Richard Rowntree is managing director of mortgages at Paragon Bank. For many years, he has been at the forefront of initiatives which seek to support those from non-professional backgrounds in the financial services industry.
He has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London for the work he has done to promote socio-economic diversity and inclusion in the financial services sector and he is a board member of Progress Together, a membership body which is working to improve socio-economic access, retention, and progress in financial services.
He has spoken at the Mortgage Solutions Diversity and Inclusivity Finance Forum to highlight the barriers faced by people from certain socio-economic backgrounds and is a sponsor of Paragon Banking Group’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion network.
He is also a proud Change Maker.
In this exclusive video interview, he explains why it is of paramount importance to drive social mobility in the financial services. He notes that while the move towards greater social mobility is gathering momentum, ‘consciousness needs to be raised, as the issue has not yet had its ‘Me Too’ or ‘Black Lives Matter’ moment.
And he tells Mortgage Solutions why he feels Change Makers, and those nominated, can make a big difference to the overall mortgage industry.
For more on the Change Makers initiative and to see a full list of Change Makers, see the dedicated Change Makers portal.
