Bookings are now closed for this event. If you would like to attend please email events@ukfinance.org.uk.

We are delighted to announce that this year's SME Banking and Commercial Finance Conference, in association with TLT LLP, will take place on Wednesday 1 May in Belfast.

Supporting SMEs so they can build the pioneering products and services consumers want is key to driving growth and innovation across the country. The financial services industry is working harder than ever before to support SME customers, but there is a lot of work still to be done in building the communities, processes and mechanisms to give SMEs easier access to funds.

This half-day conference will deliver a lively mix of debate and interactive discussion, focusing on traditional and alternative access to finance, and new developments in data and digital banking. The Conference will focus on how the industry can help ease the challenges faced by SMEs, looking at the accessibility of financial tools and servicesthe importance of customer centred services, and the ability to harness new digital platforms and ecosystems increasingly available in the sector.

Further conference topics include:

  • Putting the Customer First: Convenience vs Control
  • Understanding Micro-Businesses in Northern Ireland
  • SME Finance, Past, Present & Future
  • Alternative Finance: Meeting the Needs of Millennial Business Leaders

Now in its third year under the UK Finance banner, this will be the first time this popular event has taken place outside of the Square Mile. The event will encourage vibrant debate with senior product managers and heads of department from those UK banks and financial institutions which specialise in working with corporate clients, as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Book now to join the UK Finance team and world-leading experts to discuss the future of SME banking and commercial finance.

FESTIVAL EVENTS

For the first time, UK Finance is convening hundreds of delegates from across the financial services sector in Belfast, for six events over the course of two exciting days.

Hosted at one of the UK's most impressive conference venues, the Titanic Museum in Belfast, the festival includes four conferences, an awards ceremony, a gala dinner, a members? networking reception and other satellite events including workshops, lunches and museum tours. 

Of interest to organisations working in Digital Innovation, Commercial Finance, SME Banking, Invoice Finance and Asset Based Lending, and Mortgages, the festival schedule includes:

Tuesday 30 April

Wednesday 1 May

 

FESTIVAL PASS

Our Festival Pass is the most cost-effective way to access all events offering unrestricted access to all six events over the two-day festival. If you plan to attend two or more events, or would like to attend the Member's Reception, or gala dinner, this is the ticket for you.

  • Festival Pass £635.00 + VAT: UK Finance full and associate members
  • Festival Pass £1,135 + VAT & FEES: non-members
Anna Vangrove

Anna Vangrove

Anna joined TLT in September 2015 and is a partner in the Banking and Restructuring team. Anna has a commercial based approach and in-depth understand...

Anna joined TLT in September 2015 and is a partner in the Banking and Restructuring team.

Anna has a commercial based approach and in-depth understanding of clients? needs with a proven ability to work effectively under client imposed time constraints. 

She has a broad range of financial services sector experience which includes acting for both local and international banks, investment funds and borrowers on refinancing, restructuring, secured and unsecured lending, acquisition finance, loan portfolio sales and commercial finance. 

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David Petrie

David Petrie

David is Head of Corporate Finance at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Formerly with PwC, he is an experienced cor...

David is Head of Corporate Finance at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Formerly with PwC, he is an experienced corporate financier has advised on numerous corporate finance deals, from management buyouts, to larger capital markets transactions.

David has played a leading role in public-policy initiatives focused on increasing the variety and quality of funding available for growing businesses.  He also devised and produced, together with the British Business Bank, the highly acclaimed Business Finance Guide, which has been distributed in hard copy, or via digital, interactive format to more than one million businesses and advisers.

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Tanya Anderson

Tanya Anderson

Head of International Trade and SME Development, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Tanya is Head of International Trade and SME Development with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  Tanya is responsible for th...

Tanya is Head of International Trade and SME Development with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  Tanya is responsible for the delivery of the NI Chamber's Scaling for Growth initiative and provides bespoke assistance to members to assist their growth strategy whether through exporting, customer diversification or the establishment of appropriate networks from which to effectively leverage their businesses. Further, Tanya oversees the International team which prepares international trade documentation for exporters as well as delivering wider support initiatives for those involved in international trade. 

Prior to joining the Chamber Tanya worked as a Corporate Banker with Danske Bank for 10 years as well as working in Corporate Finance with Grant Thornton and completing her chartered accountancy exams with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
 

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Shiona Davies

Shiona Davies

Shiona Davies is an acknowledged expert on SME finance and speaks regularly at events and conferences on SMEs and bank lending to small businesses. Sh...

Shiona Davies is an acknowledged expert on SME finance and speaks regularly at events and conferences on SMEs and bank lending to small businesses. She is the author of the SME Finance Monitor, a quarterly report looking into SMEs and their demand for, and access to, finance. This independent report, published by BVA BDRC since its inception in 2011, is used by government, banks and business groups to inform the debate around lending to SMEs and is quoted widely in the national and international press.

Her background is in financial services as before joining BVA BDRC, she worked at NatWest.

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Teresa Graham CBE

Teresa Graham CBE

CHAIR, UK FINANCE SME ADVISORY GROUP After studying at Newcastle University, Teresa became an accountant, specialising in enterprise and deregulation....

CHAIR, UK FINANCE SME ADVISORY GROUP

After studying at Newcastle University, Teresa became an accountant, specialising in enterprise and deregulation. Teresa was awarded an OBE in 1997 for services to better regulation and the small firms sector, and a CBE in the 2007 New Years Honours list for public service. Teresa was the first female winner of the Young Accountant of the Year Award and is an important figure in her field. Most recently she was a member of the Advisory Group led by Sir John Kingman in his review of the FRC. Teresa has a number of NED appointments in both the public and private sectors as well as her role as Head of Parties and Fun at the Lexi Cinema, a social enterprise cinema in North London, which gives 100% of its profits to a charity in South Africa called The Sustainability Institute Trust.

