Conference

Diversity & Inclusivity Finance Forum

Membership Company Diversity and Inclusion Activities

The Diversity & Inclusivity Finance Forum is an important gathering of influential industry peers, in an inclusive network which aims to discuss and promote key ideas and activities to create a more balanced and fair mortgage industry.

The forum is designed to create an environment that will increase diversity and inspire inclusion, and help our peers feel fully supported within the business community regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, ensuring success is rewarded for hard work and ambition and to offer a valuable networking environment to promote learning and success for all.

A balanced workforce is good for business – it is good for customers, for profitability and workplace culture and we hope this series of events will provide the platform for positive change.

If you would like to become a member, please get in touch with iain.cartlidge@ae3media.co.uk for more details.

Venue Details

DIFF Annual Lunch

09/05/2025

Venue Details

One Moorgate Place

1, Moorgate Place, London, England, EC2R 6EA, United Kingdom

One Moorgate Place

Programme

Diversity and Inclusivity Financial Forum lunch

About

A balanced workforce is good for business – it is good for customers, for profitability and workplace culture and we hope this series of events will provide the platform for positive change.

The forum is split into two membership tiers; leadership and executive.

Leadership Membership
The overall objective for this group is for members to be inspired, broaden understanding and enhance skills to become advocates for entrenching balance, diversity and inclusion in the mortgage market.

Each event will have speakers from within the industry and parallel industries. Innovative thinkers and success advocates. Our hope is that each member will acquire new skills, increase confidence, resilience, and credibility to assert influence in their organisations and the wider market, and to lead change and empower colleagues.

Executive Membership
Members will benefit from a developmental programme to help them understand what they should expect from a diverse and inclusive workplace, how to navigate diversity conversations with key stakeholders and how they can instil an inclusive culture in their teams and colleagues where everyone feels valued and understood. The sessions will ensure we build a community that helps members to collaborate, inspire each other, and take ownership of positive change within their business. These events will provide access to innovative speakers, topics, and industry experts.

We aim to build a networking framework that generates support, advice and ideas for members to promote diversity within their organisation and enable a pathway for diversity to succeed.

Hear what our members have to say:
“Thanks for organising the session. I only have positive feedback from the event – a really useful insight into diversity in recruitment with practical advice noted to take away.”
Susan Corcoran, Halifax Intermediaries

“Great session today, thank you for the invite. Very powerful thought provoking.”
Vin Lin Dain, NatWest Intermediary Solutions

“I found the session very interesting and informative, so I’m pleased I was able to attend.”
Edwin Elder, Aldermore

“This is only the second ‘DIFF’ I have attended and once again I have been blown away. Each of the sessions has left me reflecting inwards at both myself and society in general. Thank you so much for pulling these events together, they are as always super insightful and useful.”
John Scrivens, Skipton Building Society for Intermediaries

“Great event as always. Very thought provoking.”
Claire Smith, Mortgage Advice Bureau

If you would like to become a member, please get in touch with iain.cartlidge@ae3media.co.uk for more details.

Principles

Membership Companies

Membership Company Diversity and Inclusion Activities

Accord Mortgages
Accord is part of the Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) Group.
The Group is committed to celebrating diversity and delivering lasting change for everyone, whoever they are. It is open about its stretching goals and current progress in ‘Our Promise’. The YBS website hosts a diversity and inclusion page (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Yorkshire Building Society Careers (ybscareers.co.uk) which shares details of its commitment, colleague networks, momentum measures to visibly track its progress and a copy of ‘Our Promise’. This is included in the D&I page on the Accord website too, along with wider industry collaborations and the lender’s Inclusion and Diversity Partnership Charter. Inclusion and diversity | Intermediary Only Lender (accordmortgages.com)

Accord is passionate about improving inclusion and diversity within the business and the wider mortgage industry. It wants to create an environment where everyone can be themselves and thrive. Accord has high expectations of our colleague’s behaviour, and in return, expects the same from those it works with. This is set out in the lender’s Inclusion and Diversity Partnership Charter, the first of its kind in the industry, so you know what it means to work in partnership with Accord and YBS.

Alexander Hall, Stephanie Daley , Director of Partnerships
Over the last period of time at Alexander Hall Mortgage Advisers, Stephanie Daley has played an active role in promoting diversity and inclusion within the workplace. She has spearheaded initiatives such as Inspire50, an internal Women’s network to raise awareness about the importance of creating an inclusive environment, fostering open discussions on diversity-related topics. She collaborated with the Talent Acquistion team to implement inclusive hiring practices, reviewing job specifications and ensuring that the business’s recruitment processes attracted a diverse pool of candidates. Additionally, Stephanie attended workshops and training sessions on unconscious bias and cultural sensitivity, which helped enhance team dynamics and improved client interactions. By working closely with the leadership team, she has helped integrate diversity and inclusion into the company’s core values, leading to a more equitable and supportive workplace for all employees. This work was essential in creating a more diverse and inclusive environment, reflecting its commitment to social responsibility.

Altura Mortgage Finance
Altura is very proud of the diverse team it has built, despite being a small company. Diversity is part of its core and has been important to the management team since before launching Altura.

The managing director is a board adviser to Circl, a social enterprise helping underrepresented young adults between the ages of 18-24 who are highly motivated but lack access to the opportunities and networks that can help them move forward. He is also a founder member of The Accrue Network, set up with the purpose of improving Black representation at all levels, across the mortgage, protection and financial planning sectors.

