We hosted our annual compliance summit at the Chartered Accountants' Hall at One Moorgate Place in the City of London, focusing on the future of compliance.
Over 100 industry leaders, compliance professionals, and technology experts gathered in person, with more than 300 attending our live stream, to reimagine the future of compliance in an increasingly digital world.
Our annual summit explored the pillars we believe shape this future: innovation, data-led compliance, culture and value for money.
After a networking breakfast, the summit kicked off with insights into innovative practices, where we unpacked the challenges ahead, innovative solutions and the results of our recent benchmarking survey.
Jo Salter MBE, the first female fast-jet fighter pilot in the RAF, blended her pioneering aviation career with lessons on leadership, resilience, bias, and human potential. Drawing on stories from flying fast jets, military survival training, and corporate leadership, she challenged conventional ideas about confidence, capability, and what it means to lead in today’s complex world.
Jo's message centred around leadership, starting with self-awareness. This includes how we show up, manage fear, treat others, and how willing we are to stretch beyond our comfort zones. Jo highlighted that fear and discomfort are not signals to stop, but indicators of growth. She reframed resilience not as toughness measured against others, but as something deeply personal, shaped by life experience.
Jo also spoke candidly about bias, both overt and subtle, and the cost of "fitting in" at the expense of authenticity. As a pioneer, she often had to adapt to systems not designed for her, while simultaneously acting as a catalyst for change. Across military and corporate contexts, she emphasised that effective leadership is not about ego, hierarchy, or control, but about service, trust, decision-making, and enabling others to thrive.
Ultimately, Jo called for a new kind of leadership: one that is caring and daring, grounded in empathy, courageous action, continuous learning, and the willingness to unlearn outdated beliefs about ourselves and others.
Leadership is not about status, titles, or being the smartest person in the room. It’s about how your presence affects others, meeting people where they are, and helping them move forward.
Learning and development happen in stretch and discomfort. Fear and excitement feel the same physically; the difference lies in how we interpret them. Staying comfortable for too long limits what we can become.
Resilience looks different for everyone. Leaders should stop assuming others share their own tolerance levels and instead build resilience by listening, empathising, and supporting people from where they truly are.
We make assumptions based on appearance, accent, age, or background, often without realising it. Inclusive leadership requires constant self-checking and curiosity about what lies beneath the surface.
Strengths can become weaknesses when overused. Understanding your patterns, triggers, and impact on others is essential to becoming a better leader.
When the goal feels overwhelming, focus on the next step. Progress often comes from persistence rather than confidence - "just turning up" consistently builds capability and credibility over time.
In contrast to excessive hierarchy and meeting culture, Jo highlighted the power of clear decisions, ownership, and accountability; inviting challenge, but avoiding paralysis.
Credibility doesn't come from demanding recognition; it comes from listening, contributing, and showing up authentically. Confidence grows when you stop trying to prove yourself.
Transformative leadership requires both empathy and boldness; being compassionate while still willing to challenge, stretch, and lead decisively.
Many fears, habits, and limitations are learned and therefore can be unlearned. Continuous reflection, feedback, and intentional practice are key to ongoing transformation.
Skillcast Advisory Board member, Scott Morris emphasised that maintaining momentum in compliance programmes is critical in a landscape of constant political, regulatory, economic, and technological change. Moving beyond last year’s focus on trust and culture, he grounded the discussion in the practical realities facing compliance and anti-financial crime professionals today.
Drawing on personal anecdotes and industry survey data, Scott illustrated how easily momentum can be lost and why stopping or slowing compliance efforts significantly increases risk. He highlighted continued regulatory scrutiny, expanding scope, and tight budgets as key pressures on compliance teams.
A central theme was the growing role of technology and AI. Scott described AI as a powerful research and efficiency tool, but not a replacement for professional judgment. He stressed that compliance officers add the most value in gray areas where rules end and experience, intuition, and organisational context must guide decisions.
Scott reinforced the importance of clear responsibility for risk, strongly supporting the three lines of defense model. While technology and regulatory expectations continue to evolve, he cautioned against blurring accountability between the business, compliance, and audit.
Addressing economic uncertainty and geopolitical distraction, Scott warned against pausing compliance programmes during crises. He advised compliance professionals to actively challenge budget cuts and formally document increased risks when resources are constrained.
Looking ahead, Scott highlighted increasing regulatory expectations around operational resilience and third-party oversight. He also discussed evolving whistleblowing regimes, noting that potential incentives and the rise of social-media reporting, particularly among younger employees, could significantly increase regulatory and reputational risk.
Scott reaffirmed that despite expanding scope and new technology, the core compliance cycle - risk assessment, prioritisation, budgeting, communication, monitoring, and testing - remains the most effective way to sustain momentum and protect organisations.
Skillcast co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer, Catriona Razic and Senior Compliance Transformation Specialist, Danny Ambrose opened this session by reflecting on Skillcast’s 25 years of innovation and the evolving workplace. They emphasised that compliance and training need to adapt to changes in behavior, technology, and threats such as financial crime. Traditional one-size-fits-all approaches are increasingly ineffective for fostering understanding and influencing decision-making.
The "rinse and repeat" model, where the same training is delivered annually to all employees, often results in poor knowledge retention and limited behavioral impact. Skillcast highlighted the need to move beyond simply assigning courses and policies, focusing instead on learner outcomes and practical decision-making.
Skillcast is prioritising the learner experience through three key initiatives: a redesigned compliance portal, multi-format learning, and the conversational AI assistant, Aida. These changes aim to make learning more intuitive, engaging, and personalised, while still meeting regulatory requirements.
The new portal features an intuitive interface, personalised dashboards, adaptive navigation, and enhanced search powered by AI. It encourages learners to explore optional content beyond mandatory training, increasing engagement and fostering curiosity while keeping administration simple.
Courses now integrate videos, podcasts, scenarios, and downloadable takeaways to suit different learning styles. All learners access the same module but can choose how to engage, improving retention and relevance. Premium users benefit from immersive, video-rich versions, while transcripts ensure accessibility.
Aida provides learners with grounded, curated, and personalised answers based on their role and location. It guides learners to relevant policies or e-learning, anonymizes questions for privacy, and generates trend insights for managers. Aida supports self-service learning while ensuring accurate, trusted information.
Mike Brown, Head of Design at Barclays, leads a team focused on learning content creation, compliance training, and mandatory modules. With a background in UX and product design, Mike emphasised a user-centered approach to learning design. His team produces a substantial portion of compliance training, sometimes up to three-quarters of all learning content, in close collaboration with compliance professionals and external partners such as Skillcast.
Mike stressed that AI is not meant to replace jobs but to augment human capabilities. Referencing Jacob Nielsen, he stated,
“you won’t lose your job to AI itself, but to someone who uses AI better than you.”
He shared examples of efficiency gains: for instance, generating draft test questions for learning modules was reduced from six hours to two, saving hundreds of hours annually.
Current AI use cases in L&D focus on near-term, achievable tasks that provide measurable value without complex integration. Short-term applications include content creation and administrative support. Long-term possibilities involve virtual coaching, personalised learning paths, and generative content tailored to individual preferences.
Mike highlighted AI’s limitations, such as its unreliability in tasks requiring precise calculations or strict word counts. Most applications are currently focused on content generation and administrative efficiency. He emphasised that AI delivers the most value when embedded in workflows rather than used as a standalone tool.
Looking forward, agent-based AI could allow autonomous AI agents to collaborate independently, with humans providing high-level structure. Mike’s key takeaways included:
Mary Kirwan brought a compliance and regulatory lens to AI, drawing from her experience as a lawyer, anti-financial crime executive, and cybercrime expert. She emphasized that AI relies fundamentally on mathematics and data, and warned against assuming AI outputs are inherently accurate or reliable. Critical thinking and human oversight are indispensable in regulated contexts.
Mary highlighted AI’s ability to process large datasets, recognize patterns, and generate summaries. In financial crime, AI can assist with tasks such as e-discovery and document review, uncovering insights more efficiently than humans alone.
AI struggles with causal reasoning, novel situations, and common sense understanding. It can confidently produce incorrect outputs ("hallucinations"), and its effectiveness is heavily constrained by the quality of input data. In financial crime, evolving threat actors and incomplete datasets pose major barriers. Bias in historical data can also perpetuate discriminatory outcomes.
Robust governance is critical. Mary emphasized that individuals and organisations are accountable for AI-driven decisions, necessitating explainability, auditability, and risk assessments. She recommended aligning AI adoption with existing compliance structures and following standards such as ISO 42001. She also highlighted sustainability considerations, noting that AI consumes significant energy and contributes to carbon emissions.
Mary advised that AI should complement human judgment rather than replace it. Organisations must clearly define problems for AI, ensure data quality, and maintain strong oversight. Over-reliance on AI in high-stakes decisions is risky, and critical thinking remains essential in regulated and compliance-intensive contexts.
Advisory board member, Scott Morris, opened the session by introducing the annual Skillcast benchmarking survey, noting its role in shaping Skillcast’s products and services. The survey results are shared with the aim of stimulating discussion, learning, and reflection on industry trends.
