Finance Connect

Turning information into interaction

A strategic rename, rebrand and digital platform that transformed a respected publisher into a growing industry connector – built around people, ideas and the moments that spark progress.

Impact

A clear shift from publisher to industry connector

A scalable brand ready for growth across sectors and geographies

A growing platform built around people, not just content

The challenge

Before becoming Finance Connect, the organisation was known as IAFN – the International Asset Finance Network.

They were already doing well. Industry news was respected. Events were well attended. But the team knew there was more value to unlock.

Their ambition wasn’t just to inform the industry, but to connect it. To create the kind of conversations that normally happen around the edges of events – and make those moments happen online, at scale.

Strategy

Clarity before creativity

Maven started by helping the business redefine what it existed to do.

Through strategic work, we repositioned the organisation from publisher to connector – a marketplace of ideas where interaction, not information, was the point. The brand strategy centred on connection as an energy source: when the right people and ideas meet, innovation follows

This led to a decisive move in 2021: a rename from IAFN to Asset Finance Connect, clearly signalling a more active, community-led role.

As the business expanded into new industry niches and into Europe, the brand evolved again. In 2024, the name was simplified to Finance Connect, creating space for growth without losing clarity.

What we did

Building a platform for connection

With the strategy set, Maven delivered across brand, digital and experience.

We created a new visual identity rooted in the idea of connection – modular, energetic and flexible enough to work across content, events and digital products

A new membership website was designed and built as the heart of the ecosystem, supporting content, events, interaction and community in one place.

We developed event branding that worked across formats and locations, reinforcing recognition while allowing each event to feel distinct.

Podcast branding extended the system into audio, ensuring the brand showed up consistently wherever conversations were happening.

How it all connected

Everything was designed to work as one joined-up experience.

The brand strategy informed the visual system. The visual system supported digital and physical touchpoints. The website enabled the behaviour the brand promised: interaction, exchange and shared thinking.

From events to podcasts to online content, Finance Connect became a place where the industry could genuinely connect, not just consume.

The Maven way of working

We don’t treat naming as a creative exercise in isolation. We test it against future ambition, audience understanding and long-term flexibility before anything is designed.