I'm delighted to announce that today I'm joining the Lending Standards Board as a non-executive director, alongside Paul Johnson from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and charity leader Caron Bradshaw. The LSB is the self regulatory body for the banking and financial services sectors. I hear first-hand from my listeners the challenges they can encounter when navigating the financial landscape; the LSB’s mission is to tackle those challenges and ensure customers get the right outcomes and support from their bank or lender. I’m looking forward to getting started and supporting the LSB as it sets the bar high in the financial services sector. Learn more about the work of the LSB HERE.   Please see below the official press release. Broadcaster Iain Dale, economist Paul Johnson, and charity leader Caron Bradshaw take on Non-Executive Director roles with the Lending Standards Board New NEDs replace Liz Barclay and Graham Peacop who have reached the end of their terms London, 4 April 2024: The Lending Standards Board (LSB) has added a wealth of policy and governance expertise to its Board with the Non-Executive Director appointments of charity sector leader Caron Bradshaw, broadcaster Iain Dale, and economist Paul Johnson. From 1 April, Caron, Iain and Paul have replaced Liz Barclay and Graham Peacop who have both served as Non-Executive Directors on the LSB’s Board since 2018 and have reached the end of their terms. The LSB is the primary self-regulatory body for the UK financial services sector, and ensures firms are always focused on achieving fair outcomes for customers when providing services or products. The LSB’s Standards and industry codes cover 90% of UK personal lending and £120bn of lending to SMEs. Its business Standards are the only protections of their kind available to SMEs, while the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code, overseen by the LSB, has pioneered fraud protections for consumers. Ken Scott, Chair of the LSB, comments: “We’re excited to welcome three outstanding individuals to the LSB’s Board. Their expertise in finance, consumer rights, policy, and governance will be instrumental as we continue to drive financial institutions to deliver better customer outcomes across the board. Our innovative Standards and agile approach to independent regulation enable us to address emerging customer harms and drive better outcomes. We’re committed to expanding our efforts and ensuring regulation keeps pace with the UK’s innovative financial services sector. This will allow even more customers to benefit from the protections our Standards provide. “My thanks go to Liz and Graham for their fantastic contributions to our Board over the past few years.” As a leading political commentator and author, Iain Dale has presented primetime shows on LBC Radio since 2010, and hosts a series of popular podcasts including ‘For the Many’, a political show co-hosted by former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. He is a contributor across the media with regular appearances in the Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard, BBC Newsnight, and on Good Morning Britain. Paul Johnson CBE serves as director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), the UK’s leading economic research institute. He writes a weekly column for the Times and is a visiting professor in the UCL Policy Lab. For ten years, Paul was a member of the UK Climate Change Committee and has also served on the council of the Royal Economic Society. Caron Bradshaw OBE has led Charity Finance Group (CFG) as Chief Executive Officer since 2010, having previously worked as Head of the Charity and Voluntary Sector at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). A trained Barrister, Caron has a wide array of experience across charity policy and professional ethics. Commenting on his appointment, Iain Dale says: “I am delighted to join the LSB as a Non-Executive Director. Just like in media and politics, accountability is key in financial services too. I hear first-hand from my listeners the challenges they can encounter when navigating the financial landscape, and I’m looking forward to sharing these experiences with the LSB. The goal is a financial landscape that consumers, SMEs and financial service providers can navigate with confidence, anchored in trust. Together, we can work to ensure that ethical lending and consumer protection become the norm in financial services.” Paul Johnson CBE says: “My work with the IFS has always been centred around upholding the highest possible standards of transparency, quality, and rigour in economics and social policy. It is a pleasure to be joining the LSB and be a part of shaping responsible financial standards – as well as flying the flag for building a financial landscape rooted in integrity.” Caron Bradshaw OBE says: “I am thrilled to be joining the LSB’s Board. My work with CFG champions best practice to create a trustworthy charity sector – values that resonate deeply with the LSB’s commitment to setting high standards in financial services. I look forward to collaborating with the team to ensure fair and responsible lending, fostering trust and accountability throughout the entire financial ecosystem.” Caron, Iain, and Paul join five other financial services experts on the LSB Board, including entrepreneur and LSB chair Ken Scott, fintech investor and advisor Mark Thompson, former head of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme Mark Neale, tech leader Debbie Forster MBE, and LSB chief executive Emma Lovell.    

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