KOKO, LONDON. 03.03.2024
“This day really brought Financial Wellbeing to life, discussing the economy, why its important to understand investing, personal financial wellbeing stories, financial literacy and just empowering all to have confidence in your own financial decision making.”
“I was really impressed with the diversity of the panel members and this was represented in the audience. […] Overall, excellent. I left with both new connections and insights.”
EVENT SPONSORS
280+ Attendees
17 Speakers
On March 3rd, 2024, we brought the second edition of the Vestpod Money Matters Festival to the legendary KOKO in Camden, London.
The day was packed with panels and talks featuring Candice Brathwaite, Claer Barrett, The Humble Penny, Iona Bain, Stefanie Sword-Williams, Clare Seal, Nafisa Bakkar, Cherise, and many more!
Money Matters: Taking charge of your financial future. That's the big mission behind this festival and everything we do at Vestpod—bringing women together to think about creating wealth and the positive ripple effects it can have on everyone around us.
Introduction by Emilie Bellet
On March 3rd, 2024 we brought the second edition of Vestpod #MoneyMatters festival to the legendary KOKO in Camden, London. Vestpod’s Founder Emilie Bellet shared the mission behind Vestpod: empowering women to take control of their financial future. Taking charge of your financial future: that's the big mission behind this festival and everything we do at Vestpod—bringing women together to think about creating wealth and the positive ripple effects it can have on everyone around us.
Keynote with Candice Brathwaite
Candice, a prominent British author and advocate, was the keynote speaker at our Money Matters festival. She is widely recognised for her critically acclaimed, Sunday Times Bestselling book "I Am Not Your Baby Mother”. She actively contributes to important dialogues, challenging norms, and promoting positive change in diversity and representation.
How to Improve Women's Financial Empowerment?
In this panel discussion, we deep dive into ways to empower women financially and tackle important challenges, such as the gender wage gap, limited access to financial resources, and barriers to career progression.
With Soumaya Keynes (Economist Financial Times), Cressida Myers (JP Morgan), Dianne Greyson (#EthnicityPayGap Campaign) and Vivi Friedgut (Blackbullion).
Your Unique Wealth Building Journey
The panel explored changing ideas about productivity and career decisions, supporting various ways to balance work and life while also examining ways to gain financial empowerment. Talks covered pensions, investing, and ways to negotiate and boost income. It also focused on personalised financial planning and asked: what strategies serve you and your life best?
With Clare Seal, Claer Barrett, Lisa Picardo and Tiwalola Ogunlesi.
Stefanie Sword-Williams: How to Work Towards What You Value?
Stefanie Sword-Williams challenges conventional notions of success and fulfilment, urging the audience to prioritise personal values over societal expectations. Drawing from her own experiences, Stefanie emphasises the importance of embracing individuality and pursuing intrinsic sources of wealth, such as time and joy.
The Humble Penny: Finding Financial Joy
The Humble Penny helps people learn how to manage their money better to be free from financial worries. It was started by Ken and Mary Okoroafor. They managed to pay off their home mortgage quickly, didn’t need to work for money by the time Ken was 34, and chose to spend more time with their family and doing what they love. In this discussion, they talk about financial joy and how you can pave your way toward living the life you want.
Current State of the Economy and Market Update with Iona Bain
In this Money Matters talk, broadcaster and journalist Iona Bain shares insights about the world economy, recent trends, and important things to look out for with regard to your investments. Drawing from her own investing experiences, Iona warns about common mistakes like panicking when markets go up and down and stresses the need to understand economic trends and how markets truly work.
Cultivating Wealth
Our third panel discussion was chaired by journalist and writer Marisa Bate, and featured Emma Maslin, Nafisa Bakar and Kia Commodore. The discussion covered overcoming financial worries, understanding what influences our views on money, looking at the costs of raising children, balancing enjoying life now with saving for the future, and discussing when it's okay to spend on treats and luxuries.
Performance by Cherise
Resilience, Family Support, and Investing in Dreams… At Money Matters, we had the pleasure of hosting Cherise. At only 26, she is becoming a big name in London's music world. She's won top awards like Jazz FM’s Vocalist of the Year and the Parliamentary Jazz Awards’ Vocalist of the Year in 2020.
At JPMorgan Chase, we believe that we have a responsibility to harness our business and policy expertise, research, data, talent and global presence to help create greater economic opportunity for more people.
To support our communities, customers and employees, we focus on four key drivers of economic growth: career and skills, business growth and entrepreneurship, community development and financial health, and wealth creation.
We are proud to support Money Matters to help all generations create a vision and a foundation for their financial future, no matter where they’re starting their journey from.
PensionBee is incredibly passionate about helping women to save for retirement and eradicating the gender pension gap once and for all.
