Ben Wilson

Ben Wilson
Head of Financial Services Programmes

Ben Wilson joined Intellect in May 2010 to expand its Financial Services Programme to reflect the growing regulatory challenges and commercial opportunities that the industry is facing.

Ben is responsible for ensuring that policy development in the financial services sphere is fully informed by the technology capabilities of Intellect’s Members. In this role Ben is also responsible for helping to improve the visibility of technology’s crucial role in the financial services industry and working with Members and other stakeholders to develop the marketplace for technology companies of all sizes.

The Financial Services Group is currently working with policy makers, regulators and wider stakeholders to develop durable and appropriate policy on issues such as the review of the UK’s banking system, the future of payments policy and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, amongst others.

Prior to this Ben was Head of Public Affairs at a leading technology communications consultancy. In this role he provided policy and communications counsel to a number of clients in the technology and financial services sectors. He was responsible for advising a wide spectrum of clients on policy issues such as Solvency II, financial inclusion and public sector procurement. He was an early adopter of digital lobbying and communications, having written a number of articles and provided training for politicians, clients and communications professionals alike in this field.

Ben has also run a busy Public Affairs department at the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he was responsible for implementing communications and lobbying strategies on a UK and EU level on issues such as Solvency II, the Consumer Credit Directive and the 5th Motor Insurance Directive. 

Ben holds an MA in Politics from Edinburgh University and an LLM in Law (specialising in IT and Media Law) from Edinburgh University Law School. He is also a Trustee of the Public Service Broadcast Trust, responsible for advising the charity on communications and government relations issues.
           
Is his spare time he is Secretary of the Westminster Cricket League and (sometime) captain of PubAffairs cricket team. Ben also likes to swing and miss on the golf course and was a keen supporter of Halifax Town Football Club, until they went bankrupt. 

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Sam Hartwell

Sam Hartwell
Programme Executive
Private Sector

Sam is a Programme Executive on Intellect’s Financial Services Programme and Researcher for the Broadband Stakeholder Group. In his role for the Financial Services Programme, Sam is responsible for supporting groups across the banking, payments, capital markets, and insurance work streams.

Before joining the Intellect and the BSG, Sam held research internships at public affairs consultancies and was Policy and Casework Intern for Lynne Featherstone MP, Minister for Equalities.

Sam graduated from UCL with a Masters Degree in Legal and Political Theory, as well as Heythrop College, University of London, with a first-class BA (Hons) in Philosophy, Religion and Ethics.

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