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Julian Hall

Julian Hall

?Featured on Forbes, Julian ?The Ultrapreneur? Hall is the founder of a three year old startup called Ultra Education which has been successfully teac...

?Featured on Forbes, Julian ?The Ultrapreneur? Hall is the founder of a three year old startup called Ultra Education which has been successfully teaching entrepreneurship to primary and secondary school aged children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The company mission is that all children and young people regardless of background or social standing have access to essential entrepreneurial education.  He started his first business at 18 years old, having a background in technology and investment banking he is the best selling author of three business books. He's co-written a degree in entrepreneurship and launched the UK's first mobile game for kids entrepreneurship.?

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Richard Houliston

Richard Houliston

Richard has extensive experience advising a range of domestic and international financial institutions on all aspects of secured lending with a partic...

Richard has extensive experience advising a range of domestic and international financial institutions on all aspects of secured lending with a particular focus on bilateral and syndicated lending, acquisition finance, real estate finance, social housing finance and financial services regulation. He advises clients on a wide range of finance documents including: facility agreements, security documentation, intercreditor agreements, guarantees and legal opinions. 

Richard provides strategic advice on the structuring of complex banking transactions, particularly on Northern Irish originated corporate banking deals which have multi-jurisdictional aspects.

He is regularly sought out by international investment funds and asset managers in connection with the Northern Irish aspects of loan book acquisitions. Richard is increasingly active in advising corporate buyers and secondary investment firms in purchasing small portfolios or individual connections from fund held loan books in Northern Ireland.

Richard assists Magic Circle, Silver Circle and US law firms on the Northern Irish aspects of global blue-chip debt refinancings, bond issues and project finance matters.
Richard joined TLT in 2014, having previously worked in A&L Goodbody's Belfast Office and prior to that at a large National practice in England. 

Richard qualified as a solicitor in 2007 and became a partner in 2015. He is dual qualified in England & Wales and Northern Ireland.

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Paul Leonard

Paul Leonard

Paul Leonard is Non-Executive Chairman of the UK Finance NI Committee. He has over 35 years experience in banking, venture capital, corporate finance ...

Paul Leonard is Non-Executive Chairman of the UK Finance NI Committee. He has over 35 years experience in banking, venture capital, corporate finance and professional accountancy practice and has worked in Belfast, Dublin and London. Most of his career was spent with Bank of Ireland UK where, until recently, he was Chief Credit Officer, Commercial. He holds Non-Executive Director positions in a number of NI companies. He is a Graduate of Queens University Belfast, holds a M.Sc. in Executive Leadership from the University of Ulster, and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG Ireland.

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Stephen Pegge

Stephen Pegge

Managing Director, Commercial Finance, UK Finance Director UK Business Angels Association Stephen has been involved in banking and finance for SMEs an...

Managing Director, Commercial Finance, UK Finance

Director UK Business Angels Association

Stephen has been involved in banking and finance for SMEs and corporates for most of his 37 years in the industry. He is part of the senior executive team at UK Finance and leads on policy relating to Commercial Banking, Invoice Finance and Asset Based Lending for UK Finance, the leading financial trade association. He leads work on business finance for support, competition and specialist banking and finance, dispute resolution, IBOR transition and international trade. He chairs an advisory group for the UK government on creative industries and is part of a minister led boards on business finance and promoting female entrepreneurship. Stephen has led work for the industry on covid lending schemes.

Previously at Lloyds Banking Group, having been responsible nationally for risk management, marketing, international services and training as well as management of local teams, he led competition policy, financial services and business community relationships and lending policy at Group level. He was also a member of executive boards in Lloyds Banking Group's Commercial Banking and Retail divisions with responsibility for business banking and invoice and asset-based finance both through Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland.

Stephen read Economics at University College London and has professional qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Bankers and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He represents the UK on business finance at the European Banking Federation and is on the executive committee of European Union Factoring and Commercial Finance Association. Stephen is a director of the UK Business Angels Association, the trade association dedicated to promoting angel investing and supporting early stage investment in the UK. PRIME Cymru was founded by HRH the Prince of Wales as one of his charities and works to help people over 50 in Wales to become economically active particularly by starting businesses. Stephen was chairman between 2008 and 2017 and remains a trustee.

He lives in North Somerset and is married to Cordelia, a GP. They have three grown up children.

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Richard Roberts

Richard Roberts

Richard Roberts is Professorial Research Fellow at Aston Business School specializing in banks and SME affairs,  Until 2014 Richard was SME Marke...

Richard Roberts is Professorial Research Fellow at Aston Business School specializing in banks and SME affairs,  Until 2014 Richard was SME Market Analysis Director at Barclays UK Banking. After 30 years in SME Banking he now undertakes research via his role at Aston or as a consultant for a number of financial institutions, trade associations and government authorities.

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TLT

TLT

TLT is a leading national law firm and provider of specialist advice to the financial services sector for over 20 years. We act for banks, building so...

TLT is a leading national law firm and provider of specialist advice to the financial services sector for over 20 years. We act for banks, building societies, FinTech companies, peer to peer lenders, alternative lenders and asset finance companies.  We support our clients across a wide range of areas including compliance, business support, litigation, recoveries and lending; working in partnership to identify emerging opportunities and risks.  Our team is comprised of leaders in their fields operating from offices in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England & Wales. In 2018 and 2019 we won 'Best Law Firm' (Mortgage Finance Gazette).

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