The Finance Innovation Lab is a registered charity.

They believe in a financial system that works for people and for the planet. One that is democratic, responsible and fair; in Innovation that creates greater efficiency without fundamentally changing the way finance works – essentially finding new ways to create more profit more quickly.

They build communities of innovators and advocates who are creating a better financial system. We help them grow as leaders and scale their work.

Some fintech developments will fall into this category, even technologies that enhance the ‘customer experience’. They call this status quo innovation and we don’t find it terribly exciting, no matter how snazzy the technology.

Disruptive innovation however has the potential to shift power relationships within the system. Crowdfunding as a whole is a good example: by removing traditional intermediaries it connects people more closely to the assets they invest in, which can increase transparency and control.

Innovation that changes the relationship between the financial system and wider society. This sort of innovation has the potential to redefine the purpose of finance and shift power relationships across the system.

Prior to joining The Lab, Anna was Ethics and External Affairs Manager at Ecology Building Society, where she led the Society’s communications, public affairs and impact measurement.  She was instrumental in the development of new regulation to enable building societies to issue a new type of shares to their members, and represented the Society on the Global Alliance for Banking on Values Communications and Impact Metrics expert groups.

Anna has previously worked in international development, campaigning, education, health and community development.  Her experience over ten years in civil society taught her that the issues she cares about share roots in economic inequality, short-term profit seeking and a democratic deficit.  She believes that we will only find lasting solutions to our most pressing social and environmental problems if we transform the values and power relations embedded in our global financial system.

Anna is a Trustee of NEON, the New Economy Organisers Network, and has advised a number of civil society organisations on planning, impact assessment and governance.  Previous voluntary experience includes three years as Trustee and then Chair of a community health project in Bradford, and three years serving on the grants committee of Leeds Community Foundation.

She is a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), an Associate of the Institute for Social Banking and an Associate of the St Paul’s Institute.