Welsh bank Hodge commits to diversity and equality in finance with HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter
Cardiff based, specialist lender Hodge is the latest signatory of the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter, a commitment to diversity and the progression of women in financial services.
The move comes as part of a series of changes at Hodge over the past year to evolve the institution and promote diversity within the business, including the appointment of new CEO Steve Pateman.
Launched by HM Treasury, the Women in Finance Charter pledges companies to support the progression of women into senior roles to help encourage diversity within the financial services sector.
The charter;
- commits firms to supporting the progression of women into senior roles in the financial services sector by focusing on the executive pipeline and the mid-tier level;
- recognises the diversity of the sector and that firms will have different starting points – each firm should therefore set its own targets and implement the right strategy for their organisation; and
- requires firms to publicly report on progress to deliver against these internal targets to support the transparency and accountability needed to drive change.
The commitment to the charter is part of Hodge’s on-going Wonder programme which helps develop women into senior positions within the business through mentoring schemes, guest speaker events and networking opportunities.
Other recent developments at Hodge include the introduction of flexible working schemes and the development of training initiatives, designed to promote a healthy work-life balance.
Steve Pateman, CEO of Hodge said;
“Today’s announcement is part of a series of developments we’ve made at Hodge to make life better for our team and our customers.
“Diversity is one of the biggest assets to any company, and while financial institutions have traditionally fallen short in this area, today shows our firm commitment to redressing the balance and creating an industry where everyone can succeed.
“We strongly believe that flexibility and diversity are key to driving innovation and creating excellent products for customers. Over the past year we’ve introduced flexible working, casual dress codes, leadership talks and enhanced training and development opportunities for our team, all designed to help create a supportive environment where people and ideas can thrive.
“Hodge has a heritage of encouraging new ideas and innovation and we want to take this heritage worth us as we move forward – this year has seen us introduce new products and make market leading changes to our later life lending portfolio.
“Today is just one step towards helping to create a better market and we will continue to champion innovation, flexibility and diversity at Hodge with more exciting developments to be announced throughout the rest the year.”
Sarah Ellen-Stacey, head of people services at Hodge, said;
“At Hodge, we’re committed to bringing greater gender balance to our management, leadership and board roles.
“We believe diversity across the business, and at a senior level results in a better breadth of thinking, diverse contributions and creates a truly inclusive environment that ensures our people flourish.
“The Women in Finance Charter is a great opportunity for us to show our commitment to our belief that by working together, across the sector, we can make a real difference to women working in finance and financial services will thrive as a result.”
For more information on the Women in Finance Charter, please visit; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/women-in-finance-charter
For more information about Hodge, including current vacancies visit, the official Hodge website.