IN PERSON | Plaisterers' Hall
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Thriving in an evolving environment
This conference will bring together industry leaders, issuers and investors to explore key trends and challenges in the financial sector and their impact on credit.
Topics include UK bank fundamentals, generative AI in banking, private credit dynamics, and the future of UK challenger banks.
Register today, and join us for unparalleled networking opportunities, face-to-face interactions with Moody’s analysts, and insightful discussions.
Join us for this 30 minute workshop where you will learn about what is possible by using Moody’s Research Assistant, our GenAI tool that leverages Moody’s proprietary data. Quickly gather and synthesize key credit insights from across Moody’s, efficiently conduct peer comparisons, create a credit memo within seconds, and much more.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Emma Grant at Emma.Grant@moodys.com.
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Simon Harris is Managing Director for Global Financial Institutions, based in London. He is responsible for Moody’s analytic teams maintaining Moody’s ratings on banks and finance companies, re/insurers and funds and asset management globally. Simon joined Moody’s European Insurance team in 1998, working on analysis of UK and German life and non-life insurance groups, and prior to his current role held various managerial responsibilities, including EMEA Insurance, Nordic Banking and Global Insurance and Managed Investments. Prior to joining Moody’s, Simon was an actuary with Co-operative Financial Services in Manchester, England. Simon holds a B.A. in Economics from Leeds University, and is a Fellow of the UK Institute of Actuaries (FIA)
Colin Ellis is Moody’s first Global Credit Strategist, and a Managing Director in the Credit Strategy team.
In his current role, Colin provides thought leadership for the rating agency that deepens the understanding of ratings and debt capital markets through rigorous and quantitative research. He leads Moody’s teams working on default and ratings analytics and on global financial analysis, including bank projections and stress testing. Colin is also a member of Moody’s Macroeconomic Board, which sets the global forecasts that underpin Moody’s universe of ratings.
Colin joined Moody’s in February 2012, initially leading the work of the Macroeconomic Board and authoring the quarterly Global Macro Outlook. He subsequently worked in the Financial Institutions Group, developing quantitative forward-looking analyses. For 8 years he was the Chief Credit Officer for EMEA, leading analysis and coordination of credit and ratings across all rating franchises in the region. He was also the ‘Head of UK’ for Moody's Ratings, responsible for the running of Moody’s UK operations, from 2019-2022 including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining Moody’s, Colin held roles at the Bank of England, Daiwa Capital Markets, the BVCA and at Birmingham University. He has published papers on a range of topics including corporate investment and pricing, credit risk, private equity, data uncertainty, stress testing, financial contagion and monetary policy. Colin holds degrees from York University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Middlesex University. He is a Visiting Professor at Hult International Business School and LSBU, and is also a Fellow of the RSA.
Effie Tsotsani is a Vice President – Senior Analyst based in London and is the lead analyst for various financial institutions in the UK, Norway and Iceland.
Effie joined Moody’s in 2014 after working for eight years as an equity analyst covering the banking sector as a sell-side and buy-side analyst. Ms Tsotsani holds a Master of Science in Statistics from Athens University of Economic and Business and a Bachelor degree in Mathematics from National University of Athens.
As part of the Data and Analytics Leadership team at LSEG, Emily leads the Analytics business and is the CEO of Yield Book. In this role Emily spearheads the transformation of trusted data into actionable and AI-powered insights across LSEG. With a background of over 15 years in quantitative financial analytics at leading institutions such as Lehman Brothers, Barclays and BlackRock, Emily has extensive experience developing analytics solutions for customers. Emily also holds board positions with Turquoise and Finbourne.
Kristen is a creative leader and strategic partner with deep expertise in strategy, design, transformation and innovation. Kristen is currently the Group Head of Partnerships and Innovation at Barclays, responsible for innovation, strategic partnerships and Generative AI.
Kristen’s career has involved the development and delivery of new products, services and ventures always working at the intersection of strategy, design and technology. Kristen was previously the Director of Innovation and Partnerships at NatWest focused on reimagining financial services for 19m customers. Kristen created “OX”, the award winning innovation design studios in London and Edinburgh where she and her team worked at the bounds of what is possible, using insight and emerging technologies.