In both of these capacities, he mentors young professionals in the finance industry, advising them on their careers, setting them up with opportunities, and introducing them to others in his network who might do likewise.

In November 2022, Altura received sponsorship from a major lender for membership of the

Mortgage Strategy DIFF initiative. Members of the team will be taking part in podcasts in

2022/23. In the same month, Altura also became a signatory to The Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter. Altura is a supporter of the Children’s Book Project which works tirelessly to ensure every child gets to own a book and take it home.

Promoting self-worth and encouraging good habits is such an important step in inclusivity for those that feel excluded from society, even at such a young age.

In 2023 Altura was proud to win the Diversity & Inclusion Broker Champion award at the Mortgage Strategy Awards.

Aviva
Aviva is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation. It is a fundamental part of living up to its purpose of being with you today, for a better tomorrow. It means being there for all our people, serving all customers well, and helping to contribute to fairer, more equal communities.

For example, an internal network of employee groups champions the needs of different ages, genders, sexualities, abilities, races and socio-economic backgrounds; the Group CEO is the UK government’s independent “Women in Finance” Champion; and Aviva’s executive’s remuneration is benchmarked against the promotion of DEI ambitions.

Aviva is determined to keep challenging itself to do more to build a workplace – and society – that works for all.

Bank of Ireland for Intermediaries
Inclusion and diversity is important to the bank’s customers, colleagues, and commercial success as a business. That’s why it is taken seriously.

Inclusion and diversity is important because the countries and the communities in which it does business are diverse, as are the bank’s customers. That diversity is reflected across gender, age, neurodiversity, sexuality, ethnicity, socio-economic background, marital status, religion, and ability.

The organisation strives to reflect the diversity of the customers it serves. By understanding customers better it can deliver better customer outcomes, which helps build a more sustainable business.

Bank of Ireland is committed to fostering a workplace where all colleagues are treated with dignity and respect. Its aim is to welcome everybody, enable fair career progression, and provide a safe place for all colleagues to work. To support this, it has designed a range of programmes, policies and colleague networks to drive continued improvement in relation to gender balance, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ inclusion including transitioning at work, family and carers, accessibility, multiculturalism, neurodiversity, and intergenerational issues.

The bank will continue to adapt its inclusion and diversity policies and support.

Bubble Finance Hub
D&I are integral to how Bubble operates. The business believes that a diverse workforce drives innovation and creativity, strengthening the ability to deliver superior financial services.

Bubble is committed to cultivating an environment where every member of the team regardless of race, gender, age, ability or background, feels valued and respected.

Everybody should be able to contribute their unique perspectives.

The business strives to create a culture which celebrates diversity, which in turn reflects the rich diversity of the clients it serves.

Connect for Intermediaries
Connect is not just committed to diversity and inclusion; it’s woven into the fabric of its culture. Here’s how it has embraced these principles:
1. Industry engagement:
a) The Diversity & Inclusivity Finance Forum (DIFF): Proud members, actively contributing to industry-wide conversations.
b) Task Force Working Party for AMI Industry Inclusion: Dedicated to driving inclusion initiatives within the mortgage industry.
c) Member of Women in Finance Charter: Committed to gender diversity and equality in the financial sector.

2. Cultural cornerstones:
At Connect, diversity, equality, and inclusivity, along with mental health and well-being, are foundational to the business’s success and sustainability. It actively encourages diverse thinking and facilitates knowledge support and information sharing.

3. Inclusive culture advocates:
Connect’s people actively lead and innovate within the business and the broader mortgage industry, fostering an inclusive culture where everyone matters, irrespective of background, race, religion, colour, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.

4. Diversity talent pipeline:
Connect not only ensures that all industry professionals feel comfortable being themselves, but also actively encourages a new generation of diverse talent to join the industry. It recognises its obligation to lead meaningful conversations and drive positive change within the industry for the benefit of customers.

5. Recruitment policy:
Connect’s recruitment policy is centred on creating a workplace that values diversity of thought and inclusivity. It actively recruits across a range of diversity and characteristics, resulting in a multilingual and multicultural adviser community.

Its commitment to diversity and inclusion goes beyond internal practices; it extends to active participation in industry forums, alliances, and initiatives. Connect doesn’t just talk about diversity; it lives and breathes it, fostering an inclusive culture that drives positive change across the mortgage industry.

Coreco
Recognising the importance of diversity and inclusion, Coreco engaged the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion, to give its people compulsory D&I training, a fantastic, eye-opening session everyone got something from.

The next stage is the Talent Inclusion and Diversity Evaluation once our membership of this organisation is confirmed.

The business has created a suite of promises that it endeavours to live by, discussed openly with its people: It always looks to create a workplace environment and culture that encourages diversity of thought and inclusion, preventing any form of discrimination.

Coreco also looks to:

Have a diverse team that embraces people from all walks of life and backgrounds,
Allow clients to see themselves in the people it employs – they are all different, and proud to be so
Increase employee knowledge and awareness of mental health, well-being issues and behaviours, and encourage diversity of thought
Reduce the stigma around depression and anxiety in the workplace

At present Coreco’s stats are: Board: 20% female, senior management team: 100% female, company: male 59% / female 41%, ethnicity: 16%, LBGTQ: 2%, neurodiverse: 6%

Coreco’s biggest learnings are around recruitment, advertising equal opportunities, wording job adverts and roles that do not put off genders or minority applicants.