Scott introduced the advisory board panel, including David Kenmir, Advisory Board Chair, and Skillcast Advisory Board member Katharine Leaman, emphasising their combined experience as former senior regulators and industry leaders. He noted that this year’s survey showed only slight changes compared to previous years but encouraged the audience to engage with questions throughout the discussion.
Scott highlighted that only 40% of boards regularly participate in training or development programmes, stressing that senior management engagement is critical for compliance programs to succeed. He reflected on his own experience running compliance initiatives where active support from top leaders made programs effective.
David also shared his approach across multiple boards, highlighting mandatory board training and designing custom programmes based on collective and personal learning needs. He noted current focus areas include AI oversight and interpreting geopolitical risks for businesses. He observed that board training participation is generally low but improving, particularly in financial services firms.
Katharine discussed the ongoing success of the SMCR regime and upcoming policy refinements that reduce procedural burden while maintaining accountability. She stressed that tone from the top must be authentic and business-relevant, and that remediation programmes should use real examples to reinforce lessons from past mistakes.
Katharine noted that compliance ownership lies with first-line management rather than compliance teams and celebrated the survey results showing increased senior manager accountability. She highlighted the importance of thorough documentation, such as handwritten notebooks, which can be invaluable during regulatory investigations.
David added that new training programmes, adopted by 67% of firms, are a positive step, though he emphasised the need to ensure these programmes deliver meaningful outcomes rather than simply increasing volume.
Katharine explained that senior managers should champion compliance in a way that is business-relevant rather than purely regulatory, emphasising the value of integrating compliance into organisational culture. Scott and the panel reinforced that strong board engagement is essential for effective compliance programmess.
When asked about securing senior management buy-in for compliance committees, Katharine advised focusing on the chairperson’s accountability, with committees designed to advise and support decision-making. David noted that hiring the right executives is crucial, especially in entrepreneur-led businesses where founders may excel at innovation but need support in governance and risk oversight.
Scott highlighted that 56% of firms had received substantial regulatory requests in the past 12 months. David explained that such requests often arise from thematic reviews or internal events and that FS regulatory models have remained largely consistent. Katharine cautioned that even brief regulatory interactions are meaningful and advised training senior managers to handle inquiries confidently, as nervousness can be misinterpreted by regulators.
David noted the continued reliance on Excel and email for data management, which can create dispersed datasets, though some firms are adopting specialist systems. Katharine added that while technology adoption is gradual, both small and large firms are increasingly investing in tools to move away from manual processes, which is a positive trend.
Scott highlighted the importance of continuous learning rather than one-off compliance training, advocating a blend of e-learning and face-to-face sessions for high-risk areas. Katharine emphasised multi-format, bite-sized learning to improve engagement and retention.
David noted challenges in hybrid working environments, sharing an anecdote about a new hire who experienced a disconnect between stated policy and actual training practice, underscoring the importance of effectively implementing continuous learning.
The panel agreed that ultimate responsibility for compliance rests with senior management (SMFs), while execution is dispersed across all staff. Proper training ensures responsibilities are clear, with frameworks like SMCR supporting accountability across all lines of defense.
Sharon Coleman, Senior Compliance Manager at Moneybox, brings over twenty years of experience in financial services and a rare, end-to-end perspective on mandatory training. Having used Skillcast as an end user, implemented it within a start-up, and later redesigned an inherited training framework at Moneybox, she has seen training from every angle.
This journey has shaped a strong belief that mandatory learning must be simple, scalable, and practical. Rather than being a tick-box exercise, training should drive real behavioural change, support compliance outcomes, and remain usable for fast-growing organisations.
Flexibility in mandatory training has shifted from a "nice to have" to a strategic necessity. As organisations scale, rigid systems and manual processes quickly become barriers rather than controls. Flexible training frameworks reduce friction for employees, protect productivity, and allow learning to adapt to different levels of experience. This adaptability ensures that compliance requirements are met without slowing the business or disengaging staff.
Moneybox is a rapidly scaling digital wealth platform serving millions of customers across savings, ISAs, investments, pensions, and home buying. With a workforce of over 400 employees, the company has outgrown its start-up roots, and regulatory complexity has increased in parallel with headcount.
In this environment, manual training administration and inflexible systems are no longer viable. Smart automation, efficient controls, and targeted learning are essential to ensure employees receive the right training at the right time while the business continues to move quickly.
Using Skillcast, Moneybox tailors onboarding and mandatory training by function, team, and role, deliberately avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach. Employees can choose between FastTrack refreshers or full courses depending on their experience, which respects expertise while maintaining strong controls.
