10th Annual Conference

X-Factor

This 2006 FDA Annual Conference, entitled X-Factor, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers, was held at the Hilton Cavalieri Hotel in Rome on the 15th-17th of November 2006.

(Fiumicino is the closest airport to the Hilton Cavalieri hotel, 25 minute transfer. Ciampino airport is a one hour transfer.)

Guest Speakers Included:

Guest Speaker - Desmond Flynn
Desmond Flynn has been Inspector General and Chief Executive of the Insolvency Service, an Executive Agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, since October 2001. He was previously Deputy Inspector General for 12 years and his responsibilities included advising Ministers on matters of insolvency policy, professional regulation and enforcement. He played a leading role in developing the policy which became the Insolvency Act 2000 and that which comprised the insolvency proposals in the Enterprise Act 2002. He has recently been highly visible in the broadcast media commenting on the introduction of the personal insolvency reforms as from 1 April 2004. In recent years he has been a member of Working Parties on the Remuneration of Office Holders, and on the Regulation of the Insolvency Profession. During 1999/2000 he chaired the joint DTI/Treasury Review of Company Rescue and Business Reconstruction Mechanisms. Other than two years spent on international trade policy work (1986-88) and six months on secondment to Lloyds TSB Bank in 1998 his career has been in insolvency with the Official Receiver in London and Birmingham and, since 1988, in headquarters posts.
Guest Speaker - Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan was Editor of the Daily Mirror until his dismissal following a decision to publish photos of British soldiers apparently abusing Iraqi prisoners of war. He then co-presented Morgan and Platell, interrogating politicians and newsmakers, and moved on to You Can't Fire Me, I'm Famous - a BBC1 series about people in the public eye who have been sacked. His latest role is as a judge on America's Got Talent, for NBC. Other TV credits include The Importance of Being Famous and Tabloid Tales, about the modern obsession with celebrity and fame. Piers is known for scorning celebrities' demands for privacy, claiming they cannot simultaneously manipulate the media to further their careers without accepting some level of intrusion into their private lives. Piers' first job on a national title was a showbiz column for the Sun. He has also edited the News of the World. In 2005 he teamed up with Matthew Freud to buy the Press Gazette, and he has now launched First News - the first real newspaper for children. Piers Morgan's account of the world of indiscreet dinners, private meetings and gossipy lunches The Insider: The Private Diaries of a Scandalous Decade, describes the secret deals, plotting and power-games that make Britain what it is today.
After Dinner Speaker -Al Murray
Perrier Award winner Al Murray has won a huge following as The Pub Landlord. The ITV quiz show Fact Hunt, presented by Al as his alter ego originated from his appearances in the television series, Time Gentlemen Please. Al first appeared in character in Harry Hill's sell-out Pub Internationale show. This was immediately followed by a tour and sell-out performances in the West End. Al attracted a whole new audience, thanks to his appearance in Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. Other TV credits include Fruit Fancies, Jim Tavare Pictures Present and Fist of Fun. 'As a cartoon Englishman, Murray's creation is on par with Harry Enfield's Loads-a-Money, with his face full of self-satisfied greed' - The Observer.

Platinum Sponsors

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Wednesday 15th November

18:30 Welcome Reception Sponsored by Bache Treharne

Thursday 16th November

Conference Presenter - Jeff Longhurst, FDA Chairman

10:00 - 10:15 Opening Address, Jeff Longhurst, Chairman FDA

10:15 - 10:50 Desmond Flynn, Head of the Insolvency Service

10:50 - 11:10 The Xtra-Factor - Lets Get Together, The Latest on Syndication Martin Morrin - Barclays Asset & Sales Financing

11:10 - 11:30 Refreshment Break

11:30 - 11:50 The Xtra-Factor - GE Style - Trade and Supplier Finance Geoff Healey, GE Commercial Distribution Finance

11:50 - 12:30 Guest speaker - Martin Glenn, Former President of PepsiCo UK

12:30 - 13:15 Debate - Life after the Enterprise Act - Chaired by Desmond Flynn, Lorinda Peasland, DLA Upstream, Geoff Carton-Kelly, Baker Tilly, Alison Small, Venture Finance

13:15 - 14:15 Lunch

14:15 - 14:50 Debate - Is the Industry Moving Towards ABL? Paul Hancock, JP Morgan, Ian Steward, Five Arrows, Dennis Levine, Burdale Financial

14:50 - 15:30 The Xtra-Factor - Hedge Funds - What are they and what is their impact on our industry? Alec Petro - Fort Hill Capital Management

15:30 - 16:15 Guest Speaker - Piers Morgan

16:15 Conference closes

16:15 - 18:15 Relaxation & Networking

18:15 - 19:15 Cocktail Reception

19:15 - 22:30 Gala Dinner - After Dinner Speaker - Al Murray

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