" We are proud of the fact that we already have an equal split of men and women on our senior management team"
The bridging lender says it has already exceeded the targets it set, with recent appointments boosting the number of women on its board to 50% and across its entire workforce to 75%.
Other signatories announced in the November list include IRESS, British Friendly Society, LV= General Insurance, Mint Bridging, Target Group and the PLSA.
The first Annual Review into the Women in Finance Charter, published in March 2018, found that more than three-quarters (78%) of the first group of signatories either increased or maintained the proportion of women in senior management in the reporting period.
Signatory firms have committed to implement four key industry actions, as recommended in Jayne-Anne Gadhia’s review into the representation of women in senior management in financial services, published in March 2016. The review found that in 2015, women made up only 14% of executive committees in the financial services sector.
Since the Charter launched, over 85% of the signatories that have set their Charter targets have committed to have at least 30% women in senior roles by 2021. Over 25% of the firms that have set their Charter targets have committed to a 50/50 gender split in senior roles by 2021.
Jonathan Sealey, CEO of Hope Capital, said: “We set the expectation of signing up to the Women in Finance Charter some time ago within Hope Capital. Where we have differed from other financial companies is that we wanted to have already hit our targets before we signed up, as actions speak louder than words. We have spent the last few months working towards this and, as a result, we are proud of the fact that we already have an equal split of men and women on our senior management team and 75% of our staff are female, including underwriters, case writers and BDMs. Our target now is to maintain the level that we have achieved already.”
Laura Carr, head of underwriting at Hope Capital, added: “Hope Capital has been committed to gender diversity since well before the Women in Finance Charter came into being. The fact that we have 50% women in senior management and over 75% women overall is testament to that. This latest commitment to the Charter is the next logical step to what is a long-term commitment.”
Ian Larkin, CEO at Target Group, commented: “It is vital that we promote and encourage a diverse environment here at Target as that is ultimately what will allow us to progress and make better business decisions. There are multiple studies out there that extol the benefits of diverse workforces, and we, as an industry, need to do more to encourage this.
“We have been very active in programmes that promote women in the workplace, and have seen the positive impact these create. As such, the Women in Finance Charter feels like a natural step for us and is a great opportunity to help champion the positive difference diversity makes.”
