding Corporation plc – one of the UK’s first mortgage securitisation companies, established by Kleinwort Benson. He is a Fellow of both the Association of Corporate Treasurers and the Royal Society of Arts, is a Member of the Institute of Credit Management and is also a past Deputy Chairman of the Council of Mortgage Lenders and Chairman of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association. Tony is a NED of Bank and Clients plc.
The transition of ESG factors from concept and investor preference to regulatory requirements poses a test to asset managers, acutely with regard to integrating sustainability risk factors into existing Risk Management Frameworks. Tony knows the practical methods when taking the risk-based approach to ESG.
Fionnuala Earley
Industry figure and commentator on the economy and housing markets
Fionnuala Earley is a highly-respected industry figure and commentator on the economy and housing markets. She served as Senior Economic Advisor at The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc. She served as Chief Economist of Nationwide Building Society. She serves as Non-Executive Director at Bath Investment & Building Society since January 1, 2018. Before joining Nationwide Building Society in March 2005, she gained a wide experience of housing finance markets and their regulation in both the UK and abroad. She served as Head of Research and Statistics of European Mortgage Federation in Brussels and Senior Economist in Brussels, at the Council for Mortgage Lenders and the FSA. She also served as Government Economist in the Financial Services Authority, Department for Business and Enterprise and the Office of Fair Trading. She was Non-Executive Director at Hanley Economic Building Society from September 1, 2013 until 31 December 2017. Ms. Earley has an MSc in Economics from Southampton University and has an Economics degree from the University of Cardiff.