Coreco is proud to be an equal opportunities employer and is fully committed to a policy of treating all its employees and job applicants equally. It’s literally hard-wired in its DNA: https://www.coreco.co.uk/about-us/coreco-dna

The business’s values and culture are highly visible, such as its D&I website page – https://www.coreco.co.uk/equality-and-diversity

Coventry for Intermediaries
As a purpose-led organisation, Coventry is serious about diversity and inclusion. Not only is it the right thing to do for colleagues, communities and members but there’s also strong research that suggests more diverse businesses outperform their competitors.

The mutual has partnered with Right Track, a leading culture-change specialist, to develop a series of workshops and toolkits aimed at fostering an environment where everyone’s uniqueness is valued. Its Ethnicity Career Development Programme is part of this commitment, with an ambitious goal of having 25% of management and above roles filled by colleagues from ethnic minority groups. It now proudly supports nine employee networks that host a variety of engaging events—whether it’s celebrating Black History Month, marching through the streets for Pride, or raising awareness about living with disabilities. These efforts contribute to creating an inspiring workplace where everyone feels they belong and can thrive.

Crystal Specialist Finance
Crystal is initiative-taking in its quest to embed diversity and be inclusive within its workplace. In 2020, it introduced flexible and hybrid working patterns to support family life, particularly women returning to work.

The industry awards achieved in this arena speak for themselves: MIMA Best CSR Campaign 2023 Financial Reporter, Mortgage Introducer Top Mortgage Employer 2024, and most recently the Women’s Recognition Award nomination for Tara Hanratty- Crystal’s DEI and Mental Health Champion, in October 2024.

In early 2024, Crystal launched its own Inclusion Diversity Network, promoting female employees to team leader positions, in a business which already has a higher percentage of females (54.5%) than males (45.5%). Crystal has mental health first aiders in the workplace and an LGBTQ+ Allyship for four staff.

All national events are celebrated within the business; Time to Talk Day (Feb), International Women’s Day (March), Stress Awareness Week (April), Mental Health Awareness Week (May), Pride Month (June), World Mental Health Day (October), Men’s Mental Health Month (November).

Additionally, Crystal’s group sales director, Jason Berry, is a co-founder of the initiative Mortgages in Mental Health Charter (MiMHC), which is gaining significant traction in raising awareness and education regarding the importance of mental health at work.

Dynamo
Dynamo remains dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. It is actively expanding its diversity and inclusion initiatives through various activities including focus days that celebrate different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Additionally, it is expanding awareness by conducting workshops to address important topics such as unconscious bias which aims to educate its teams and promote a more inclusive mindset.

It strives to create a workplace where all individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique talents and experiences. It is a fundamental aspect of Dynamo’s culture pointing the business towards a more cohesive and supportive workplace.

Finance Planning Mortgage Network
Finance Planning Mortgage Network pride itself on fostering a workplace culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. Established 26 years ago, its commitment to an inclusive workforce has evolved with the business, becoming a core aspect of how it grows and supports its team and clients.

The team reflects the diversity of the communities it serves. With employees ranging in age from 19 to 77, the Finance Planning Mortgage Network benefits from a wealth of perspectives and experiences that enhance client service and drive innovation within the industry.

Last year, 37% of new hires came from non-Caucasian backgrounds, and of this group, 62% were women. This achievement highlights its dedication to building a recruitment culture that welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds and promotes gender balance.

It also takes pride in maintaining equal pay across genders through transparent pay structures and regular evaluations, which help ensure that all team members are rewarded fairly for their contributions. Furthermore, balanced gender representation among advisers exemplifies its commitment to providing equal opportunities for growth and success within the network.

The business’s approach to diversity and inclusion is ongoing, and it strives to foster a supportive, collaborative, and enriching environment where everyone can thrive, no matter their background or identity.

Fleet Mortgages
Fleet Mortgages has done various training sessions over the last year including neurodiversity training for line managers and menopause awareness training. It is also in the process of launching a bespoke management development programme which covers diversity awareness and recruitment best practices. Alongside this, it has signed up to the Menopause Workplace pledge and the Women in Finance Charter.

Foundation Home Loans
Foundation has made significant progress with its EDI initiatives over the last 12 months in particular.

This includes the formation of an EDI Discussion Group, which is enthusiastic about raising awareness of EDI by endeavouring to make key topics less of a taboo in the workplace; encouraging open-mindedness and inspiring others to get involved along the way.

Its colleagues share a collective aim; ‘if we can just help one person, we have made a difference’ which has driven Foundation to deliver four campaigns within 12 months covering the menopause, neurodiversity, pride, and black history.

It has recently launched its first EDI data collection survey which has been well received and seen its executive committee become more diverse than ever before.

Beyond the data and numbers, it is clear that Foundation is becoming a business in which colleagues are more comfortable to share experiences with each other and – in turn – learn from different ways of being. Each focus week has seen more people get involved and its recent colleague survey shows overall trust in the organisation is rising too.