Built-in safeguards ensure that if someone lacks knowledge, they are automatically directed to deeper learning. This approach empowers subject matter experts, avoids unnecessary repetition, and increases engagement by aligning training with real-world competence.
Bite-sized modules are used selectively at Moneybox, particularly in response to incidents, near misses, or identified knowledge gaps. Rather than forming part of a continuous training framework, these modules allow the organisation to respond quickly to emerging risks.
By matching learning formats to specific needs and learning styles, the business reduces friction and improves outcomes, ensuring training feels timely, relevant, and practical rather than burdensome.
Beyond compliance, Moneybox experienced an unexpected cultural shift. Embedding internally produced videos and Moneybox-specific content into Skillcast learning plans made training feel authentic and business-owned rather than externally imposed.
The combination of generic regulatory content and internal messaging strengthened relevance and trust, leading to faster completion rates and higher engagement. Training became something employees recognised as part of the Moneybox culture rather than an obligation to endure.
Choice within training pathways has strengthened accountability and empowerment, particularly for experienced colleagues who are trusted to select appropriate learning routes. Attestations linked to conduct frameworks reinforce personal responsibility, while flexible formats support neurodiverse colleagues who benefit from different pacing and delivery styles. Inclusion and accessibility are not add-ons but central design principles, ensuring learning works for a diverse workforce with varied needs.
The impact of this approach has been measurable. Engagement levels are higher than in previous training cycles, and automated reminders have significantly reduced the operational burden of chasing completions.
Tailored reporting has improved transparency at ExCo and Board level, enabling more informed and constructive discussions around conduct, risk, and accountability. Importantly, Moneybox now has stronger evidence of knowledge retention and behavioural understanding across the business.
Mandatory training at Moneybox no longer sits in isolation. It actively supports regulatory change, risk management, and wider cultural initiatives. By integrating learning into governance conversations and operational frameworks, training has become a strategic enabler that reinforces both compliance and organisational values, rather than a standalone compliance requirement.
Looking toward 2026, Moneybox is focused on continuous improvement driven by feedback and evolving business needs. Plans include deeper personalisation through role-specific microlearning and scenario-based modules, improved accessibility for neurodiverse colleagues, and more granular targeting within teams.
Senior leaders also shape delivery preferences, with some areas favouring bite-sized learning and others requiring full, in-depth courses. This adaptive approach ensures training evolves alongside the business.
This case highlights how Zempler Bank has modernised its compliance training by focusing on efficiency, engagement, and measurable impact. Led by Laura Meneaud, People Partner at Zempler Bank, alongside Simon Truckle, Director of Learning Services, the approach demonstrates how thoughtful learning design can accelerate compliance while saving time and resources.
Rather than treating compliance as a tick-box exercise, the organisation prioritises learner experience and engagement. Training is designed to be relevant, interactive, and supportive, ensuring employees understand and apply compliance requirements rather than simply completing mandatory tasks.
New employees complete full compliance modules from day one, ensuring they are fully compliant as they join the organisation. Centralising policies enables easy access and straightforward attestation, creating clarity and consistency across the workforce.
The Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) is used as an opportunity to strengthen compliance processes. This approach enables clearer, more structured compliance reporting and supports year-on-year improvements.
FastTrack modules are a key innovation, particularly for staff with prior knowledge. They maintain compliance standards while eliminating unnecessary repetition, saving hundreds of learning hours and significantly improving efficiency.
"Question of the Day" nudges such as themed campaigns like the "12 Days of Christmas", help sustain momentum and engagement. These small, daily prompts keep compliance front of mind without overwhelming learners.
Short, focused learning content improves knowledge retention and supports learning in the flow of work. These "Compliance Bites" can also be shared outside the learning management system (LMS), increasing accessibility and convenience.
Time and cost savings are clearly demonstrated using learning efficiency calculators. This data-driven approach is particularly persuasive for senior stakeholders, reinforcing the value and impact of the learning strategy.
We are making compliance simpler for both learners and leaders by adopting strategies that enhance accessibility and effectiveness.
Shorter courses provide a focused and time-efficient learning experience, while simplified content ensures clarity and ease of understanding. Leveraging AI fosters an inquisitive culture, encouraging proactive engagement with compliance topics.
Smooth onboarding ensures that new team members quickly understand compliance requirements, minimising disruption and accelerating integration.
Clear manager dashboards provide a comprehensive view of all compliance activities, enabling leaders to monitor progress, identify gaps, and maintain control effortlessly. Actionable data further empowers leaders to make informed decisions, addressing risks proactively and ensuring compliance.
We offer various options to meet you where your organisation where it is at: