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TheCityUK National Conference 2026

Conference

19 November 2026
09:30 - 15:00 GMT
Register now
Our National Conference 2026 will take place in Bristol at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel on Thursday 19 November 2026.

The conference, sponsored by Hargreaves Lansdown, will bring together policymakers, regulators and senior industry leaders from across the UK’s regions and nations to discuss the financial and related professional services industry’s role in driving growth across the UK.

This year's conference comes at an ideal time, with the Prime Minister pushing ahead with the most significant expansion of devolution in a generation, meaning that questions about investment, growth and delivery are top of the agenda.

Themes to be covered include:

• How devolved government can accelerate economic growth and unlock new opportunities.
• The role of financial and related professional services in supporting investment, regeneration and innovation.
• How industry, mayors, devolved administrations and national government can work together to deliver growth in practice.

Confirmed speakers:

• Sarah Pritchard, Deputy CEO, Financial Conduct Authority
• David Williams, Office Senior Partner, Bristol, KPMG
• Sarah Harrison, Head of Client and Product Outcomes, Hargreaves Lansdown
• Alice Perry, Director of Political Advocacy, Aviva
• Dr Carol McNaughton Nicholls, Managing Partner, Thinks Insight & Strategy
• Mahrie Webb, Partner, Simmons & Simmons LLP
• Michael Buchanan, Partner, Real Estate, CMS
• Stacey Parson, Managing Director, RetailBook
• General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBE, Co-Chair of TheCityUK Defence and Resilience Group

Details of further speakers will be announced shortly.

Agenda

Time

Session

09:30 - 09:35

CEO's welcome
Miles Celic OBE, Chief Executive Officer, TheCityUK

09:35 - 10:20

Panel 1
Don't Look Back to Whitehall: Turning Devolution into Growth

Devolution is accelerating. But shifting powers is only the start. This session will explore how government, industry and local leaders can turn greater autonomy into faster decisions, stronger investment and growth that reaches every part of the UK.

Mahrie Webb, Partner, Simmons & Simmons LLP 

Alice Perry, Director of Political Advocacy, Aviva 

10:20 - 10:50

Keynote and in-conversation 
Sarah Pritchard, Deputy Chief Executive, Financial Conduct Authority 

Chair: Miles Celic OBE, CEO, TheCityUK

10:50 – 11:20

Coffee and networking

11:20 - 12:05

Growth sprint
Big challenges need fresh thinking and practical solutions. Led by partners from the Office for Investment, this fast-paced session will bring delegates together to forge new ideas, challenge established thinking and identify the action needed to turn local ambition into growth.

12:05 - 12:45

In conversation with Dr Carol McNaughton Nicholls, Thinks Insight
Drawing on the latest research from Thinks Insight, this session will take the temperature of the industry's reputation, explore what is driving trust and perceptions of its contribution, and ask what that means for how we tell our story.

Chair: John Godfrey, Managing Director for Public Affairs, Policy and Research

12:45 - 13:45

Networking lunch

13:45 - 14:30

Panel 2
Bricks, steel and capital: how investment becomes reality and the difference it makes

From creating a nation of investors to getting capital behind the projects that can transform places, investment is fundamental to growth. This sessions will explore the full investment landscape: widening participation, mobilising long-term capital, creating investable opportunities and ensuring finance reaches the businesses, infrastructure and critical projects that can accelerate growth.

Chair: David Williams, Office Senior Partner, South West and Wales Region, KPMG
Sarah Harrison, Head of Client and Product Outcomes, Hargreaves Lansdown
Stacey Parsons, Managing Director, RetailBook
Michael Buchanan, Partner, Real Estate, CMS 

14:30 - 15:00

Are we ready? Security in and age of uncertainty
A discussion with General Sir Richard Barrons KCB CBE, Co-Chair of TheCityUK Defence and Resilience Group

Chair: Prof. Caroline Field, MSc CEng FICE, PE, RSES, Co-Founder of the Centre for Whole of Society Resilience

15:00 - 15:05

Closing remarks
Miles Celic OBE, Chief Executive Officer, TheCityUK

Location:

Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TA

Conference
19 November 2026
09:30 - 15:00 GMT
Related

10 ideas for the government's 10-year plan

Read more

Sponsor:

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Attendance at the National Conference 2026 is free for our members. Non-member prices for the conference are:

Attend in-person for non-members

- Early bird discount rate - £320 + VAT (ends Thursday 22 October)
- Standard rate – £370 + VAT

Watch live online for non-members

- Early bird discount rate - £80 + VAT (ends Thursday 22 October)
- Standard rate - £100 + VAT

Please register for this event using the form at the bottom of this page and our Events team will be in touch to confirm your place.

Highlights from our National Conference 2025

Keynote speeches:

Tracy Brabin

Mayor of West Yorkshire

Dr Carol McNaughton Nicholls

Managing Partner, Thinks Insight & Strategy

Presentation and Q&A with John Godfrey, Managing Director, Public Affairs, Policy and Research, TheCityUK

Miles Celic OBE

Chief Executive Officer, TheCityUK

Panel sessions:

Investment sprint

This session engaged with key partners to help identify the barriers to investment and how the public and private sector can work together to alleviate these.

  • Cat Smith, Senior Manager, Yorkshire and the Humber, British Business Bank
  • Tim Newns, Director, Business Development, Office for Investment
  • Nicola Watkinson, Managing Director, International, TheCityUK (Chair)

One Year and counting: Unpacking the government’s growth agenda

  • Susan Allen OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Yorkshire Building Society (Chair)
  • Antony Manchester, Co-Head of EMEA Government Affairs and Public Policy, BlackRock
  • Andrew Myhill, Director of Public Affairs, UK & EMEA, Aon
  • Mandy Ridyard, Mayor’s Business Adviser, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
  • Raoul Ruparel OBE, Senior Director, Centre for Growth, Boston Consulting Group

Innovation revolution: How the industry is maintaining its cutting edge to drive growth and investment

  • Kuangyi Wei, Strategy Principal Director, Accenture UK & Ireland and member, TheCityUK Next Generation Leadership Council (Chair)
  • Jane Galvin, Head, Corporate Clients, Santander UK
  • Olga Ponomarenko, Partner, Latham & Watkins
  • Nick Quin, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, LINK
  • Julian Wells, Director, FinTech North

Local Powerhouses: How new bases for public bodies are changing their culture and relationship with the industry

  • Rachel Taylor, Government and Health Industries Leader, PwC (Chair)
  • Patricia Galloway, Chief People Officer, National Wealth Fund
  • William Hague, Director, Leeds Office, Financial Conduct Authority
  • Tanveer Hussain, Head of Risk & Assurance Division, PRA, Bank of England
  • Ellie Moir, Deputy Director, Darlington Leadership Team, HM Treasury
Register for this event

Please note, our conferences are free to attend for our members, however we do charge a fee for non-members to attend. A link to our terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of this page.

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