Trailblazers lead from the front

We sat down with the first Trailblazer at the Women in Credit Conference, Oodle Car Finance. Their Chief People Officer, Heidi Physick, explains how they are turning inclusion from intent into impact and why banks and lenders should follow their lead, becoming trailblazers at the event.  

Why Trailblazer status matters 

For Oodle Car Finance, being a Trailblazer is about visibility and responsibility. “It’s being out in front, leading the charge and sharing what works,” Heidi Physick says. Heidi goes on to share that Oodle has supported the conference and awards for years and stepping into a Trailblazer role felt like the natural next step. It formalises a commitment to openness, showing progress, admitting challenges, and learning in public, so the industry can move faster together. 

That emphasis on transparency runs through Oodle’s approach: the organisation backs its message with access, data and delivery. Trailblazer status concentrates minds internally, too, prompting teams to decide what they want to showcase and how to involve employees at every level. 

Meet the ‘Women & Diversity in Credit’ speaker 

Heidi Physick has spent over two decades shaping people strategy in financial services. Before joining Oodle Car Finance as Chief People Officer in 2022, she held senior HR roles at Virgin Media, Barclays and Arrow Global. With a Master’s in the Psychology of Work, her focus spans organisational culture, leadership and engagement. At the conference, she joins the panel “How to build succession pipelines for female employees.” 

From words to action 

Oodle’s inclusion agenda is deliberately practical. At the top of the house, the company has established a 50:50 gender split at EXCO and SLT level, making representation a visible non-negotiable. The goal now is to protect that balance by developing a clear pipeline, not relying on chance. 

Employee voice has been systematised through five active colleague networks. These groups aren’t side projects: they have direct access to senior leaders, published annual actions, and EXCO sponsors. Heidi points to REACH, the Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage network, which presented personal workplace experiences to the executive team, an exercise that deepened trust and sharpened leadership focus. 

Early-career access has stepped up as well. Through 10,000 Black Interns, Oodle welcomed five interns over the summer, with one converting to a permanent role. And the company has leaned into life-event moments with hybrid working and a maternity returner buddying scheme, offering practical support at points that can derail progression. 

Where policy meets mindset, Oodle has run organisation-wide sessions on imposter syndrome, self-limiting beliefs and self-compassion. The message is clear: confidence can be developed, and the employer has a role in helping people build it. 

“If you don’t know who you’ve got, you can’t know if you’re improving. We’re shining a light on where we’re getting better, and where we need to do more,” says Heidi. 

Barriers and how to remove them 

The obstacles Heidi sees fall into two broad camps. First are the structural barriers that persistently affect women more than men: the cost and availability of childcare, and the limited flexibility still found in parts of the sector. Second is the confidence gap, the sense, reported by many women at Oodle and across the industry, that feelings of imposter syndrome hold them back from applying for stretch roles or putting themselves forward. 

Oodle’s response blends policy and practice. Flexibility is baked into ways of working; return-to-work support recognises that transitions matter; and development is targeted toward the beliefs and behaviours that unlock progression. Crucially, this runs alongside sponsorship and access: networks are chaired by SLT members and backed by EXCO sponsors, ensuring conversations translate into decisions. 

Oodle’s experience suggests a simple message: if you truly care about diversity and inclusion and want your employees, the industry and future talent to see it, become a Trailblazer at the Women & Diversity in Credit Conference. Lead from the front, share openly, and help set the pace for the sector.