The future of hiring in financial & professional services: What’s working, what’s failing, what’s next
In 2025, UK financial sector job vacancies rose 12%, driven largely by demand for AI and tech capability.
At the same time, digital skills made up 57% of skills gaps reported in financial and professional services, so the pressure on TA leaders is only intensifying.
In this session, we’ve brought together an expert panel of senior TA leaders from financial and professional services to share what they are seeing on the ground, what is genuinely working, what is quietly failing, and how they are future proofing their hiring strategies for 2026. We’ve seen practical case studies, proven attraction and retention tactics, honest lessons learned, and a clear view on where AI and hiring tech are helping most. We’ve also made this interactive, with live audience questions and peer connections built in.
Topics discussed:
- What leading FS and PS TA teams are doing differently right now
- The likely strategic impact of AI on reducing the number & type of jobs in FS & PS
- How to strengthen attraction and retention
- What AI and tech tools are delivering, and where they create risk
- What the 2026 hiring landscape is likely to demand from TA teams
With over 15 years of international experience in people and talent acquisition, I am a strategic and forward-thinking leader who drives business growth and transformation through effective hiring and people strategies. As the Head of Talent Sourcing EMEA at Microsoft, I lead the strategy and execution for talent sourcing in the region, with a focus on recruiting at scale, inclusive hiring, and operational excellence.
A multi award winning, Talent Acquisition Leader, having worked across multiple sectors and twice winning awards for outstanding impact, transformation and change. Leading large teams through change to deliver complete functional efficiencies as well as increased commercial value to organisations. Experienced in employer brand, marketing and technology implementations.
As the Global Director of Recruitment at BNY, I lead the talent acquisition strategy and operations for the international markets, covering over 25 countries and regions. With more than 18 years of experience, I have a proven track record of setting up and managing efficient and productive recruitment infrastructure, framework, and governance across multiple business segments and locations.
Event partner
CRS are genuine specialists in compliance and risk hiring. They are led by former compliance officers, so they understand the reality of these roles. They support hiring across anti money laundering including customer due diligence and know your customer, anti bribery, regulatory compliance across bodies like the FCA , The ICAEW, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority, as well as data privacy, information security and wider risk roles.
If you have ever recruited in this space, you will know how tough it is and how much of a difference true sector expertise makes. CRS can help sharpen job specs, sense check salary expectations, and share market benchmarking. They focus on quality over volume, so you only see candidates who genuinely match the experience, sector and level you need.