Sesame Bankhall Group (SBG) has finalised the line-up of industry speakers for the Sesame Symposium and Bankhall Conference which are taking place in London on 8 and 10 January next year.

The events will include keynote speeches from Ivan Martin, SBG executive chairman and CEO George Higginson and will be hosted by TV personality Kate Silverton.

Higginson will update members on the strategic developments taking place within SBG and new services being delivered.

Other speakers on the day include Sir Bob Geldof on ‘Making a Difference’; Professor Ian Goldin, director of the Oxford Martin School at Oxford University, who will give an insight into world trends; and Rachel Elnaugh on the lessons she has learnt in business through her experiences as founder of Red Letter Days, and as a former panel member on BBC’s Dragon’s Den.

The conferences will also feature an expert panel debate with individuals from the financial services industry, including Friends Life CEO Andy Briggs, Aegon UK CEO Adrian Grace, Partnership CEO Steve Groves and Miguel Sard, managing director, Santander Intermediary Distribution.

Higginson said: “Our profession is going through unprecedented change and giving advisers a valuable insight into the latest thinking will place them in a strong position to succeed in the new RDR world. Our conferences are also an excellent opportunity for advisers to network with their peers and celebrate success.

“SBG has invested heavily and evolved into a broad-based financial services group, offering a wide range of propositions across distribution, wealth management and mortgages services. I look forward to sharing the latest developments with our members so that they can take advantage of the opportunities ahead.”