2025 Inclusive Recruitment Award shortlist

The new Inclusive Recruitment Award recognises firms that are tackling one of the most persistent challenges in financial services – the underrepresentation of women at mid and senior levels. With gender pay gaps still reflecting this imbalance, inclusive recruitment strategies are vital to attract, retain and advance women at all stages of their careers.

This award highlights organisations that have embedded inclusive recruitment into their long-term DEI strategy – from sourcing diverse talent pools and supporting career returners, to creating pathways for women from other industries. The shortlisted firms have demonstrated clear sponsorship, strong communication, and measurable progress in building more equitable workplaces.

We’re delighted to announce the three firms shortlisted for the 2025 Inclusive Recruitment Award…

Improving gender representation – Deutsche Bank

The Improving gender representation initiative is designed to tackle the under-representation of women in senior, highly paid roles and to narrow the gender pay gap. Its central goal is to achieve 35% female representation across the three most senior corporate titles by December 2025, supported by targets for hiring, retention and promotion. By embedding these goals into cross-business working groups, the initiative ensures that policies and practices remain inclusive while building a strong, gender-diverse pipeline.

Further ambitions include achieving a minimum of 30% women on the Supervisory Board and across levels one and two below the Management Board, alongside gender targets for junior talent hiring. Progress is closely monitored through divisional and regional dashboards, recruitment diversity reviews, and insights from people and belonging surveys.

A wide range of measures underpin delivery. These include enhanced paternity leave to normalise active fatherhood, leadership development for senior women as role models, inclusive hiring and leadership workshops, and the Senior Women Spotlight programme to increase visibility of female talent.

Impact is already visible: 30% female representation has been reached on the Supervisory Board, 38.8% of MD-VP promotions went to women, and the gender pay gap is narrowing, demonstrating the tangible progress of 35by25.

Using insight to unlock opportunity: driving female hires through data – Legal & General

At Legal & General, the commitment to building a diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace is central to the organisation’s values. Every individual’s unique background is valued, and everyone is given the opportunity to contribute and succeed. As proud signatories of the Women in Finance Charter, Legal & General is dedicated to increasing the representation of women across the organisation, particularly in senior roles.

As part of this commitment, the company has set an aspirational goal of achieving 50% female representation across the organisation and 40% at middle and senior management levels. While progress is being driven across the business, Legal & General recognises the critical role of Talent Acquisition, particularly through the hiring of new joiners in meeting these goals.

To better target interventions and initiatives that directly impact representation, the company has enhanced its data capabilities. It can now track and report gender representation trends at each key stage of the hiring process – from application through to shortlist, interview, and offer. Combined with workforce data by business unit, grade, and job family, and supplemented by external benchmark data from LinkedIn’s Talent Insights platform, this has provided invaluable insights to inform and drive strategy.

UNGC Recruitment Strategy – Ultima Markets

Ultima Markets’ UNGC Recruitment Strategy is designed to attract, hire, and retain individuals who share the organisation’s commitment to human rights, labour standards, environmental responsibility, and anti-corruption. The company believes that recruiting purpose-driven talent is essential in achieving the UNGC’s broader mission of building a more sustainable and inclusive global economy.

The strategy emphasises inclusive hiring practices, equal opportunities, and active outreach to underrepresented communities. It ensures that all hiring decisions align with Ultima Markets’ core values and the Ten Principles of the UNGC. Candidates who demonstrate integrity, cross-cultural competence, and a commitment to social and environmental impact are prioritised, as these traits are essential for driving meaningful change across global markets.

By aligning recruitment with the UNGC mission, Ultima Markets is building a workforce capable of championing sustainable finance, responsible innovation, and global ethical standards. Through structured onboarding, continuous learning, and leadership development programmes focused on ESG principles, the company ensures that its people are not only aligned with its values but are also equipped to lead in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To find out about all of our awards, click here.