Women face many barriers when it comes to investing - from societal expectations around caregiving and pressure to take on unpaid labour, to overly complicated jargon around financial products, and an investment industry that places too much blame on women’s risk appetite.
Money Matters is dedicated to helping women take charge of their financial futures and achieve financial freedom. It promises to be a great event, not only offering women the practical tips they need but, crucially, a safe space to come together, ask questions and feel empowered. We’re thrilled to be involved and look forward to meeting everyone.
The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy.
In 2024, a historic year for elections around the world, a record number of people will go to the polls. The FT is debating what’s at stake for democracy with a series of short films by four renowned artists. Watch them now.
KOKO is an iconic London venue featuring live music, electronic nights, art exhibitions and a dynamic cultural calendar of events within its private members club The House of KOKO.
122 years after it originally opened, London’s iconic KOKO reopened its doors in April 2022 following a three-year restoration and redevelopment, which has seen a remarkable transformation from the historic 19th century theatre into a 50,000 square foot state-of-the-art live music venue.
The new KOKO features the beautifully restored Victorian theatre, immersive new ‘Fly Tower’ experience, and the new day-to-night Cafe KOKO, all open to the public. In addition, The House of KOKO, is KOKO’s new private members club situated backstage featuring a beautiful new roof terrace and restaurant, dome cocktail bar, penthouse and recording studio, piano room, library, a hidden speakeasy, stage kitchen, cocktail bar and secret vinyl rooms.
EQ Investors (EQ) is a B Corp wealth manager with an emphasis on providing high quality financial advice.
As a staff-owned B Corp, we are part of a community of businesses worldwide building a more inclusive and sustainable economy. We only ever invest in sustainable ways so that you can be confident that your money is having a positive impact on the world as well as generating a good return. EQ is also one of the first firms to pick up a Good With Money ‘Good Egg’ which is the UK's first responsible money kitemark.
Live Nation Women is a division of Live Nation with a mission to power progress for women.
The division centers women in every program, initiative, project, and tour with a focus on the advancement of women within Live Nation, advocacy for women across the live music industry, and the amplification of female artists and leaders. Follow Live Nation Women on Instagram.
L’OCCITANE is a real romance novel; a simple story of being in love with nature and Provence, where some of the very best ingredients in the world can be found.
The brand captures the essence of Provence, where L’OCCITANE was founded, taking inspiration from the captivating colours, scents and traditions of the region. A unique brand that is loved across the world, L'OCCITANE creates sensorial bath, body, skincare and fine fragrance products, formulated with sustainably sourced, high-quality, traceable ingredients that are cultivated with care in the Mediterranean Basin and Burkina Faso.
TOM FORD BEAUTY is a covetable collection of cosmetics, skincare, and fragrances, shaped with Tom Ford’s distinct vision of modern glamour and crafted with quality and luxury.
Please contact your nearest Tom Ford Beauty store to redeem your complimentary 30-minute experience.
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
CANDICE BRAITHWAITE
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Critically acclaimed writer and TV personality. She’s written successfully in both fiction and non-fiction and hosts the Closet Confessions podcast.
@candicebraithwaite
EMILIE BELLET
Emilie Bellet is the founder and CEO of Vestpod, the author of You're Not Broke, You're Pre-Rich and host of The Wallet.
Clare Seal
Clare Seal is the author of Real Life Money, The Real Life Money Journal and Five Steps to Financial Wellbeing.
nafisa bakkar
Nafisa Bakkar is the CEO of Amaliah, amplifying the voices of Muslim women. Author of How to Make Money.
the humble penny
Ken and Mary Okoroafor are founders of The Humble Penny and the authors of upcoming book Financial Joy.
STEF SWORD-WILLIAMS
TEDx speaker and Forbes 30 Under 30 founder and author of F*ck Being Humble. @stefaniesw
EMMA MASLIN
Certified money coach, personal finance speaker and founder of The Money Whisperer.
LISA PICARDO
Chief Corporate Officer at PensionBee, she previously worked at Morgan Stanley for 13 years.
Cherise
One of the most sought after young soul singers and songwriters. ‘Calling’ was released in 2023.
Soumaya Keynes
Soumaya Keynes is an economist and columnist for The Financial Times. Read her articles here.
Dianne Greyson
Dianne is the founder of #EthnicityPayGap and board member of four organisations.
CLAER BARRETT
Claer is a Consumer Editor at The Financial Times, author, broadcaster and host of Money Clinic podcast.
Vivi Friedgut
Fintech innovator and founder of Blackbullion, the financial wellbeing app for students.
Cressida Myers
Head of International Multi-Asset Portfolio Management in the Endowment & Foundations CIO team at JP Morgan.
Iona Bain
Journalist, broadcaster, speaker and author. BBC Morning Live's resident financial expert.