Habito
At Habito, diversity and inclusion are at the core of the company culture and values. It is committed to building an environment where everyone, regardless of background, identity, or experience, feels empowered to contribute and grow. It actively supports gender balance, racial diversity, and LGBTQ+ inclusion through its recruitment, development, and retention practices. By prioritising inclusivity and open dialogue, Habito believes it can drive meaningful change both within the financial industry and in the communities it impacts. The business’s current employees identify as follows:

Executive team – 50% male / 50% female

Leadership team – 60% female / 30% male / 10% prefer not to say

All staff – 50% women / 40% men / 9% prefer not to say / 1% Non-binary

Ethnicity – 41% not of White-British origin

LGBTQ+ – 3%

Hodge
The Hodge Inclusion Network was set up to foster belonging at Hodge, with the network’s efforts having recently secured a bronze TIDE award from ENEI.

2024/25 will see these efforts continue as the team works to a plan of key milestones and events to drive diversity and inclusion awareness at the bank.

In its quest for parity, Hodge was the headline sponsor of the 2024 Pride Cymru Parade and is also working to champion equity in STEM and Data with key partners via a Data Inclusivity Network.

In addition, the network continually seeks to inspire the younger generation with regular outreach work in schools. Ultimately, the network is at the heart of the business, to ensure parity, equity and to attract diverse talent to join the Hodge workforce.

HSBC UK
HSBC UK require people to treat colleagues, customers, and members of the community with dignity and respect.

It is creating an inclusive business.

The bank does not tolerate discrimination, bullying, or harassment on any ground, including age, race, caste, ethnic or national origin, colour, mental or physical health conditions, disability, neurodiversity, pregnancy, parent or carer role, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or other domestic circumstances, employment status, socio-economic background, working hours or other flexible working arrangements, or religion or belief.

It aims for its workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities in which it works, and the customers it serves. Where appropriate, it takes proactive and positive steps to ensure diverse talent has access to its employment opportunities. In all cases it is committed to recruitment and progression based upon capability.

The bank aims to provide services for customers which are inclusive and accessible.

It understands that employees and customers with disabilities may require different ways of working and provides reasonable adjustments.

IMLA
IMLA proudly supports the Working in Mortgages website, in conjunction with AMI. It also takes part in the Diversity & Inclusion Working Group which is convened by AMI and has its own Inclusivity and Diversity Group, which is co-ordinated by Nicola Goldie of Aldermore. Members are able to take part in the regular “lunch and learn” sessions, which are recorded and available to watch on the Working in Mortgages website.

John Charcol
John Charcol has implemented several initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion, including engagement days for all employees to raise awareness of unconscious bias and encourage inclusive behaviours. It continually reviews its recruitment strategies to ensure a focus on diversifying talent across all levels, including the executive board.

Additionally, it offers an internal mentorship program that supports career growth, providing employees with opportunities to explore different areas of the business.

One of the key lessons Charcol has learned is the importance of consistent communication and active involvement from leadership. While diversity training is valuable, progress can be slow without ongoing support from management. It has also recognised the need for tailored solutions – what works for one demographic may not work for another – so it has adopted a flexible approach to address various needs.

Looking ahead, it plans to consistently monitor and assess its diversity and inclusion initiatives to ensure they have a meaningful impact.

Kinleigh Folkard Hayward
KFH is fully committed to diversity, equity and inclusion which reflects the city in which it works and values the differences that a diverse workforce brings to the communities which it serves. KFH prides itself on being one of the leading London property companies in delivering exceptional service, communication, and results, but not at the cost of its core values.

It aims to seamlessly integrate DE&I into the business to make it a natural part of everything it does, ensuring that communication, imagery and graphics are inclusive and reinforce its DE&I principles.

It leads from the top down to integrate DE&I principles alongside business objectives and outcomes, placing a spotlight on where improvements can be implemented for the benefit of its people and the business to drive positive change.

KFH has established education programmes for all of its people (including programmes that strengthen awareness and support an inclusive culture).

L&C Mortgages
The current points of focus for L&C in the ED&I space:

Companywide ED&I Survey scheduled for Q4 2024.
Introduction of quarterly, companywide ED&I interactive refresher training started in 2024.
Specific ED&I training for managers
Further develop its Champions scheme to extend to Allyship scheme
Continue sharing stories from inside and outside of L&C within the industry.

Landbay, Beth Foryszewski, National Account Manager
As the newly appointed chairperson of Landbay’s Equality, Diversity, and Belonging (ED&B) committee, Beth is committed to creating an inclusive workplace culture. In her role, she leads the committee’s efforts to focus on quarterly chosen topics, ensuring that they collect meaningful data and provide educational resources to the business. By driving these initiatives, she aims to create awareness, promote equality, and challenge where necessary. Her primary objective is to advocate for a culture where everyone feels they belong and can thrive, while also making sure that any areas requiring change are addressed promptly.

Leeds Building Society
Leeds Building Society is committed to creating a culture where everyone feels seen, valued and enabled to be at their best. Its strategy, Being You; Transforming Us, focuses on four pillars – listening, learning, leading and leveraging insight. One of its biggest and most impactful interventions which falls across each of these pillars has been its Empowering Allyship programme, which launched in Q4 of 2023 and has been ongoing since.

