Upfront

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, s...

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...

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 ...

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 m...

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’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 opportunit...

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 i...

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 d...

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 epi...

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 does the financial services business of the future look like?
 
It’s 2023. We’re in an age of artificial intelligence, digital data and supercomputers. So, er, why is the financial services industry still using pens, paper and post? 
 
In this episode, Olga is joined by global futurist and innovation strategist Anders Sorman-Nilsson, who says the industry is doing too much menial and mundane work. He talks about wh...

What will make financial services a sector where people want to work and stay?
 
The lack of diversity in financial services is putting people off joining the industry - brilliant people who could be bringing much-needed skills, new ideas and different perspectives to the sector.
 
In this episode, Olga is joined by renowned financial adviser and TV personality Emmanuel Asuquo. He talks about his experience joining the ...

Who will take one for the team for a better, fairer financial system?

Financial services and technology are moving fast. But stop. We need to pause and ask ourselves what we’re really doing, and who for, otherwise we risk not making progress at all.

In this episode, Olga is joined by Adah Parris, a creative provocateur who helps people see the world differently. She wants financial institutions to get out of their echo chambers, as...

What is the future of work?

It’s the question everyone wants the answer to. Has anyone got it right yet? The jury’s out. One thing’s for sure, we all want to work smarter, not longer. 

In this episode, Olga is joined by Charlotte Lockhart, co-founder of 4 Day Week Global. She talks about why a focus on productivity, not time, can help us all be happier, healthier and more successful. Anne-Marie Lister, Chief People Officer at Atom ...

Can responsible investing change the world?

It’s going to take $2.5 trillion to solve the world’s societal and environmental problems. Financial services have the means to help, but first, the industry must ask itself some big and difficult questions.
 
One man who’s not afraid to ask those questions is James Perry, an entrepreneur and founder of ethical investment company Snowball. He talks to Olga Koch about ripping up the ...

Do financial services need to lighten up?
 
Everyone loves a deal, and this time, you’re getting two for one as Olga is joined by fellow stand-up comedian and consumer champion Vix Leyton.
 
In this episode, Olga and Vix find the funny in everything from car insurance to student bank accounts and badly-advised store cards. They share their experiences of playing fast and loose with pensions, impressing financial adviser...

How can financial services fight AI-based cybercrime?

Deep fakes and voice cloning are being used in increasingly sophisticated and nefarious ways, raising questions about what’s real and who we can trust.

In this episode, comedian Olga Koch is joined by Skeeve Stevens, ex-hacker and founder of The Future Crime Agency. He talks about new cybersecurity threats, old spy techniques, fighting fire with fire, and what terrifies and exci...

How do we stop imposter syndrome getting in the way of success?

70% of people get imposter syndrome and it also negatively impacts organisations, particularly in high-performance cultures like financial services.

In this episode, comedian Olga Koch is joined by confidence coach, Alison Shamir. She talks about why imposter syndrome must be tackled and shares three steps to defeat it plus some advice every employer needs to hear.

ire...

How do we get more people to understand the importance of financial planning?

Making a financial decision is scientifically proven to be one of the hardest things for a human to do. We just can’t get our heads round it, so we bury them in the sand instead.

In this episode, comedian Olga Koch is joined by one of the UK’s leading behavioural economists, Mark Pittaccio (Quilter). He talks about why good people make bad decisions and s...