Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Accountability in corporate governance and financial institutions 19 June 2014 | 9:00 - 17:00 | Conference Room 1.28 (Moot Courtroom), Liberty Building In the wake of the financial crisis there has been much discussion about whether boards (particularly of banks, but also more generally) are sufficiently accountable. A key government policy is to make companies more accountable to shareholders and the public. Yet little has been done to explain what accountability means in this context, its benefits, what obstacles exist to accountability, and what mechanisms might be introduced or modified to enhance it. This conference will explore these questions. The debate over accountability raises issues that are common to the areas of both corporate governance and financial institutions law. Accountability in financial institutions may be promoted either through corporate governance mechanisms or through financial regulatory mechanisms. The relationship between regulation and accountability is relevant to both spheres, as are issues about the effectiveness and appropriateness of various accountability mechanisms. Topics covered include: What is the correct balance between accountability and directorial and executive discretion? To whom should directors be accountable? What role do and should institutional investors have in promoting accountability? Can, and should, disqualification be looked to as an accountability mechanism. What is the relationship between accountability and regulation in the financial sector? The accountability of financial institutions to borrowers The role of financial supervisors. This one day inter-disciplinary conference involving lawyers, business school academics, regulators and industry representatives will be of interest to a wide range of academic disciplines, policy-makers, company officers and legal practitioners, including in-house lawyers. CPD accreditation for SRA confirmed; CPD accreditation for Bar applied for. Confirmed speakers

• Professor Melvin Dubnick (Keynote Address) (University of New Hampshire, USA)
• Professor Andrew Keay (University of Leeds, UK)
• Dr Marc Moore (UCL, UK)
• Mr Andrew Ninian (Assistant Director, Head of Corporate Governance, Association of British Insurers)
• Professor Jeroen Delvoie (Vrijie University of Brussels, Belgium)
• Professor Terry McNulty (University of Liverpool, UK)
• Professor Bob Ferguson (Head of the Wealth Management & Private Banking, Supervision Division, Financial Conduct)
• Dr Paul Sanderson (University of Cambridge, UK)
• Professor Joan Loughrey (University of Leeds, UK)
• Professor Iain MacNeil (University of Glasgow, UK)
• Professor Andy Campbell (University of Leeds, UK)
• Dr Sarah Brown (University of Leeds, UK)