Why are we taking a bottom up approach to diversity when the problem is at the top?

Mark.Freed / 13 Nov 2019

This week I have met a number of people, separately, from a major investment bank here in London. I shall not name the bank as most readers will recognise the problem at their own banks. The bank’s gender pay gap report statistics are not dissimilar to...

FCA Report: “Financial Services – senior jobs are still mostly for the boys”

Mark.Freed / 13 Nov 2019

As we are preparing for our round table with Julia Hoggett, Director of Market Oversight at the FCA, we were interested to read a new report from the FCA.  “Despite businesses facing ever greater scrutiny and criticism over gender diversity – with few industries more in the spotlight...

Investec launch their Return to Work Programme

Katie.Dix / 04 Nov 2019

We are delighted to see that Investec have launched a market leading return to Work Programme.   Not all careers in financial services are the same: It is possible to combine professional success with the entrepreneurial spirit and genuine relationships that bring an organisation to life. The answer lies in...

Standard Life Aberdeen - Parental Leave

Mark.Freed / 30 Oct 2019

Congratulaitons to Standard Life Aberdeen Congratulations and big well done to Standard Life Aberdeen who this week announced a new, market-leading parent leave policy that sets a new precedent across businesses in the UK. From 1 January 2020, all employees in the UK welcoming a child into their family will be...

Time to get serious: If diversity is a business imperative, treat it like one!

Mark.Freed / 29 Oct 2019

The Diversity Project and PWC have recently issued a new report “Diversity and inclusion in investment management” The report gives gender pay reporting praise for bringing the lack of diversity within the industry into sharp focus and added weight to the voices calling for faster change. ...

Sharing your frustrations and challenges

Mark.Freed / 16 Oct 2019

We get many emails from members of our community sharing their frustrations and challenges.   We received this one this week following up on some work I had done to call out some bad practice at a bank. Do you feel like this? Does it highlight the challenges faced by...

This week our recruitment team have helped three of our members secure offers

Katie.Dix / 24 Jul 2019

So let's celebrate! This week our recruitment team have helped three of our members secure offers for new roles. In doing so they have helped two clients find and recruit the ‘best person for the job’ and also help their firm become more successful by becoming...

A lack of female talent OR poor recruitment practices?

Mark.Freed / 15 Jul 2019

I’ve heard a lot of senior bankers recently saying that we will not get more women at the top in financial services by firms recruiting each other’s women.  When you look at the backgrounds of the people saying this, most of them got to the...

My thoughts on careers for women in FX

Mark.Freed / 11 Jul 2019

I attended an event a few weeks ago promoting careers in FX for women.  One thing I learnt from the panellists of senior figures is that, the FX sector was a male dominated, macho, tetestrone fuelled industry in the past but it's ok now! This got me thinking... ...

Sponsoring Women’s Football VS Recruiting more women

Mark.Freed / 19 Jun 2019

As we are readying ourselves to cheer the Lionesses through another, hopefully, successful women’s Football World Cup campaign, it reminded me of the announcement by the Football Association that Barclays is to become the FA Women's Super League’s first ever title sponsor, in a...

E2W members met the team behind the Women in Finance Charter

Katie.Dix / 24 May 2019

E2W members met the team behind the Women in Finance Charter. Hosted by our friends and partners at Man Group, on Wednesday morning 22nd May, the team from the HM Treasury behind the Women in Finance Charter took the opportunity to meet E2W members - senior women...

Women of The Square Mile

Mark.Freed / 28 Mar 2019

I am really looking forward to talking at Women of The Square Mile on the 15th May at Olympia.  Joining a line-up of other industry leaders like Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia and E2W Member Monica Summerville.  As an E2W member you can get discount tickets by using...

Differentiating and communicating your employer brand

Mark.Freed / 15 Mar 2019

You are a great employer, an employer that has attractive and well considered value propositions to attract diverse candidates. A Financial Institution with the culture and working practices that enable your female colleagues to succeed and flourish.  In an industry where all your competitors are talking the talk but...

John Glen and Andrew Bailey shining a spotlight on gender diversity

Mark.Freed / 15 Mar 2019

Back in November, I wrote a piece about the fact that in order for us to achieve gender parity, we need more men to be involved. Gender parity means just that – women and men on an equal footing and although women are fighting the good fight, the cause needs...

Mark Freed on Balance for Better, this year’s International Women’s Day theme

Mark.Freed / 19 Feb 2019

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is Balance for Better.  This is a great theme!  Balance for better recognises that gender diversity isn’t, actually, all about women. And it really isn’t all about women, women are the ones fighting...

Blackrock closing their gender pay gap – let’s celebrate their achievement.

Tina.Freed / 18 Feb 2019

We love to celebrate success and are delighted to witness the massive achievements of Blackrock in closing their gender pay gap. There were more high earning Women working at the world’s largest fund manager in April 2018 than the previous year.  The latest figures reported in Blackrock&rsquo...

Getting excited but about the fast approaching gender pay gap reporting deadline in April

Mark.Freed / 10 Dec 2018

Here at E2W we’re starting to get excited but about the fast approaching gender pay gap reporting deadline in April 2019. Firms will be reporting on their gender pay gaps at 5th April 2018   Of course, some firms have reported already: Aldermore Bank, the various entities under...

European Women in Finance - Moving from Why to How?

Mark.Freed / 03 Dec 2018

I was a speaker at the European Women in Finance conference in Amsterdam recently and I was asked to speak on how we can reach the ‘utopia’ of when gender diversity isn’t an issue and I’m out of a job!  I talked about...

E2W and Man Group – Active Inclusion Recruitment Strategy

Mark.Freed / 27 Nov 2018

Fantastic afternoon yesterday at the launch of Man Group – Active Inclusion Recruitment Strategy. E2W Members take note: Man Group believes in diversity because it is the right thing to do, because it makes them a better place to work and it makes them a better business. They pride...

Let’s not dance around the issue – how to attract talent and clients

Mark.Freed / 15 Nov 2018

Bake!  How financial services firms can take the lead from The Great British Bake Off In the last in my series on popular culture and gender diversity, read about why it’s so important to reflect society in your organisation You can tell the nights are drawing in...