How will financial services survive the next financial crisis or scandal? It’s the series finale, and have we got a finale for you. In this episode, we’re joined by legendary crisis communications expert Donald Steel, who gets upfront with financial adviser Emmanuel Asuquo about how financial services can hold on to their bank of trust and their reputations when the worst hits.

Tune in to hear Donald’s fascinating crisis management tales from his days at the BBC, why he thinks de-banking Nigel Farage was a massive mistake and why it’s good to have a bit of grey hair on your team when you’re dealing with a crisis.

This episode is full of gems to help you stay cool and calm in a crisis because, as Donald says, there’s nothing that can happen to you that you can’t predict and prepare for.

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Do we have to get up at 5 a.m. to be productive? It might work for the tech bros, but what about in the real world, like financial services, where 91% of people consistently work longer than their contracted hours and 60-80 hour weeks have become normalised? 

It’s time for a wake-up call. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber has helped thousands of people turbo-charge their productivity, well-being and energy levels. Now, she shares her productivity hacks with Emmanuel Asuquo on the Upfront podcast to help you improve your focus, prioritise your day and sleep better. And the good news is, you don’t have to get up at 5 a.m. to do it (unless you’re a Lark).

Listening to this episode could be the best 30 minutes you spend today.

Find out more about Dr Amantha Imber here: amantha.com

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Is it getting harder to make customer experience a priority? Most companies say it is a priority, yet 
37% of people think companies prioritise profit, with CX taking a backseat to cost-cutting and inflation.  

In this episode, Emmanuel talks to CX expert Amanda Stevens, who says too many companies are striving to deliver ‘lowball’ customer satisfaction, which is so “1989” compared to the magic that can happen when a business is radically customer-obsessed. 

Tune in as Amanda shares her ‘Five C’s’ framework for building a sustainable and profitable customer experience strategy that will turn your clients into raving fans who talk about you at dinner parties and BBQs.

Click HERE for Amanda Stevens' 'Turning Customers Into Advocates' FREE ebook!

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Does digital transformation cause more problems than it solves? With big enterprise-wide change comes big expectations, yet the reality doesn’t always match up. Only 20% of companies achieve more than three-quarters of their expected revenue gains. While only 17% achieve more than three-quarters of the cost savings they hoped for.

There’s no denying digital transformation is becoming more important in financial services, so how do you get it right? In this episode, Emmanuel Asuquo chats with fintech consultant David M. Brear about why big transformation projects fail - and how to ensure yours isn’t one of them.

Tune in to hear why he thinks digital transformation in financial services is only 1% done, how to get your team behind a winning mentality and strategy, and why you’ve got to cause some problems to solve them.

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Is a fear of maths putting people off doing more with their finances? Over half the working population has the numeracy levels of a primary school child, and a third of adults say they actively avoid anything to do with numbers and data. To find out what can be done to change this, we’ve called in the big guns - mathematician and comedian Adam Spencer. 

Join Adam and our host, Emmanuel Asuquo, for a fun and fascinating chat about money and maths. Are we teaching maths all wrong? What effect is a cashless society having on children’s understanding of money? Can we make finance fun? Why are some infinities bigger than others? And was learning Pi a complete waste of time? 

Tune in for the answers and some mind-bending facts about numbers and the universe that might make you see maths differently.

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Are financial services doing enough to help neurodiverse people? 20% of the population is estimated to be neurodivergent (ND), yet reports show investment firms and financial advisers are falling short when it comes to serving people with cognitive differences like autism, ADHD and dyslexia.

In this episode, Emmanuel Asuquo talks to Krystle McGilvery, a behavioural finance expert and founder of Mind Over Money, to learn more about what ND means, how it shows up, and how it affects money management.

Listen now to hear Krystle talk about her experiences as an ND’er. She also has some advice to help the financial services sector better serve and support its ND customers, including the small changes that can make a big difference.

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What’s shaking up the financial advice sector? Something big according to our guests John O’Mahony and Professor Deen Saunders, the authors of a new report Advice 2030: The Big Shift.

Join financial adviser Emmanuel Asuquo as he chats to John and Deen about the seven megatrends impacting financial advice over the next five years and the choices that every advice business must make now if they want a piece of the enormous opportunity that awaits.

Can you hear that? It’s the big shift, and it’s coming. You’d better get ready.

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Is financial services failing women? That’s the upfront question for our guest, Camilla Love, the founder of Future Females in Finance, who aims to get more women into - and interested in - finance.

Join our host, Emmanuel Asuquo, as he explores the shocking statistics about the gender wealth and pay gap and the role the financial services sector has in closing it.

There might be positive signs of progress, but the pace of change is driving Camilla nuts. If things stay as they are, we’ll still be talking about this in 100 years' time (er, will podcasts still be around then?), and it could be decades before we see any real change.

So tune in to hear what she’s doing about it and the advice she has for everyone in the financial sector to make change happen sooner rather than later.

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What do the most successful financial advisers do differently? That’s the upfront question for our guest, financial advice marketing expert and the world’s best G&T maker, Philip Calvert. Join host and fellow financial adviser Emmanuel Asuquo as he uncovers the tricks and techniques guaranteed to win and retain clients.

Tune in to find out how to use your expertise as a financial planner or adviser to make more money, what to do with all that juicy client data you’ve got, and the one thing you simply cannot ignore.

This episode is bursting with practical advice to help you generate more business in ways you might not have thought of. Emman’s got his pen out, ready to take some notes, and you should, too. You can’t afford to miss it.

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Would you take financial advice from someone in a hoodie? That’s the upfront question for the double espresso personal brand coach, Jennifer Holloway. Join new host financial adviser Emmanuel Asuquo as he kicks off Series 3 in style with a fun and fascinating conversation about building a personal brand that’s true to you and why you should accept that not everyone’s gonna like it.

The gems are flying all over the place in this episode, so tune in now for invaluable advice on how to sell yourself (without sounding like an idiot) in a way that will pay dividends for the rest of your career.

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Listen up! The award-winning, hard-hitting financial services podcast from Iress is back for Series 3.

Emmanuel Asuquo is a financial adviser, TV personality, author and now the new host of Upfront! 

He’ll be asking the questions that nobody else is asking and getting guests to drop some serious gems to help you shine.

Series three is full of upfront conversations that everyone in financial services needs to hear, like:

What do the most successful financial advisers do differently? Are financial services doing enough to help neurodiverse people? Is a fear of maths and numbers putting people off finance? Does digital transformation cause more problems than it solves? Do you have to get up at 5am to be productive? Is it getting harder to make customer experience a priority?

As always, expect honesty, expect humour. Just don’t expect it to sound like any other financial services podcast.

The first episode of Season 3 releases on Wednesday 26th June, and then every two weeks from then. Subscribe to Upfront so you never miss one. Get in touch at [email protected] and visit the blog at iress.com/upfront.

Upfront is a 10-part series from Iress, the people behind the world-leading financial services software.

Find us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/iress/ and at www.iress.com

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