Report on the AFM Conference 2011 The AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting was held on 3 rd and 4 th November at the Palace Hotel, Manchester. Over 200 people, from AFM members, Associates and organisations that support the sector congregated at the former offices of Refuge Assurance (now a part of Royal London). This report provides a chronological overview of the event, summarises the feedback received, and includes the minutes of the AGM. Copies of most of the slides used over the course of the two days are available to view on the AFM website: www.financialmutuals.org/events/conference-2011. Pre-conference gathering With the agenda kicking of early on Thursday morning, a number of delegates were able to join an informal dinner on the Wednesday night, hosted by JP Morgan in the hotel s Copper Faced Jacks bar. This proved a really good opportunity for informal networking- and given that nearly two-thirds of attendees indicated that networking was the most valuable aspect of the conference to them, we will look to offer a similar informal evening for future conferences. Exhibition Hall A vibrant part of the AFM conference is always the exhibition hall, with an array of organisations that work with and support the mutual sector. We were delighted this year to welcome 20 exhibitorsso many in fact that the stands overspilled into different parts of the conference venue. With lunches and coffee breaks in the exhibition hall, there was a lively atmosphere at peak times, and a number of exhibitors reported very positively on the business opportunities that resulted. AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 1
Thursday morning Paul Hudson, CEO of Cirencester friendly, and Chair of the Smaller friendly societies and mutuals forum, introduced the first morning of the conference. This session featured a presentation by George Mohacsi, President of Foresters Group- the Canadian parent of AFM member Forester Life. George gave an insightful presentation on the fraternal routes of Foresters, as well as the Canadian insurance market- which already features dual regulation. Following George was a panel of Investment Managers, featuring four of our Associate members: Legal & General Investment Management; Rathbones; Investec Wealth and Investment; and Quilters. The broad theme of the discussion was managing investments in a difficult climate, which achieved a broader similarity of views that might have been expected. Thursday afternoon breakout sessions The Thursday afternoon was given over to a series of breakout sessions. Each of three sessions was run on three occasions, with delegates moving between the three. Each session lasted nearly 90 minutes, and it was clear that presenters worked hard to make their sessions informative and enjoyable: Oliver Wyman hosted a session that explored the running of an insurance company post-solvency II, with a computer simulation running attendees through a number of scenarios to demonstrate the impact across the business; JP Morgan hosted a session of investment markets and the implications of Solvency II, which explored some of the consequences for investment portfolios, as well as an engaging puzzle about the shape of world markets for a range of commodities; Redtag hosted a session focused on planning issues for mutuals. This provided an opportunity for short presentations on the RDR; data protection; training and development; and sector remuneration. Gala dinner We had 212 bookings for this black tie event, which was held in the Grand Room of the hotel. Pre-dinner drinks were sponsored by new Associate members Frontier Investment Management, who also recruited a magician that travelled around the reception and the dinner tables with a range of impressive tricks. The menu for the dinner was themed to the North-West- including local delicacies such as black pudding and eccles cakes. Wine though replaced Boddingtons Beer. AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 2
Our post-dinner entertainment was provided by comedian Bobby Davro. Bobby was a last-minute replacement as the booked entertainer was unwell. His style of cabaret received, it must be said, some mixed views, but within the feedback as many people rated him very good or excellent as did poor. For those concerned at his apparent antics, particularly in relation to one of our guest speakers, I am assured that no offence was taken. Friday morning conference sessions and AGM The first event of the Friday morning was the second Annual General Meeting of the AFM, chaired by John Reeve, AFM Chairman and CEO of Family Investments. A full report is attached to this report. John, who received an early reminder that it was his 64 th birthday, also chaired the remainder of the day, which started with our two keynote speakers: Jonathan Evans MP, and Eleanor Linton of the FSA. Jonathan quickly established his own strong roots in mutuality, as well as those of the community in Cardiff North that he represents. As chair of the All Party Political group for building societies and financial mutuals, he is the cheerleader for the financial mutual sector in parliament. In his view, whilst some see the sector as an historical anachronism he believes the sector has a more important role to play in the future- such as in helping the government in the development of new products, such as for long-term care or income protection. The challenge for the sector is to up its game, such as to take greater responsibility to ensure governance is leading edge, and to ensure customer service remains superior. AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 3
Eleanor Linton is Head of Retail Life in the FSA s Prudential business unit, whose department supervises virtually all AFM members. Eleanor described the role of the PRA (Prudential Regulatory Authority) once twin peaks regulation is introduced- with the two key objectives of helping achieve financial stability, and securing appropriate protection for policyholders. She highlighted the importance of risk assessment as well as the structure of governance and the quality of data provided to the Board. Eleanor stressed the importance of regular meetings with AFM and of working with the sector in the future. Questions from the floor included: a couple on with profits- on which Jonathan Evans indicated that whilst it was fine for the FSA to be neutral on business ownership, creating disproportionate burdens was not, whilst Eleanor confirmed FSA is open to amend draft rules on Chrysalis, but does not yet have a solution; a question on supervisors acting on matters still subject to consultation elicited reassurance from Eleanor that rules not appropriately made should not be applied when asked to rate the coalition Government on marks out of ten for support to mutuals, Jonathan conceded the score was not high, but there had been an improvement since the report on Corporate Diversity. Following