Upcoming seminars
Future CRC seminars are available for hosting and sponsorship. Partner with us to bring the latest research and practical insights to our network. Explore our full range of sponsorship opportunities
Past seminars
20 February 2026 (in-person): CRC and MRMIA unite for dedicated day on Model Risk
The Credit Research Centre (CRC) partnered with the Model Risk Managers International Association (MRMIA) to deliver a full-day, in-person event devoted to understanding and managing Model Risk. On 19 February 2026, the sessions brought together regulators, academics, and industry practitioners to explore one of the most critical and evolving disciplines in modern analytics and financial services.
Titled Fundamentals of Model Risk, the event examined how models - from simple regressions to advanced machine learning and generative AI systems - can fail, and how such failures translate into measurable risk. Model Risk, defined as the potential loss caused by incorrect, inappropriate, incomplete or misused models, is increasingly recognised as both a professional discipline and a regulatory priority, particularly within financial services.
Expert perspectives from industry and regulation
The programme featured contributions from leading specialists, including:
- Dr Diederick Potgieter, Senior Technical Specialist in Capital Management at the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), Bank of England
- Christian Duesterberg, Risk Management Consultant with over 26 years’ experience in financial services
- Dr Alan Forrest, CRC Business Associate, MRMIA Board Member, and former senior model development and validation lead at Virgin Money UK, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Halifax Bank of Scotland
- Additional international experts in model risk and quantitative risk management
Drawing on deep experience from the banking sector, speakers addressed how Model Risk manifests in practice, how it is regulated in UK financial services, and what benefits a strong Model Risk mindset can bring to modelling and decision-making.
Developing the Model Risk mindset
The workshop sessions introduced participants to the structured thinking behind Model Risk management, and its importance across industries. Discussions covered:
- The Model Risk mindset and the model lifecycle
- Case studies from financial services, engineering & law
- Model Risk as a form of risk management
- Regulatory oversight by the Bank of England
- The costs and benefits of embedding Model Risk discipline
Participants were encouraged to reflect critically on their own modelling practices and consider how systematic identification, assessment, and mitigation of model weaknesses can improve both analytical rigour and business outcomes.
Panel discussion and industry dialogue
The evening panel session brought together regulators, academics, and industry leaders for a candid discussion under Chatham House rules. Panellists included:
- Diederick Potgieter, (Bank of England PRA)
- Christian Duesterberg, (Independent Consultant)
- Lukasz Szpruch, (The Alan Turing Institute)
- Maria Kalantzaki, (Virgin Money UK / Nationwide)
Moderated by Dr Alan Forrest, the panel explored the practical implications of Model Risk governance, the challenges of implementation across institutions, and the future direction of regulation and professional practice.
The day concluded with a drinks reception, providing attendees the opportunity to continue discussions and build connections across academia, industry, and regulatory communities.
Strengthening the model risk community
The event demonstrated CRC’s continued commitment to fostering dialogue between research and professional practice. By uniting academic insight with regulatory and industry experience, CRC and MRMIA highlighted how a mature Model Risk framework not only protects organisations but strengthens trust, transparency, and decision-making quality across sectors.
The Credit Research Centre extends our heartfelt gratitude to MRMIA for sponsoring this event.
30 October 2025 (online): Counterfactual Explanations: Models for Actionable and Explainable Decision-Making
Professor Emilio Carrizosa returned after his oversubscribed keynote presentation at the Credit Scoring & Credit Control Conference XIX to deliver his webinar, Counterfactual Explanations: Models for Actionable and Explainable Decision-Making. Emilio Carrizosa is Professor of Statistics and Operational Research at the University of Seville, Spain, and also the President of the Spanish Network for Mathematics in Industry (math-in).
19 June 2025 (in-person): Let’s Talk About - Open Banking
The second edition of CRC's Village Hall series, Let's Talk About, discussed the possibilities of Open Banking with a panel discussion featuring:
- Tatiana Sotnikova- Product Manager at Atto
- Marilena Karanika- Head of Data Innovation and Head of Categorisation at Experian
- Dr Fengxiang He - Lecturer at School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh
- Prof Galina Andreeva (moderator) - Director of CRC
11 December 2024 (in-person): Let’s Talk About - Synthetic Data
The CRC launched our Village Hall series, Let's Talk About, with a panel discussion on synthetic data featuring:
- Dr Antonia Gieschen - Modelling complex human behaviour using synthetic populations.
- Dr Ben Moews - Exploring generative modelling for synthetic banking microdata.
- David Tracy - Leveraging financial data to improve policy and outcomes.
- Dr. Gillian Raab - Expert in synthetic data for disclosure control.
18 October 2024 (Hybrid): Do Financial Literacy, Risk Attitude, or Time Preference Affect the Chance of Being Overindebted?
Professor Jonathan Crook, emeritus professor of Business Economics at the University of Edinburgh, and founder of the Credit Research Centre dived into the findings of his latest research, which explores the impact of financial literacy, risk attitude, and time preference on an individual’s probability of becoming overindebted.
Seminar presentation (PowerPoint format)
21 August 2024: Extreme Wildfires, Distant Air Pollution, and Household Financial Health
Dr Xudong An, Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, presented his* research on the far-reaching financial impacts of wildfires, affecting both direct burn areas and distant regions impacted by wildfire-attributed air pollution.
*This was a joint work with Stuart A. Gabriel (UCLA Anderson School of Management) & Nitzan Tzur-Ilan (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas).
16 September 2022: Designing mortgage contracts for financial resilience in mortgage lending
Professor Harry Scheule of the University of Technology Sydney presented research on proposed contract innovations that reduce illiquidity but increase leverage.
1 July 2022: Principles and practice of explainable machine learning
Dr Vaishak Belle presented research on explainable machine learning.
14 April 2022: Global Zombies
Professor Edward I. Altman shared his paper on zombie firms in this Credit Research Centre Seminar Series event.
9 July 2021: The fairness of credit scoring models
This Credit Research Centre Seminar Series event was held with Christophe Hurlin, Professor of Economics, University of Orleans.
14 May 2021: Profit-driven classification with machine learning: an application in credit scoring for micro-entrepreneurs
Join us for our Credit Research Centre Seminar Series on 14 May 2021, with Professor Sebastián Maldonado, Department of Management Control and Information Systems, School of Economics and Business, University of Chile.
29 April 2021: On the rise of FinTechs — credit scoring using digital footprints
Join us for our Credit Research Centre seminar series on 29 April 2021, with Tobias Berg, Professor of Finance, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management.
15 April 2021: Scorecard modelling best practice — does it work in theory?
Join us for a joint seminar with Management Science and Business Economics (MSBE) on 15 April 2021, with Dr Alan Forrest, Head of Model Risk Oversight at Virgin Money UK PLC and Practitioner in Residence, Credit Research Centre.