This was a course developed for colleagues on the back of leader training to support colleagues in spotting non-inclusive behaviour and having the right conversation by giving feedback in real time, highlighting how everyone gets things wrong and the need for psychological safety.

The building society is incredibly proud of this initiative because it combined self-led e-learning, conversations in teams and then modules led by leaders. It also included role modelling the behaviour it expects from all colleagues, sharing learning from inclusive leadership training and giving ‘permission’ to all colleagues to have these conversations.

This programme was completed by 86% of colleagues, with 97% of them committed to being more curious.

Legal and General Retail
Clare Beardmore’s appointment as the first female director of Legal & General Mortgage Club – the largest and longest-running Mortgage Club in the UK – marks a significant and historic milestone for diversity and inclusion in the mortgage industry.

As a well-known and senior industry figure, Clare embodies the importance of championing equal opportunities and representation. As part of her commitment to this cause, Clare is the Diversity & Inclusion lead within Legal & General Mortgage Services and a member of the Diversity and Inclusivity Finance Forum, partnering with key industry figures to drive positive change in one of the UK’s biggest sectors.

Building a more diverse workforce and a more inclusive workplace is highly important to the business as a whole. As part of its Diversity and Inclusivity strategy, Legal & General launched programmes to help recruit and retain diverse talent through work experience schemes and talent sponsorship, as well as setting goals to further improve diverse representation in senior roles within the business.

Halifax for Intermediaries
Halifax for Intermediaries is inclusive to value everyone. It learns about and embraces differences and seeks out diverse perspectives. It shapes what it does and what it offers around the different needs and circumstances of customers, colleagues and communities.

Mpowered Mortgages
Mpowered Mortgages is committed to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect. The team comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds, each bringing unique perspectives and experiences to the table. It believes that this diversity is its strength, as it allows the lender to better understand and serve its diverse client base.

Staff undergo regular training to ensure that they are equipped to provide exceptional service to all clients, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, age, or any other personal characteristic. Mpowered strives to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to achieve their full potential.

Its commitment to diversity and inclusion extends beyond its workforce. It actively seeks to partner with lenders and providers who share its values and prioritise fair and equitable lending practices. By working with like-minded organisations, it can ensure that clients have access to a wide range of mortgage products tailored to their specific needs and circumstances.

Metro Bank
Metro Bank is a true success story and pioneer when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

D&I has been a central focus for the bank since day one with stretching objectives for the business to achieve and a series of ongoing and new initiatives that sets it apart in this important area.

As a Bank, an inclusive culture is embedded in the heart of the business with five key colleague networks – Mfamily, MPride, MBrace, MBody and Women on Work – that have each helped make a real difference

Mortgage 1^st
Mortgage 1st strives for an equal gender split across all departments. The business is led by a husband and wife who strongly believe in the value of having a balanced team and that they key to successfully implementing a D&I strategy is for the leaders to role model and demonstrate the right behaviours on a daily basis, embedding this into the workplace culture. This includes encouraging internal promotions, offering flexibility to allow working parents to thrive or celebrating employees’ differences, all in a natural and genuine way. In 2025, Mortgage 1^st will be launching its new mentoring programme allowing aspiring employees to connect and work more closely with more senior or experienced colleagues, with the aim of learning from one another and enhancing the supportive culture. It will also be hosting its very first women’s event for all the women in the business to connect and form stronger bonds and alliances, featuring sessions on mental health, women’s health and discussions around female representation within financial services.

Mortgage Advice Bureau
MAB firmly believes that strengthening its positive impact on society will help it become an even better company, supported by a more engaged workforce and a sustainable competitive advantage. It has ensured that colleagues feel supported inside and outside the workplace by consistently reviewing its policies, processes, and initiatives through a DEI lens.

This empowers the workforce to continue to thrive in an inclusive environment that caters to their needs, accessibility levels, and unique work styles.

To increase employee engagement and promote MAB’s inclusion-related policies, it has implemented a new internal communications programme: Chatter. This has helped improve collaboration and engagement, break down silos, and improve wellbeing. Chatter enables MAB to spotlight its wellbeing calendar, with sessions held this year including:

Puppy therapy
A virtual workshop to commemorate Men’s Health Week
Launching MAB on the Move, a monthly walking group
Posting ‘menopause myth buster’ video content/sharing employees’ menopause stories for Women’s Health Month

MAB’s wellbeing calendar welcomes the input of employees, and it has actioned feedback by delivering such events as virtual self-defence training and financial wellbeing webinars. It has also combined its wellbeing calendar with its Cultural Calendar, focusing on inclusivity as a primary consideration when planning events.

The business is conducting a data collection exercise across employees so it can measure ethnicity, gender balance, and social mobility. This ensures that its talent programmes are balanced, and there are strong role models for everyone further up the organisation. Essentially, it wants everyone to see “someone like me”.

Lastly, MAB is regularly invited to speak on panels related to inclusivity, and has signed up to the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter. It is proud to be a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Finance Forum (DIFF) programme, and has won four cultural awards in the last 12 months recognising its commitment to inclusivity.