this, delegates elected to attend one of three breakout sessions on offer, designed to reflect the key markets AFM members are involved in of life, non-life and healthcare, with subjects covering: with profits; the gender directive; and prospects for a health network. The final session of the conference was a panel discussion looking at future trends in the mutual insurance sector. Each of five presenters made remarks covering: Deloitte covered a report launched for the conference which looked at future proofing the sector against some of the challenges ahead; BDO presented some thought provoking content on trends in customer service and the implications for mutuals over the next few years; Mazars explored governance arrangements in the mutual sector, and analysed key trends in the quality of governance; Lansons Communications considered the political and consumer agenda, reflecting the work they have been engaged by AFM to lead; Mick McAteer of the Financial Inclusion Centre highlighted the role for mutuals in helping consumers get access to the financial services they need. AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 4
Attendee feedback This year we asked delegates to provide feedback online. The opportunity to take more time to ponder on the event, and to provide more constructive comments was clearly useful, and we had over 60 responses, with most providing commentary in addition to responses to core questions. We are reviewing the feedback very carefully: whilst there were few specific concerns or criticisms, there were plenty of suggestions for next year s event, and I hope you ll see evidence of having listened to as many as practical. In the meantime, some charts summarising feedback are provided below: AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 5
(Further feedback results are available on request.) AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 6
Finally, our thanks to everyone who attended this year s conference, and in particular to our speakers, exhibitors and sponsors, and to House of Usher for helping with organisation of the event. Plans for the 2012 conference, which is likely to take place week commencing 15 October are already advanced, and we hope to announce the venue and arrangements by the end of 2011. Martin Shaw Association of Financial Mutuals, November 2011 AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 7
Minutes of the Second Annual General Meeting of the Association of Financial Mutuals At the Palace Hotel, Manchester on 4 November 2011 1. The Chairman, John Reeve, opened the Annual General Meeting of the Association. 1a. Emily Hughes and Stefan Petrie of Oddfellows were appointed as tellers. 2. Review of Progress The Chief Executive, Martin Shaw presented a review of the year and informed the meeting that there were a couple of resolutions to present. He told the meeting that AFM is working closely with the AFM Board, the FSA, the Treasury and with MPs, and is finding external stakeholders are becoming more supportive of the messages being put to them about the value of the mutual sector. The Chief Executive reported increased engagement from the Treasury over the last two months, working towards the new UK regulators. AFM is actively supporting work on changes to the regulatory tax regimes post Solvency II. He explained that there are a various opportunities for members to get involved in the work of the AFM, including newsletters, the new Website and through Corporate Governance work. The Chief Executive informed the meeting that there are six key priorities on which AFM reports to the AFM Board quarterly, to demonstrate that the work is consistent with what the Board was looking for. Focus is on issues that affect us as Mutuals, and not Insurers. 3. Plans and Budget for 2011/2012 The Chief Executive reported a surplus for 2010/11 albeit lower than planned as the Board took the opportunity to engage legal advice on the issue of mutual capital. This year s budget shows greater focus on lobbying effort, and is planned to produce a small surplus. The Chief Executive thanked everyone for supporting the relatively sharp increase in subscriptions. 4. Update on the Annotated Combined Code The Chief Executive confirmed that the results of the 2010 exercise on the Annotated Corporate Governance had been circulated. The trend was fairly consistent with previous years and the split between performance of firms has been fairly level. It was reported that it appears members are comfortable with the level of compliance they are achieving and with explaining the areas that are not a fit with their business. AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 8
The Chief Executive also reported on changes in the Annotated Corporate Governance Code, and stated these would be the changes they would be working through in the Compliance exercise next year. The new broad categories are: Leadership / Effectiveness / Accountability / Remuneration / Relations with Members. There are also changes to the Chairman s Report and how he reports on his observance of Corporate Governance. Finally the ACC recommends annual re-election of Directors; though evidence from FTSE 100 companies indicates slow adoption in the corporate world, albeit AFM has incorporated annual re-elections. The annual compliance exercise will be launched in January, with a focus on the changes to the Annotated Combined Code, and a greater degree of transparency in corporate governance reporting by members. Robert Wharton of Thrings, who has been looking at remuneration, reports having seen an improvement in the reporting. 5. Board Appointments The Deputy Chair, Mark Goodale, provided a brief overview of the nomination process for the Board this year. In accordance with the constitution, members of the outgoing Board of Directors are responsible for appointing a Board for the following term. In accordance with best practice the AFM has moved to annual elections, and nominations this year were sought in June, and in July the Board reviewed those nominations. If there are acceptable a Board is appointed, which is then subject to approval at the AGM. Eighteen nominations were received for 2011/12, which is the maximum allowed by the constitution. In addition, the Board also verified that the composition remains sufficiently representative of all the members. The July Board approved the nominations and the composition is subject to approval today. The Deputy Chair drew the meeting s attention to two members from smaller companies. The composition was accepted unanimously. 6. To receive the Statutory Report and accounts for period ending 30 June 2011. The Chairman asked if there were any questions on the accounts, there being none the meeting unanimously approved the Statutory Report and accounts. 7. Any Other Business There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting. AFM Conference and Annual General Meeting, 2011 Page 9