We will be accepting arrivals from 3pm, and the discussion will begin at 3.30pm.
The term vulnerability carries many meanings within the context of financial services. The reality is that anyone can experience unexpected financial hardship, long-term illness, or a life-changing event. For many, identifying themselves as ‘vulnerable’ can feel stigmatising or hard to accept.
As a result, financial organisations often lack the necessary insight to provide appropriate and tailored support, particularly during times of ill health, major life transitions, or financial difficulty. And, with nearly half of UK adults set to be classified as vulnerable at some point during their life, this is a big issue.
In this session, we’ll be joined by behavioural science experts Cowry Consulting, Nationwide Building Society, and Phoenix Group to discuss research conducted by Cowry. This research blends behavioural science, image metaphors, and implicit response testing (IRT) to uncover the conscious and unconscious barriers to vulnerability disclosure.
In this event we will:
- Explore how financial services companies can better understand the barriers that prevent vulnerable customers from disclosing their circumstances
- Learn how to use behavioural science techniques for vulnerable groups to enhance customer experiences and outcomes
- Hear from other financial services companies who have implemented a behavioural science strategy for this purpose
Speakers
Vanessa Buehler, Senior Behavioural Consultant, Cowry Consulting
Vanessa is a Senior Behavioural Science Consultant at Cowry Consulting. She primarily works with clients in the financial services sector, helping them apply behavioural science principles to enhance both customer and employee experiences. In recent years, she has specialised in supporting internal vulnerable customer teams, enabling them to leverage behavioural insights to improve outcomes for vulnerable customers.
Sarah Liddon, Senior Manager - Customer Vulnerability, Nationwide Building Society
Sarah is part of Nationwide’s central Customer Vulnerability Team, which is a centre of excellence, responsible for equipping Nationwide to be a leader in supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances. She has spent her whole career in financial services and the last decade focussed specifically on customer vulnerability. She leads on their data strategy for recording of vulnerability related needs and circumstances , which is one of the core foundations within Nationwide’s customer vulnerability strategy.
Mallika Bhaskar, Senior Behavioural Consultant, Cowry Consulting
Mallika is a Senior Behavioural Science Consultant at Cowry Consulting. She partners with clients across the financial, utilities, and retail sectors to drive better customer and business outcomes. With a background in vulnerable customer policy at the UK energy regulator, she combines deep expertise in regulation, behavioural science, and consumer vulnerability to design practical, evidence-based solutions that deliver real impact for customers.
In Partnership With:
