Throughout her career, Kate has helped to shape the pensions industry in the UK and supported a greater understanding of the ever-changing rules and regulations. She is also bringing attention to the gender pensions gap and flagging how it can be narrowed.
Shilpy’s leadership of the Women@Capco network has pushed forward many projects, including a Return to Work programme which encourages experienced, senior talent to join Capco after extended career breaks, whether that was due to having children through to illness
Andrew has made a unique contribution to gender equality for his colleagues and in the wider industry. Apart from his many managerial accomplishments, he is the co-chair of Citi’s gender network and actively advocates for diversity through a research programme where his support has been called remarkable and exemplary.
When Credit Suisse was asked to put forward its role model for actions supporting the diversity and inclusion agenda, it provided Women in Banking & Finance with not one, but two names in Audrey Bampoe and Lisa London. We explain why both deserve our praise.
Bernadette leads from the front, not only by being a senior role model for Cynergy Bank’s female colleagues, but also by hiring one of the most diverse teams in the bank (by gender and ethnicity). Bernadette is also the executive sponsor of Cynergy’s diversity and inclusion group.
Katelyn is the chair of Deloitte UK’s Financial Services Women in Leadership Council as well as a member of the firm’s International Women's Forum. Through her practice leadership initiative, the firm has made huge strides in diversity and inclusion, with 50% of the Financial Services Institutions’ executive team now female.
Over the last 18 months as well as leading EY’s partnership with TheCityUK and UK Finance helping UK SMEs with recapitalisation solutions, Shalini has also helped other women through formal and informal networks and formative mentoring relationships – programmes now being copied by other EY teams.
Lisa’s colleagues told us she leads by example – not just in her practice she leads, which has flourished – but also as an active, visible champion for diversity and inclusion. Lisa has established and leads a number of networks helping women, working parents and colleagues from ethnic minorities thrive.
In addition to her day job, Kate leads communications for Lloyds’ gender diversity network, which boasts over 12,500 members. She is also helping deliver the group’s new menopause proposition, which was launching days later to all of her 65,000 colleagues.
Called a culture carrier and positive force for change, Anita has achieved great results with regard to diversity and inclusion in her day job given she is a firm believer that it is not a standalone initiative, but that it helps organisations and operations become more successful.
After six years leading NatWest’s gender network, Nikki is handing on the baton to a new leader. She is being recognised for the large-scale restructure of the network, bringing together five disparate groups to form one 13,000 strong community and initiating some great projects.
Desiree is focused on supporting community causes and enabling people to pursue careers in marketing. She has a string of impressive civic and corporate titles and is also helping RBC expand its community and charitable fundraising initiatives – some of which have gone global.
Beatriz has been fundamental in the creation of the diversity and inclusion working group in the commercial and investment banking division at Santander, which has been running for about two years. Her impressive network is structured around three pillars: retaining talent; hiring; and awareness.
A role model during her 25-year tenure, Fola owns the intersectionality of gender and race despite the challenges she has encountered and continues to face. She is an exceptional leader on the Visible Minority committee and a key contributor to the Black Experience Committee globally.
Debbie is seen to have had a huge impact as a role model at Tesco Bank - working her way up to an ExCo role, leading and helping those around her to deliver more, and better, for our customers. She also sponsors the Women at Tesco network, advising, assisting, mentoring and developing colleagues.
When Wells Fargo was asked to put forward its role model for actions supporting the diversity and inclusion agenda, it provided Women in Banking & Finance with not one, but two names in Lana Vannerem and Stefanie Hanstveit. We explain why both deserve our praise.
Kate is a journalist and television and radio presenter, who has hosted some of television’s biggest shows, including the X Factor, The Royal Variety Performance, Loose Women and This Morning. Kate currently hosts the hit podcast White Wine Question Time, which sees her asking well-known guests three thought provoking questions, over three glasses of wine. Previous guests have included Amanda Holden, Judy Murray, David Lammy MP, Torvill and Dean, Ant Middleton and Craig Revel Horwood. At 21, Kate became the youngest ever and first female editor of pop magazine Smash Hits, before working as a Contributing Editor at the Sunday Times and Marie Claire magazine. In 1997, Kate began her second career in television on the ITV current affairs’ programme Straight Up, and has also hosted talk shows and documentaries on Radio 2.
Kate is conscious of the need for women to take control of their financial futures and is also involved in The Wisdom Council’s Yes She Can programme.
Anna is CEO and President of Women in Banking & Finance and passionate about gender equality. She is also the founder and CEO of The Wisdom Council (TWC), where she focuses on delivering strategic, innovative and actionable strategies to improve consumer engagement and financial awareness. TWC is a partner with the London School of Economics to support WIBF’s Accelerating Change Together research programme.
Anna recently sat on the Money and Pensions Service – Gender and Financial Wellbeing Challenge, bringing a gender lens to the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing. In 2019, Anna launched the cross-industry Yes She Can initiative, focusing on closing the gender gap
in pensions and investments. Prior to launching TWC, Anna ran a specialist consultancy and has worked in the City for over 20 years in senior roles at JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley.
Amanda Blanc is the Group CEO of Aviva, the UK’s leading insurance, wealth and retirement business. Amanda was born and bred in Wales, having grown up in the Rhondda Valley, and many of her family still live there. She started her career as a graduate at one of Aviva’s ancestor companies, Commercial Union. Following success in senior executive roles across the insurance industry, she came back to Aviva as CEO in July 2020. Amanda was formerly Group CEO at AXA UK, PPP & Ireland and CEO Europe, Middle East, Africa & Global Banking at Zurich Insurance Group.
In 2021, Amanda was awarded the Women in Insurance Outstanding Achievement Award. Amanda was recognised in the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2021 and 2022. In 2022 Amanda was named Insurance Personality of the Year at the British Insurance Awards.
In 2020, Amanda led the Government’s independent review into flood insurance and in 2021, she was appointed by HM Treasury to the role of Women in Finance Charter Champion and has worked with Bain & Company to design an industry-first blueprint.
Alison Harding‐Jones joined Citi in 2017 as Vice Chairman of EMEA BCMA (Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory) and Head of EMEA Mergers & Acquisitions. She is responsible for leading Citi’s M&A activities across the region including strategy, senior client relationships and leading transaction execution. Prior to joining Citi, Alison spent more than 25 years at S.G. Warburg/UBS. From 2015 to 2017 Alison was Head of UBS M&A Advisory business for the APAC region based in Hong Kong. Alison ran UBS CEEMEA Investment Banking business from 2013 to 2014.
Sandy Begbie CBE was appointed Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise in October 2020. Prior to joining SFE, Sandy led the development of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee following an 18-month contract at Tesco Bank as the Chief Transformation Officer.
Sandy was responsible for the Global People, Organisation and Culture Integration following the successful merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management in 2017. Before the merger Sandy was the Chief People Officer and Lead Executive for China and Hong Kong for Standard Life for eight years and also led the turn-around of Standard Life’s Chinese Joint Venture.
Before joining Standard Life in May 2010 Sandy held similar Transformation and Group HR Director positions within Aegon, Scottish Power and Royal Bank of Scotland.
Sandy holds several non-executive positions including Chair of Career Ready, Chair of Place2Be Scotland and a Trustee on the National Place2Be Board, Chair of Young Person Guarantee and Chair of DYW (Developing the Young Workforce).
Sandy was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in August 2018 for services to business and social inclusion.
