Speakers at conference 2022

Frances became general secretary of the TUC in January 2013, the first woman ever to hold this post.

She joined the TUC as campaigns officer in 1994, and launched the Organising Academy in 1997. 

Frances headed up the TUC’s organisation department in 1999, reorganising local skills projects into unionlearn which now helps a quarter of a million workers into learning every year. 

As deputy general secretary from 2003, Frances led on the environment, industrial policy, the NHS and winning an agreement covering the 2012 Olympics. She has served as a member of the Low Pay Commission, the High Pay Centre, the Resolution Foundation’s Commission on Living Standards, the Commission on Economic Justice and the government’s National Retraining Partnership. In 2019 Frances became a Non-Executive Director, Bank of England Court of Directors.

Ged is Accord’s chief executive officer with overall responsibility for its membership, finances, staffing and communications. He’s the lead negotiator and external spokesperson.

Ged has worked in the financial services industry since 1979. A union member from his first day of employment, he was a workplace representative and activist before he got his first union job in 1988.

He was elected to lead Accord in 1992 and has held the position ever since.

Ged was President of the TUC from September 2019 to September 2020. He was also appointed as a non-executive director of the Health & Safety Executive in 2019.

He is a trustee of the TUC’s pension scheme, a director of Trade Union Fund Managers and a board member of the Involvement & Participation Association.

He’s a life-long Everton fan so is generally miserable at weekends.

Neil is the union's first president to come from Northern Ireland, and works for LBG's Fraud & Disputes department in Customer Contact.

He's been a member of Accord since he joined the bank in 2002, and has held a number of positions within the union's structure during that time.

Neil was elected as Accord president in March 2020 and was re-elected for another term of office earlier this year. Neil will now serve as president until Accord's biennial conference in 2024.

Paul’s current role is Business Optimisation Director for the Halifax, Lloyds and BoS Community Banks. He is responsible for setting the strategy for the branch networks, including branch footprint. He also has a broad range of operational accountabilities, including customer journey ownership, change management, and is also accountable for resourcing the Community Banks.

Paul has spent much of his career working in the Community Bank Business and started life in LBG as a Branch Manager in Halifax and Leeds. He was part of the HBoS leadership team during the formation of Lloyds Banking Group, and has also worked as part of the LBG Chief Operating Office.

Paul is a Non-Executive Director of a Multi-Academy Trust in his home town of Bradford. He supports a number of good causes, and was part of the team that supported Ravenscliffe Special School in raising a million pounds for a new sports facility.

Sean’s current role is Director for the Customer Services, Customer Contact business, responsible for leading over 6,000 colleagues supporting customers when they have need to contact us by telephone or social media with a Banking, Fraud or Complaints need.

Sean's previous roles have included CS Strategy & Innovation Director, Group Customer Services Operations Director, Managing Director of Halifax Sharedealing Limited (HSDL), Director of Bancassurance and various senior leadership roles within the Community Bank.

Sean has also been approved by the FCA to take on the role of Chair for the GI Board entities Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Limited and Halifax General Insurance Services Limited.

Sean is an active and keen sports fan, supporting Liverpool FC and following tennis and the NFL. Sean lives in West Yorkshire with his wife Alex, son Harrison and Chow Chow, Princess Leia.

Richard has been Managing Director of Motor Finance and Leasing for Lloyds Banking Group since 2018. Motor Finance and Leasing encompasses motor finance business Black Horse, vehicle leasing company Lex Autolease and forms part of the Retail Bank of Lloyds Banking Group. Motor Finance and Leasing provides UK financial services that meet the motor funding needs of customers, businesses, large corporate firms and automotive manufacturers. Richard previously held a range of senior positions at Lloyds Banking Group, including in its insurance division and bancassurance, before moving to Black Horse in 2015. Richard was also Chairman of the FLA until 2021 and continues to serve on the FLA board.