The Investment Business Seminar 2010

Painless compliance, optimising the "Grandfathering" scheme and views about replacing the lost income

Reserve Your Place on this Seminar Today 

This event will demonstrate, step by step, that compliance with regulation is not that difficult if the relevant and practical procedures are in place, and that your experience can be beneficial in obtaining recognition, enabling you to continue to act for your clients after 31 December 2010.

Expert Panel Chaired by Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev
The downturn in the economic climate has seen a sizeable portion of income depleted from accountancy firms that are registered as investment business intermediaries.

• Where to now - what will become of this income stream?
• How can it be generated again and what shape will future investment business take?
• Investment business intermediaries face challenges in 2010

Objectives
This event will discuss the future shape of investment business, where experts will share their views.  We will examine the regulations and explain how to make compliance easy and how to reduce risk. 

The "Grandfathering" arrangements are in place until the end of 2010.  We will demonstrate how companies should be adopting the process to reap the necessary rewards.

Who should attend?
This event is designed for practices and individuals who are authorised under the Investment Intermediaries Act.

Content

• An overview of compliance with the Regulations, the pitfalls and common breaches and how to avail of the grandfathering arrangements which are available only until 31 December 2010. 
• How to comply with the requirement of the Investment Business Regulations as painlessly as possible.
• How to refer to ATPs
• The "Grandfathering" process - how to employ your experience of Investment Business to allow you to continue doing the work without having to sit exams!
• How to organise the appropriate, relevant information to demonstrate that you can "Grandfather" experience to meet the competency requirements
• How to apply compliance in the firm
• Receive checklists and templates which will take the fear and the pain out of compliance and reduce your exposure when referring to an ATP
• Investment business - what went wrong, the future
• The Re-emergence of the trusted personal adviser

Schedule

09:15 - 09:45-  The Global and Local Economic Outlook

• Impact on Investment Business
• Impact on Investment Business Advice

Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev

 09:45 - 11:00 - The Technical Skills

• Getting it right first time
• Regulation and Compliance - avoiding the pitfalls and navigating the maze

Michelle Kane

11:00 - 11:20 - Break for refreshment and networking 

11:20 - 12:00 - The "Grandfathering" Process

• Organising the appropriate, relevant information to demonstrate the ability to "Grandfather"
• Meeting the competency requirements
• Employing your experience of Investment Business to allow you to continue doing the work without having to sit exams

Michelle Kane

12:00 - 13:00 - Hear from the Experts, Chaired by Constantin Gurdgiev

Part 1 - Frank O'Brien

• The genesis and unfolding of the Credit Crisis, and the attitudes that caused it
• The impact of the crisis on financial markets, particularly Ireland
• The lessons we have learned, or more correctly re-learned - the Known Knowns, how we should apply these in future
• The implications for Economies, Financial Markets and Investment Strategy

Part 2 - Vincent Digby

• Outlook for Investment Business in the Medium Term
• The imminent threats
• The likely opportunities
• "Tooling Up" your business to do the job

 13:00    Discussion & Close   

About the Speakers

Vincent Digby
Vincent is principal adviser with Impartial.  He is a Qualified Financial Adviser and has more than twenty years of front line Capital Markets trading experience. From 1995-2007, Vincent held senior management positions in Bank of Ireland Global Markets. As Head of Trading in Dollar, Sterling and Euro Money Markets, he had a 100% track record in exceeding targets.

Before establishing Impartial, Vincent Digby held the position of Head of Funding Bank of Ireland Global Markets from 2003-07. Vincent is internationally known as an expert in Irish Covered Bonds or Asset Covered Securities. He presented at financial seminars across Europe, the U.S and Asia.

Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev

Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev is Adjunct Lecturer in Finance with Trinity College, Dublin. He serves as a Chairman of the Ireland-Russia Business Association and Chief Economist of the Irish Exporters Association.

Constantin holds PhD in Macroeconomics and Finance from Trinity College, Dublin, MA in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and MA in Mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was the recipient of the Millennium Scholar Award from the University of Chicago, 1997-1999 and the Johns Hopkins University Award 1998 to 2000, in addition to the Whatley Award from the Trinity College, Dublin in 2000-2003.

His previous roles included Group Editor and Director of Business & Finance Publications, Head of Global Strategy and Research with Heinz Associates and Director of Research with NCB Stockbrokers.

Michelle Kane

Michelle joined OmniPro at the beginning of 2010 having spent over 19 years within the Practice Regulation Directorate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and subsequently within the Chartered Accountants Regulatory Board.  She acted as the Institute's and CARB's representative at several joint committees which involved working alongside many of the other accountancy bodies and Law Societies, as well as with external regulators such as the Financial Regulator and the Financial Services Authority in the UK.  She was responsible for the negotiation of ICAI's Investment Intermediaries Act Regulations with the Central Bank of Ireland, the Department of Finance and with the Financial Regulator.  She regularly spoke at courses and seminars provided by ICAI and CARB on investment business compliance, committee processes and common issues, and on anti money laundering.

Frank O'Brien
Frank O'Brien has over forty years' experience of investment research and fund management as an investment analyst, fund manager and chief investment officer. His experience ranges over all asset classes and across the full spectrum of client types.

In November 1998 Frank fulfilled a long planned ambition by launching Frank O'Brien Investment Strategies Limited. The Company is a financial markets consultancy advising the investment industry on structures, process, styles, skill sets, resourcing and strategies.

Frank is a Certified Accountant. He was Chairman of ACCA Ireland's Financial Services Network, 1998-2000 and president ACCA Ireland in 2004/5. He is a founding member and a former Chairman of the Society of Investment Analysts in Ireland, now CFA Ireland. He is a Director of a number of companies and a trustee of two large pension funds.

 Reserve Your Place on this Seminar Today