South West Fraud Forum 2026 Annual Conference

The South West Fraud Forum is pleased to reveal the confirmed lineup of speakers attending the Annual Conference on 24 March 2026 at Innovations Zone, Engine Shed, Bristol, BS1 6QH.

This year’s conference will focus on Asset Recovery and the UK’s evolving approach to recovering the proceeds of crime and we are excited to announce our latest speakers:

• Dr Amber Phillips – University of the West of England (Faculty of Business and Law),
• Jane Walters – Companies House (Specialist Intelligence Unit)
• Pete Highway and Amanda Alldridge – ACE Team, Avon & Somerset Police
• John Allcock – NatWest Group

Dr Amber Phillips
Dr Amber Phillips is a criminologist specialising in organised and economic crime. She has a particular interest in asset recovery, inspired by her experiences with anti-mafia organisations in Calabria, Italy, which inspired her interest in criminology in the first place. Amber’s most recent work has focused on developing alternative success measures for asset recovery in England and Wales, and she was recently awarded £90,000 by the National Economic Crime Centre and UK Home Office for a research project exploring the deterrent impact of proceeds of crime legislation. Her work has been published in international journals including Trends in Organised Crime, and she is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Economic Criminology. She is an expert reviewer for funding bodies including the European Commission and the Independent Social Research Foundation.

Jane Walters
Since Jane joined Companies House in 1989, Jane has developed a depth of knowledge and expertise spanning a number of operational departments within Companies House. Jane has a breadth of experience dealing with front facing issues and complexities faced by Companies House. Jane has been pivotal in the implementation of the Companies House Intelligence Department taking a lead role on the establishment and development of the intelligence department. Most recently Jane has been at the forefront of the ongoing implementation of the newly formed Specialist Intelligence Unit, building a strong network of partnerships to tackle economic crime.

Peter Highway and Amanda Alldridge
Asset Confiscation Enforcement (ACE) Team

The ACE team are a team of specialist Financial Investigators along with a Prison / Enforcement Investigator that supports the region in ensuring criminals pay back their criminal benefit.

John Allcock
John joined NatWest Group in 2007 and has built extensive experience across corporate operations, business relationship management, and financial crime prevention. After supporting a broad portfolio of business clients as a Commercial Assistant Relationship Manager, he moved into the Fraud Prevention team in 2021. John now advises organisations on emerging fraud risks and plays an active role in delivering fraud and scam education to businesses across the UK, equipping teams with the insight needed to stay ahead of evolving threats.

Attendance is free for current SWFF members. Those that are not yet members are warmly welcomed and may secure places here. To obtain your membership discount code, please email info@SWFF.org.uk.