The 2008 IBF Annual Conference and AGM - Talent Strategies for Sustained Profitable Growth

The recent IBF Annual Conference on Talent Strategies for Sustained Profitable Growth held on Friday, 20th June 2008 attracted about 200 senior executives from the financial sector. Positive feedback from the participants indicates that the conference has provided an effective platform for thought - provoking discussions and networking opportunities. They have also commented that it is a major event for CEOs and senior HR practitioners seeking to maximise their investment in talent and enhance business performance so as to achieve sustained growth and gain the crucial competitive advantage.

Guest of Honour, Mr Heng Swee Keat, Managing Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore and Chairman of IBF, spoke on the recent developments in global financial markets and the resulting implications on human resources strategy. Mr. Heng also highlighted the milestones that IBF had achieved in working with the industry to build a world class financial sector workforce.

Professor Ronald Collard, Partner in Human Resources Consulting, Financial Services at PwC UK, and member of the Global Financial Services Leadership Team representing HR Services and Visiting Professor at the University Of Bath School Of Management, was the keynote speaker for the conference.

Professor Collard's in-depth presentation highlighted talent management strategies for the financial sector and emphasized the need for senior management to recognize the business-critical role of talent development and retention.

The keynote presentation was complemented by a lively exchange amongst the panelists, chaired by Mr David Wong, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, South East Asia ABN AMRO Bank N.V. Singapore and comprising panel members Mr. Richard Stanley, Chief Executive Officer, DBS Group Holdings & DBS Bank; Mr. Robert Stead, Chief Executive Officer, Allianz Insurance Company of Singapore Pte Ltd; and Mr. Mark Morgan, Managing Director, Director of Human Resources, Citi Global Wealth Management International. The senior management executives discussed issues such as mobility of talent, best practices in talent management and the challenge of building a viable talent pipeline.

In conjunction with the Annual Conference, IBF also arranged for an FICS Training Fair to showcase the latest FICS programmes. The training fair featured IBF's Lead Providers, namely Financial Training Institute @ SMU, International Compliance Association, NUS Risk Management Institute, Singapore College of Insurance and Wealth Management Institute.