Kristen was recognised by IBM as one of 35 exceptional women leaders globally for her work in artificial intelligence to transform NatWest’s business. Kristen is passionate about using strategic design and technology to solve our greatest challenges and is the Vice Chair of the Glasgow School of Art, a global leader in arts education.
Kristen holds a degree from Northwestern University and has completed Executive Education programs at INSEAD and the University of Cambridge.
Antonello Aquino is Managing Director for EMEA Insurance and for Africa Banking. He is responsible for Moody’s analytic team maintaining Moody’s ratings on EMEA insurers and African banks. Antonello joined Moody’s in 2008 as a senior insurance analyst covering some of the major European (re)insurers.
Prior to Moody’s, Antonello was responsible for the FIG rating advisory practice at Credit Suisse in Europe. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Antonello was a senior analyst at S&P insurance and worked in the FIG M&A team of DrKW and ABN AMRO.
Antonello holds an MBA from HEC and is alumnus of London Business School. He graduated in business administration cum laude from Bocconi University in Italy. Antonello is fluent in English, Italian and French.
Simon Ainsworth, who is based in London, is an Associate Managing Director responsible for the analytical teams maintaining ratings on Nordic and Baltic banks and on a range of European insurance companies.
Simon previously served as a Group Credit Officer. In that role he carried responsibility for monitoring ratings quality as well as assisting in the development and implementation of rating methodologies and practices applied to rated financial institutions within the EMEA region.
Simon joined Moody’s in March 2014 following sixteen years at the Bank of England.
At the Bank, he worked in a variety of roles primarily in its financial markets and banking operation divisions; as well as working on a variety of financial risk and crisis related issues. This included the resolution of failed banks, as well as responsibility for the risk management framework applied to collateral accepted in the Bank’s sterling market operations.Simon graduated from the University of Durham in 1998, having studied Economics and Politics. He is based in London.
Steven Cooper CBE is the CEO of Aldermore Group, a leading specialist lending and savings bank.
Previously Steven was CEO of C.Hoare & Co and prior to that a Senior Executive at Barclays where he held a number of executive positions including CEO of Personal Banking for UK & Europe and CEO UK Business Banking. Steven is Chair of Experian UK, a NED of the recruitment firm Robert Walters PLC and he was a Co-Chair of the Social Mobility Commission until 2021.
He is a passionate advocate for social mobility; he is a regular speaker and media commentator on the issue and has recently joined forces with former Cabinet Minister Justine Greening to form the Equality of Opportunity Coalition.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Herriot Watt University and made a Commander of the British Empire – both for services to Banking and Social Mobility.
Nigel’s early career began in investment banking, which included working for UBS where he ran its Financial Institutions Group. He joined the Group in 1987, becoming Treasurer shortly thereafter, before being appointed as Finance Director and then Chief Executive. Nigel takes an active role in engaging with regulators and government on banking matters, particularly those which impact the UK mid-tier banking community. He is a member of HM Treasury’s Home Finance Forum and, until September 2023, was on the Board of UK Finance. Nigel was previously Chair of UK Finance’s Specialist Bank Advisory Committee, Chair of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, Chair of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association, Chair of the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) Consumer Finance Division and a board member of the FLA. He is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and in 2017 received an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University for services to the finance industry.
Anna Sherbakova has been with Moody’s since 2011. Anna joined Moody’s as an Associate on the Banking team, where she supported lead Analysts on regional banks and global investment banks. Currently Anna is a lead Analyst on Finance companies in several sectors, including Consumer Finance, Commercial Lenders, and BDCs. Prior to Moody’s, Anna worked at Praesidian Capital, a firm providing mezzanine financing to middle market companies. Anna started her career at Silicon Valley Bank in its Investment Banking and later in Commercial Lending groups. After Silicon Valley Bank, Anna worked at Fidelity Investments as a Research Associate on regional banks on the Fixed Income team.
Anna holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and BSBA from Boston University.
