Whitecap is delighted to have been part of the project that lead to the delivery of a new report this week, published by the Yorkshire and Humber Financial and Professional Services Skills Commission

On Thursday 11th January 2024, the Yorkshire and Humber Financial and Professional Services Skills Commission published its report, Facing the Future: A skills roadmap for Yorkshire and the Humber’s Financial and Professional Services industry.

At the launch, the Commission members, including Stefan Haase, Director at Whitecap Consulting, were joined by Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, for a roundtable discussion with a range of public, private and educational organisations with an interest in the sector.

Formed in March 2023, the Commission has dedicated itself to exploring the current skills needs of the industry and how these will change over time; how effectively the industry currently recruits, retains and develops its workforce and how effectively employers work with education providers and other partners on skills issues.

Facing the Future is a culmination of ten months’ work, liaising with key industry players and education providers to identify key recommendations on how the industry can help expand and upskill its workforce to meet the challenges of the future and create even greater success and prosperity for the region.

The commission included:

  • John Heaps (Chair) – Chairman, Yorkshire Building Society
  • Ben Still – Managing Director, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
  • Bill Jones – CEO and Principal, Leeds City College
  • Claire Tunley – CEO, Financial Services Skills Commission
  • Jennifer Hall – Employment Tax Director, Deloitte
  • John Walsh – TheCityUK Regional Chair in Yorkshire and Humber and Head of Office Leeds – UK Corporate, Marsh McLennan
  • Liz Dean – Chair in Yorkshire and Humber, Redmayne Bentley
  • Olivia Larkin – Head of Skills and Workforce Policy, City of London Corporation
  • Paul Cotton – Senior Partner, Eversheds Sutherland
  • Peter O’Brien – Executive Director, Yorkshire Universities
  • Rachel Elwell – CEO, Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
  • Stefan Hasse – Director, Whitecap Consulting Limited
  • Susie Holmes – Partner, Financial Services Tax, PwC
  • Tom Bousfield – Corporate Director of Growth, Business and Skills, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
  • Tom Philpott – Regions and Nations Manager, TheCityUK

Download report:

Facing the Future: A skills roadmap for Yorkshire and the Humber’s Professional Services Industry