Nationwide
Nationwide is committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all individuals to thrive, ensuring that the organisation reflects the diverse communities it serves. Its objective is to promote inclusive behaviours and celebrate diversity, creating an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential. Nationwide takes pride in its Employee Network Groups (ENGs) and support groups, which are accessible to all employees. These groups provide a platform for colleagues to connect with one another. Its networks facilitate a sense of community and belonging, allowing them to actively contribute to the development and implementation of strategic initiatives. These networks work with other areas of the business to provide activities throughout the year relating to various I&D events and initiatives. These include both internal and external speakers, group events and activities. The building society plays a role in supporting external charities and partnerships, and this includes working with the IMLA Inclusion and Diversity team, and with AMI as part of the Working in Mortgages team.

Newcastle Intermediaries
Newcastle is committed to creating a workforce which represents the diverse customers, clients, and communities it serves. This includes fostering an environment which is inclusive by design, where all its colleagues feel they can be their most authentic selves at work.

Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) sits at the heart of the Society, as one of its five strategic pillars. It has recently launched its ‘Place to be YOU’ plan, which details its roadmap, governance framework and strategy for the next five years.

As an organisation, it has established and launched employee networks and created many invaluable partnerships on this journey to become inclusive by design.

As an Intermediary team, it works alongside the rest of the Society in ensuring it embeds the ‘Place to be YOU’ plan among the broker community. It is an active member of the AMI & IMLA D&I forums and is working with its underwriting, operations, and wider teams to consider methods in which it can make its products, services, and ways of working more inclusive.

Nottingham Building Society
Nottingham is building a different kind of building society, one that celebrates what makes you who you are and champions financial diversity. This includes its colleagues too.

Creating an inclusive workplace is a journey Nottingham is fully committed to. Its five colleague-led networks are playing a key role with awareness, education and celebration of its difference, acknowledging that when people can bring their authentic selves to work, they have a greater opportunity to thrive – and this helps make the building society a brilliant place to work. The colleague networks build strong internal communities, acting as a sounding board for its DE&I strategy and people policies, ensuring it protects and supports colleagues.

It’s an evolving journey that sometimes means trying things for the first time. For example, Nottingham Building Society’s newly established Embrace network, (focusing on inclusivity from the perspective of race and ethnicity) did just that earlier this year.

OSB Group
OSB Group is passionate about its people and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. The colleague voice is part of this, and the business wanted to ensure it had a seat at the table when decisions are made. Over the last 12 months, it has undergone a number of activities to ensure this moves away from being seen as a “tick-box exercise” and is tailored to reflect what really matters to colleagues.

The employee engagement network (EEN) has grown significantly this year, demonstrating its commitment to fostering inclusive communities within the workplace. The business has expanded the network in both the UK, now with 22 active members, and India, where it has nine dedicated participants. This growth is crucial in ensuring a broader representation and supporting a wider range of perspectives across the group.

It has extended its DE&I calendar to include events that recognise culturally significant dates and topics that resonate with our diverse workforce. This year’s events included, but not limited to:

International Women’s Day
Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Race Equality Week
India Independence Day
Pride Month
World Religion Day.

These observances not only celebrate diversity but also foster an environment where colleagues from varied backgrounds feel seen and valued.

It has successfully completed the second year of its international DE&I colleague survey. The survey showed an impressive increase in participation rates and a positive trend in responses, reflecting both greater awareness and appreciation for DE&I efforts. The feedback provides the business with invaluable insights that will guide its strategies and activities moving forward.

Looking to 2025, the focus will be on broadening the engagement network and offering more varied activities. This includes expanding the business’s events calendar to encompass even more cultural and social awareness initiatives and ensuring more diverse voices are represented in every DE&I conversation.

These DE&I initiatives underscore OSB’s commitment to an inclusive environment that values every team member’s identity and background, fostering a stronger, more collaborative workplace.

PEXA
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are core to PEXA’s values, and its initiatives are driven by its employees.

Its Champion Network leads the way in promoting DE&I, fostering an inclusive environment through active participation across the business. Alongside this, its Community Network encourages employees to engage in meaningful conversations and actions that support inclusion at all levels.

It is committed to enhancing awareness around neurodiversity and ensuring that everyone has the tools and support needed to thrive. Additionally, it continues to shine a light on female leadership, using platforms like the Leeds Digital Festival, amongst others, to promote and celebrate inspirational female leaders. PEXA is dedicated to empowering individuals and creating an environment where everyone can succeed.

Phoebus
Phoebus values diversity and the benefits of diverse teams and ideas. It fosters a culture of respect, openness and support, where colleagues feel safe to be themselves and perform at their best. It strives for diversity at all levels, in all roles and equality in opportunity and pay. This is supported by internal policies, procedures, values and behaviours.

Its CARE People plan includes culture, engagement and actions that support fostering a people-first culture. It has an annual independent anonymous engagement survey and creates action plans each year to address improvement areas and celebrate successes.

Its wellbeing programme ‘Be Well’ supports physical, mental and financial health. It encompasses awareness and education improve wellbeing and mental health and the business has trained mental health first aiders that are available to speak with colleagues confidentially and also to signpost additional support, alongside a wellbeing room and online resources.

Its workforce diversity statistics are much higher than tech and finance sector averages (as at 31.12.2023):

65.5% male
33% female
1.5% non-binary
40.5% of workforce from ethnic minorities

What it does:

Family friendly and flexible working policies that are supportive of women working in tech
Clear values and behaviour framework that supports respect and inclusion at work at all levels of the business
Menopause wellness policy and menopause café providing support
Inclusive recruitment and people policies – equal opportunities employer
Employee Assistance program with 24/7 advice
Awareness and celebration of cultural events during the year
Support for apprenticeship roles as well as more traditional qualifications
Benefits such as flexible bank holidays allow flexibility to celebrate religious/ cultural events relevant to the individual
Strategic approach to increase diversity at all levels of the business over a five-year period
Awareness training provided regarding equal opportunities on an annual basis.