Alessandro Roccati joined Moody’s in May 2012 as a Senior Vice President in the Financial Institutions Group, based in London. His portfolio includes large European banks. Prior to joining Moody’s, Alessandro spent fifteen years in equity research as a senior analyst covering European banks at global investment banks: Macquarie, Man Group, Credit Lyonnais and Nikko Securities. He started his career as a credit analyst covering European banks at UniCredito. Alessandro graduated in economics from Bocconi University in Milan.
As part of the Data and Analytics Leadership team at LSEG, Emily leads the Analytics business and is the CEO of Yield Book. In this role Emily spearheads the transformation of trusted data into actionable and AI-powered insights across LSEG. With a background of over 15 years in quantitative financial analytics at leading institutions such as Lehman Brothers, Barclays and BlackRock, Emily has extensive experience developing analytics solutions for customers. Emily also holds board positions with Turquoise and Finbourne.
Kristen is a creative leader and strategic partner with deep expertise in strategy, design, transformation and innovation. Kristen is currently the Group Head of Partnerships and Innovation at Barclays, responsible for innovation, strategic partnerships and Generative AI.
Kristen’s career has involved the development and delivery of new products, services and ventures always working at the intersection of strategy, design and technology. Kristen was previously the Director of Innovation and Partnerships at NatWest focused on reimagining financial services for 19m customers. Kristen created “OX”, the award winning innovation design studios in London and Edinburgh where she and her team worked at the bounds of what is possible, using insight and emerging technologies.
Kristen was recognised by IBM as one of 35 exceptional women leaders globally for her work in artificial intelligence to transform NatWest’s business. Kristen is passionate about using strategic design and technology to solve our greatest challenges and is the Vice Chair of the Glasgow School of Art, a global leader in arts education.
Kristen holds a degree from Northwestern University and has completed Executive Education programs at INSEAD and the University of Cambridge.
Nigel’s early career began in investment banking, which included working for UBS where he ran its Financial Institutions Group. He joined the Group in 1987, becoming Treasurer shortly thereafter, before being appointed as Finance Director and then Chief Executive. Nigel takes an active role in engaging with regulators and government on banking matters, particularly those which impact the UK mid-tier banking community. He is a member of HM Treasury’s Home Finance Forum and, until September 2023, was on the Board of UK Finance. Nigel was previously Chair of UK Finance’s Specialist Bank Advisory Committee, Chair of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, Chair of the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association, Chair of the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) Consumer Finance Division and a board member of the FLA. He is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and in 2017 received an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University for services to the finance industry.
Steven Cooper CBE is the CEO of Aldermore Group, a leading specialist lending and savings bank.
Previously Steven was CEO of C.Hoare & Co and prior to that a Senior Executive at Barclays where he held a number of executive positions including CEO of Personal Banking for UK & Europe and CEO UK Business Banking. Steven is Chair of Experian UK, a NED of the recruitment firm Robert Walters PLC and he was a Co-Chair of the Social Mobility Commission until 2021.
He is a passionate advocate for social mobility; he is a regular speaker and media commentator on the issue and has recently joined forces with former Cabinet Minister Justine Greening to form the Equality of Opportunity Coalition.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Herriot Watt University and made a Commander of the British Empire – both for services to Banking and Social Mobility.
Antonello Aquino is Managing Director for EMEA Insurance and for Africa Banking. He is responsible for Moody’s analytic team maintaining Moody’s ratings on EMEA insurers and African banks. Antonello joined Moody’s in 2008 as a senior insurance analyst covering some of the major European (re)insurers.
Prior to Moody’s, Antonello was responsible for the FIG rating advisory practice at Credit Suisse in Europe. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Antonello was a senior analyst at S&P insurance and worked in the FIG M&A team of DrKW and ABN AMRO.
Antonello holds an MBA from HEC and is alumnus of London Business School. He graduated in business administration cum laude from Bocconi University in Italy. Antonello is fluent in English, Italian and French.
