Women in Credit: A new platform to explore gender diversity

The ultimate plan is that the brand, through initiatives including an awards programme and networking events, will provide a platform to discuss a range of issues that have gender diversity in the workplace at its heart.

Women in Credit will put a spotlight on female representation at every level in businesses across the credit spectrum.

It is also being launched in the context of imbalance; only seven of the FTSE 100 companies have female chief executives and only 18 percent of Credit Strategy’s Credit 500, made up of the most influential people working in credit, are women. 

"In 2015 women made up only 14 percent of executive committees in the financial services sector"

A recent report from the Treasury puts it succinctly: “Our research shows that in 2015 women made up only 14 percent of executive committees in the financial services sector. Too few women get to the top and there is a “permafrost” in the mid-tier where women do not progress or they leave the sector. This is not just about childcare. Women are leaving because the culture isn’t right.”

The government is also concerned about the context and has set up a Women in Finance charter, through the Treasury, that has been focussing on diversity in financial services for more than a year. The progression of women into senior roles is one of its key aims.

Credit Strategy will be kicking off the Women in Credit brand with an awards programme for women who’ve made outstanding contributions to their profession, and the brand will be used to promote mentoring and networking groups.

Entries for the Women in Credit Awards are now open – see the Credit Week website for how to enter.

The awards programme will take place during Credit Week in March 2018 and aims to highlight some of the excellent work and achievements of women in our industry - not just at the very top but also those newer to the industry, or who show superb collaborative skills that help their teams thrive and succeed.

The judging panel for the awards, which will also act as a steering committee for the initiatives under the Women in Credit brand, includes among many others:

• Anne Boden, chief executive, Starling Bank:
• Jennifer Baldwin, head of strategy, collections and recoveries, Barclaycard;
• Maria Harris, director of retail mortgages, Atom Bank;
• Elaine Faulkner, collections agency manager of debt management team, change, quality and billing at Sky;
• Tasneem Bhamji, head of transformation - credit operations at Lloyds Banking Group;
• Fiona Hoyle, head of consumer finance, Finance & Leasing Association.

During Credit Week, Credit Strategy will host a debate at the Credit Summit to discuss how women are faring in credit, where there are issues of concern and what the industry can do to improve gender diversity.

Credit Strategy will welcome any ideas and suggestions for Women in Credit. Please email them to the magazine’s publishing director Kamala Panday, who is leading Women in Credit, on kpanday@shardfinancialmedia.com