Fora Building| October | 10:15 AM – 2:00 PM

Cracking the Code: How Banks Can Speed Up Innovation

The pressure is on for banks: customers expect faster, smarter journeys while new players are setting the pace. So how can the industry’s biggest institutions cut through complexity and actually move quicker?

This session brings together senior leaders from across lending and mortgages for an open, no-slides-needed conversation. We’ll dig into the real blockers slowing transformation, the practical wins that make a difference, and the opportunities banks can’t afford to miss. Come ready for candid insights, fresh perspectives, and tips you can put into practice straight away.

Join us for a high-impact lunchtime forum that brings together the full mortgage ecosystem - brokers, lenders, networks, credit bureaus, and tech innovators - for real conversations about what's working, what's not, and what’s next.

    What attendees will take away

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        A clear view of the lending landscape today

        • Why manual-heavy verification and onboarding is becoming a competitive disadvantage.

        • How challenger lenders and fintechs are reshaping customer expectations.

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        Real examples of automation in action

        • Case studies of banks already cutting onboarding times, reducing fraud exposure, and lowering operational costs with automation.

        • What “good” looks like - benchmarks they can compare against their own processes.

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        A roadmap to intelligent automation

        • Practical steps to move from manual checks to automated decisioning.

        • How to balance compliance and innovation when deploying AI.

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        Future-proofing strategies

        • What’s coming next in lending tech: real-time verification, AI-driven income analysis, continuous KYC.

        • How to prepare their teams and systems to stay ahead of regulation and competition.

      Event Structure

      Thank you

      11.00am - 11.30pm

      Fireside Chat: Finova

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      Thank you

      11.30am - 12.00pm

      Transformation That Sticks - Hugh Hessing

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      12.00am - 1.00pm

      Networking Lunch

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      1.00pm - 2.00pm

      Panel: Lenders & Banks

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      Speakers

      Matt Lowndes

      Innovation Director at Mortgage Advice Bureau

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      Matt Lowndes is Innovation Director at Mortgage Advice Bureau, where he focuses on developing and embedding digital strategies across the business. He brings over 20 years of experience in the mortgage sector, having previously founded Coreco and held leadership roles spanning broker operations and technology.

      Claire Beevor

      Senior Product Manager, Mortgages at HSBC

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      Claire Beevor works at HSBC, where she focuses on customer experience and operational delivery. She has over 15 years of experience in financial services, including previous roles at Nationwide Building Society, with a background in strategy and service improvement.

      Lucas Lopes

      Chief Product Officer, Consumer Information Services & Verifications UK&I at Experian

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      Lucas Lopes is Chief Product Officer for Consumer Information Services & Verifications UK&I at Experian, where he focuses on leading product strategy and innovation. With a background in financial services and technology, Lucas has experience in driving digital transformation and developing solutions that enhance consumer credit experiences.

      Laura Myers

      Senior Technology Lead at Lloyds Banking Group

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      Laura Myers is Intermediary Distribution Development Manager at Lloyds Banking Group, where she focuses on managing relationships with intermediary partners and supporting growth across the Group’s mortgage brands. She has a broad background in supplier partnerships, technology account management, and operations, with experience spanning both commercial and technical roles.

      Dale Jannels

      CEO at One Mortgage System (OMS)

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      Dale Jannels is CEO at One Mortgage System (OMS), where he focuses on driving technology innovation to support brokers, lenders, and networks across the mortgage market. With over 30 years in the industry, Dale brings deep experience in specialist lending and distribution, and now leads OMS in delivering end-to-end tech solutions that streamline the mortgage journey from sourcing to submission.

      Liz Syms

      CEO at Connect for Intermediaries and Connect Mortgages

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      Liz Syms is CEO and Founder of Connect Mortgages and Connect for Intermediaries, where she focuses on supporting brokers with specialist and complex mortgage cases. She has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, with a background in buy-to-let, commercial finance, and network development.

      Stephen Hogg

      Chief Operating Officer at Enra Specialist Finance

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      Stephen Hogg is Chief Operating Officer at Enra Specialist Finance, where he focuses on overseeing operational strategy and delivery across the business. He has extensive experience in financial services, with a background in mortgage lending, credit risk, and operational leadership.

      Lucinda Brown

      Head of Mortgages Transformation at Chetwood Financial Limited

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      Lucinda Brown is Head of Mortgages Transformation at Chetwood Financial, where she focuses on leading digital initiatives to improve mortgage processes and customer experience. She has a background in sales and proposition delivery, and previously held roles at Lloyds Banking Group, where she worked across various mortgage and transformation programmes.

      Adam Newman

      Head of Sales at Twenty7Tec

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      Adam Newman recently joined Twenty7tec as Head of Sales, where he focuses on driving adoption of digital tools across lenders and intermediaries. He has over a decade of experience in mortgage and property technology, working across account management, distribution, and commercial strategy.

      Alexis Rog

      Co-founder and CEO at Sikoia

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      Alexis is the founder and CEO of Sikoia. Prior to founding Sikoia, Alexis was an investor at SoftBank Vision Fund, a leading global growth equity fund with $100 billion AuM. At SoftBank, he focused on Fintech, marketplaces, and enterprise software start-ups in Europe and the US. Prior to that, Alexis advised financial institutions on more than $30 billion worth of M&A transactions at Merrill Lynch and Moelis & Co.

      Emmanuelle Johaadien

      Commercial Director at Sikoia

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      Emmaneulle is Head of Commercial at Sikoia, where she focuses on client delivery and supporting financial institutions with onboarding and verification solutions. She has worked across fintech, data, and compliance-focused roles, with experience in product-led growth and operational delivery.

      Stephen Simmons

      Co-founder and CDO at Sikoia

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      Stephen is Sikoia's Chief Data Officer and a seasoned data science and risk thought leader with a global track record. Having started his career at BCG, Stephen has held multiple data, credit risk, and tech roles at banks in Australia, the Netherlands, and the UK, including Head of Data and Analytics Engineering at JP Morgan Equities, and CRO and Head of Data Science at consumer lender Oakam.

      Join us for the lunch event!

      Lunch will be served. Please let us know if you have any allergies to consider.

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