Anna Sherbakova has been with Moody’s since 2011. Anna joined Moody’s as an Associate on the Banking team, where she supported lead Analysts on regional banks and global investment banks. Currently Anna is a lead Analyst on Finance companies in several sectors, including Consumer Finance, Commercial Lenders, and BDCs. Prior to Moody’s, Anna worked at Praesidian Capital, a firm providing mezzanine financing to middle market companies. Anna started her career at Silicon Valley Bank in its Investment Banking and later in Commercial Lending groups. After Silicon Valley Bank, Anna worked at Fidelity Investments as a Research Associate on regional banks on the Fixed Income team.
Anna holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and BSBA from Boston University.
Alessandro Roccati joined Moody’s in May 2012 as a Senior Vice President in the Financial Institutions Group, based in London. His portfolio includes large European banks. Prior to joining Moody’s, Alessandro spent fifteen years in equity research as a senior analyst covering European banks at global investment banks: Macquarie, Man Group, Credit Lyonnais and Nikko Securities. He started his career as a credit analyst covering European banks at UniCredito. Alessandro graduated in economics from Bocconi University in Milan.
Colin Ellis is Moody’s first Global Credit Strategist, and a Managing Director in the Credit Strategy team.
In his current role, Colin provides thought leadership for the rating agency that deepens the understanding of ratings and debt capital markets through rigorous and quantitative research. He leads Moody’s teams working on default and ratings analytics and on global financial analysis, including bank projections and stress testing. Colin is also a member of Moody’s Macroeconomic Board, which sets the global forecasts that underpin Moody’s universe of ratings.
Colin joined Moody’s in February 2012, initially leading the work of the Macroeconomic Board and authoring the quarterly Global Macro Outlook. He subsequently worked in the Financial Institutions Group, developing quantitative forward-looking analyses. For 8 years he was the Chief Credit Officer for EMEA, leading analysis and coordination of credit and ratings across all rating franchises in the region. He was also the ‘Head of UK’ for Moody's Ratings, responsible for the running of Moody’s UK operations, from 2019-2022 including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to joining Moody’s, Colin held roles at the Bank of England, Daiwa Capital Markets, the BVCA and at Birmingham University. He has published papers on a range of topics including corporate investment and pricing, credit risk, private equity, data uncertainty, stress testing, financial contagion and monetary policy. Colin holds degrees from York University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Middlesex University. He is a Visiting Professor at Hult International Business School and LSBU, and is also a Fellow of the RSA.
Effie Tsotsani is a Vice President – Senior Analyst based in London and is the lead analyst for various financial institutions in the UK, Norway and Iceland.
Effie joined Moody’s in 2014 after working for eight years as an equity analyst covering the banking sector as a sell-side and buy-side analyst. Ms Tsotsani holds a Master of Science in Statistics from Athens University of Economic and Business and a Bachelor degree in Mathematics from National University of Athens.
Simon Ainsworth, who is based in London, is an Associate Managing Director responsible for the analytical teams maintaining ratings on Nordic and Baltic banks and on a range of European insurance companies.
Simon previously served as a Group Credit Officer. In that role he carried responsibility for monitoring ratings quality as well as assisting in the development and implementation of rating methodologies and practices applied to rated financial institutions within the EMEA region.
Simon joined Moody’s in March 2014 following sixteen years at the Bank of England.
At the Bank, he worked in a variety of roles primarily in its financial markets and banking operation divisions; as well as working on a variety of financial risk and crisis related issues. This included the resolution of failed banks, as well as responsibility for the risk management framework applied to collateral accepted in the Bank’s sterling market operations.Simon graduated from the University of Durham in 1998, having studied Economics and Politics. He is based in London.
Simon Harris is Managing Director for Global Financial Institutions, based in London. He is responsible for Moody’s analytic teams maintaining Moody’s ratings on banks and finance companies, re/insurers and funds and asset management globally. Simon joined Moody’s European Insurance team in 1998, working on analysis of UK and German life and non-life insurance groups, and prior to his current role held various managerial responsibilities, including EMEA Insurance, Nordic Banking and Global Insurance and Managed Investments. Prior to joining Moody’s, Simon was an actuary with Co-operative Financial Services in Manchester, England. Simon holds a B.A. in Economics from Leeds University, and is a Fellow of the UK Institute of Actuaries (FIA)