Santander, Jeffrey Krampah-Williams , National Key Account Manager
ED&I has always been something that Jeffrey felt he wanted could do more of within the mortgage sector. After AMI published its findings in October 2021, he knew the time was right to be more vocal and help make the mortgage industry a more welcoming environment for all.

Since then, he has been involved with the creation of the Working in Mortgages website. Jeffrey has also collaborated with IMLA, DIFF, AMI and internal networks within Santander to promote ED&I. He currently leads a team of champions alongside head of intermediary distribution, Helen Harrison, which serves as allies and SMEs within the business to build a more inclusive culture for all.

Sesame Bankhall Group
Diversity, equity and inclusion is a key focus for Sesame Bankhall Group; its belief is that only when everyone feels able to bring their whole self to work can they deliver their very best.

It established an internal colleague ‘Inclusion Council’ in 2020 to drive forward its inclusion agenda. It hosts regular company-wide ‘Let’s Talk sessions where everyone can discuss and learn about issues; maintains a diary of observances and celebrations across social media; and shares resources and colleague stories through The Hub, its intranet.

Sesame Bankhall’s transparent recruitment practices have led naturally to a diverse, intersectional workforce. But it firmly believes diversity extends beyond the protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010, and includes differing living arrangements, working styles and economic profiles.

It’s why the business is also working to raise awareness of the disparate types of diversity that exist within its workforce and overcome old-fashioned assumptions about what diversity means – emphasising the many invisible diversity markers beyond race, gender or physical disability.

To this end, it frequently highlights the benefits of sharing diversity marker data – stressing that this is not merely a box-ticking exercise but has a direct impact on the benefits it provides and policies it works by.

Skipton Building Society for Intermediaries
A diverse and inclusive culture is an integral part of Skipton’s values. It understands the cultural and business benefits that its colleagues’ unique differences bring, which will help build a stronger society better able to serve customers today and in the future.

Its colleagues’ wellbeing is also important. Looking after their mental, physical and financial wellbeing helps them thrive at work, encourage engagement and enhance performance.

Skipton has 12 active employee networks and has recently held a building a better society fortnight, a fortnight of sessions to increase awareness of the barriers and obstacles some people face as well as improve understanding of how to help make a difference.

SPF Private Clients
SPF operates a meritocracy. It looks for best in class people irrespective of sex, race or religion. Its wider D&I Principles as part of the Howden Group are:

Engage – Across the group business leaders agree to diversity priorities.

Attract – Tap into a broader talent to hire diverse skills, experiences and perspectives.

Develop – Identify talent and provide opportunities for development.

Conversation – Create opportunities for meaningful dialogue, listening and learning to build awareness and understanding of differences.

Education – Provide opportunities to all staff for their continuing professional development.

Collaboration – Leverage and activate different groups and perspectives across the business to create momentum and deliver the D&I plan.

Retention – Anonymous surveys are a source of valuable data and promote better understanding of the experiences and thoughts of employees and their suggestions shape the D&I strategy.

The employee run ESG Committee at SPF has been a driving force for the last three years and has raised awareness on mental health for all employees. Other initiatives include intranet articles on the menopause and prostate cancer as well as a buddy scheme for new starters.

Target
Target aims to create a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels empowered to bring their authentic selves to work, and the workforce reflects the communities it serves. It strongly believes that diversity drives innovation and better outcomes for all.

ED&I is a strategic priority and is ingrained in everything Target does. It aims to ensure colleagues feel valued, heard, respected and have equitable opportunities regardless of their background.

Its ED&I strategy is underpinned by five key pillars; Gender, Multi-Generational, Disability, Multi-Cultural and LGBT, covering the entire colleague lifecycle. The business has a dedicated working group that defines and drives on key initiatives to help promote an inclusive culture.

It is proud of the achievements it’s made to date and has been recognised by two external awards and one internal Tech Mahindra award.

Target reports annually on its gender pay gap and has seen an improvement each year. Its median gap continues to be below the market average.
In 2022, it had a 30% female representation in its senior management population. It made positive steps to increase this further and now has a 41% female representation in its senior management population.
There is a 50/50 gender split across the entire business.
It has reviewed and enhanced its educational offering and continues to provide ED&I related training, such as unconscious bias and menopause awareness.
It launched its Women in Target forum, to champion and empower female colleagues through mentorship and development programmes.

Through continued momentum, focus and dedication Target is confident that it will achieve a balanced future for all colleagues.

