22 November 2016 | Britain & the EU, 2017 and beyond

Opening Remarks by Charles Robinson (York alumnus)

Having completed a doctorate at York in Electronic Engineering, Charles has been with the company Thales for the last seven years. During this time he has managed consortiums on European research projects and proposals. His latest activity sees him leading a team for the European Commission to roadmap future research needs for systems development (cyber-physical systems).

Business Perspective by Edward Archer (Cambridge alumnus)

Edward Archer (Cambridge University alumnus) Armed with an MA (Honours) degree in Economics, Edward has spent the last 35 years working in international banking. From 1981 to 2000 for JP Morgan in London and New York, and from 2001 to 2016 for HSBC, based in Paris. Edward has performed a number of different investment banking roles including energy financing, equity sales (started JP Morgan’s equity salesforce in London), equity new issues (IPO’s and capital increases), private equity investing, and provision of financing advice to large companies (Global Head of Strategic Financing Advisory for HSBC). Most recently, he was CEO and then Chairman of HSBC Private Bank, France. He has executed deals worldwide - in the USA, Latin America, UK, Continental Europe, and Asia. Edward will give his personal perspective on the outlook for the UK economy post Brexit. What advantages will the UK draw from repositioning itself outside the EU? What will be the disadvantages, and what will be the major obstacles and challenges facing it during the exit process? Will the UK ultimately be more or less prosperous outside the EU?

Legal Perspective by Frederico Alcântara de Melo (King’s College London alumnus)

Head of King’s College London alumni in France and a counsel advising the Council of Europe Development Bank (Paris) on cross-border regulatory, capital markets and lending matters, Frederico was involved in the negotiation and the EU implementation of the G20 reform of financial regulation as an official at the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA, Paris). Formerly a national financial regulator (CMVM, Portugal) and banking&operations lawyer at Euroclear Bank (Brussels), Frederico was in private practice (Vda, Lisbon) serving an international banking&finance clientele on regulatory and transactional matters.

Frederico will present the main legal challenges of a change to the internal market and a new relationship between Britain & the EU, not only the arrangement itself (exit models) but also the effects on many other legal relationships (e.g. governing law in international transactions, covenants) and financial regulation, with critical impact on citizens at large and the real economy.

Social / Science Perspective by Raphaela Kitson-Pantano (Edinburgh University alumna)

A board member of the “Alumni of the University of Edinburgh in France” Association, Raphaëla began her career as Director of the European Organisation for the Promotion of Science and Technology that hosts the ESOF conference. ESOF brings together over 6000 scientists from all disciplines, policy makers and science journalists to discuss the direction that research is taking in Europe. Raphaëla then joined the L’Oréal Foundation where she was in charge of Scientific Programmes including the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards. Raphaëla joined AXA in 2014 as the AXA Research Fund Life & Health Risks Research Officer and is now Head of International Health Relations at AXA Global Life. In her spare time she is a Science Communication Consultant, Vice-President of Euroscience, a member of the ESOF2018 International Steering Committee and Secretary General of Europ’Attitude.

Raphaëla will discuss what Brexit means for the Scientific Community and how scientists have always believed that all barriers to international cooperation that include barriers against temporarily or permanently moving to another country are neither in the interest of science nor in the longer-term interest of society. Raphaëla will explain what new arrangements can be struck between the UK and the EU to ensure the best possible conditions for scientific collaboration between scientists and their institutions in the UK and the rest of Europe.