The Brightstar Group
The Brightstar Group has undertaken a range of activities within its business to support its work on the DE&I agenda:

Reviewed all job adverts and descriptions to remove any gender bias to broaden the range of applicants.
Tracked the backgrounds and profiles of all new applicants through to hire to measure progress on diverse shortlisting.
Set minimum levels to ensure gender parity on work experience and internships to support growing a more diverse workforce.
Reviewed adoption leave policy to offer same guarantees and time off that we would offer to pregnant women to attend training.
Appointed a range of Learning Champions with a mix of experience and balance of genders to focus on delivery of key business projects.
Produce annual report at Board level with two appointed business leads to track, measure and communicate projects.
Committed members of DIFF, Working In Mortgages and Women In Finance.
Maintain annual anonymous staff survey to cover all key business areas, including opportunities to share any ‘red flag’ reporting but encourage ‘regular flags’ during the year.
Bespoke training programmes which cater for all levels of the business – ‘Aspiring Leaders’, ‘Future Consultants’ and ‘Into Management’.

The Exeter
The Exeter is deeply committed to fostering a fair and inclusive work environment. As a modern mutual, it believes in creating a sense of belonging and openness for everyone involved with the organisation, including employees, members, suppliers, and the communities it serves. Its goal is to leverage the diverse strengths of its workforce to drive sustainable growth and provide peace of mind in an uncertain world.

The Exeter values diverse perspectives and strives to build an inclusive culture. This means it is dedicated to prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and victimisation in any form. It promotes a merit-based, bias-free work environment and supports flexible working arrangements to accommodate individual needs. Policies are designed to reflect fairness and consistency, ensuring that it understands and serves its diverse member base effectively.

Leaders play a crucial role in ensuring a safe and respectful workplace. They address unacceptable conduct, including bullying and harassment, and have clear procedures for reporting and addressing such behaviour.

The Board is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion through various initiatives. They regularly monitor and report on progress and challenges in this area. The Exeter aims to maintain a diverse Board composition to enhance decision-making and governance.

This commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is at the heart of everything at The Exeter. It shapes the culture, guides its actions, and helps create a supportive and thriving workplace for everyone.

The Mortgage Mum
The Mortgage Mum has become one of the biggest female D&I advocates in the mortgage industry, championing women and flexible working with a revolutionary culture that is commented on by all industry peers, lenders and clients. Demonstrating a true commitment to wellbeing, they have a dedicated in-house wellbeing coach and offer monthly therapy sessions to all team members, as well as workshops dedicated to self-development and growth alongside their true flexible working environment and policy.

No longer do women need to apologise for raising their family and nurturing a career. Alongside this, The Mortgage Mum work with their team to highlight and improve issues that come up with neurodiversity, such as dyslexia and ADHD, as well as menopause, cycle awareness, gender equality, maternity leave and mental health. The business has become a true beacon of hope and inspiration for women and a voice for gender equality in the sector.

Uinsure
Uinsure is committed to reflecting and celebrating diversity and giving all its employees the opportunity to thrive in an open and inclusive environment. It is passionate about creating a culture focused on making everyone feel welcomed, valued and appreciated whilst giving employees opportunities to flourish to their full potential.

It’s a signatory of the Women in Finance Charter which formally commits the business to addressing the gender imbalance within financial services. It has launched a Women’s Network which provides a safe space to discuss the issues that affect women within the business, listen to their ideas and implement them.

Uinsure is also a signatory of the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter which commits it to better supporting all employees, including those with mental health problems to remain in and thrive through work. It provides Mental Health First Aiders, regular mental wellbeing conversations, and quarterly wellbeing sessions to create an environment where employees feel supported.

More recently, it has become a member of Neurodiversity in Business to help build a better workplace for neurodivergent employees. This has provided access to valuable training and resources which it has used to educate the leadership team around how to provide support and adapt ways of working to better meet their needs.

United Trust Bank
United Trust Bank (UTB) recognises, respects and values people’s differences in terms of background, race, culture, gender and neurodivergence. This is reflected both within the organisation, in its recruitment and promotion process and in the way it treats customers.

Employees believe in treating each other fairly, with dignity and respect and creating an environment where every individual is given equal access to opportunities to fully develop their potential.

In 2020, UTB set up a Diversity and Inclusion Committee with board level and employee representation. Its aim is to lead, guide and support the bank’s diversity and inclusion agenda to help create an environment and embed practices that support equal access to opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

UTB is committed to:

Creating an environment in which individual differences and the contributions of all team members are recognised and valued.
Promoting equality in the workplace.
Creating a working environment that promotes dignity and respect for every employee and provides support to staff when appropriate.
Not tolerating any form of intimidation, bullying, or harassment.

Vida Homeloans
Vida’s EDI strategy is part of its wider Culture & Sustainability Strategy. It runs an EDI Forum with cross-functional representatives from across the business. It creates an annual planner of cultural celebrations and events and meets four times a year to progress these and other initiatives.

This year it has opened up conversations across the business with personal journeys to highlight the importance of mental health awareness and Q&A sessions where colleagues shared their own experiences.

It has organised physical activities to promote improved mental health through movement and ran an event in the London office to celebrate International Women’s Day with speakers from the Board and across the organisation.

Unconscious bias training is now an integral part of its learning culture, ensuring every colleague can contribute to creating an inclusive environment.

Vida supports all-staff briefings to update on all EDI initiatives and created a diversity infographic to celebrate the breadth and depth of diversity across the business.

It has an EDI Charter which it uses internally to explain its key EDI commitments, as well as an EDI policy and several supporting wellbeing guides and other information packs, for example on neurodiversity.

Conference

Diversity & Inclusivity Finance Forum

09/05/2025

One Moorgate Place

Programme to be announced