Jersey Finance has become an official supporter of Progress Together, a membership organisation, which helps its members to enhance and retain a socio-economically diverse workforce. Their aim is to level the playing field for employees from all socio-economic backgrounds.
Progress Together was established in 2020 after HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) commissioned the City of London Corporation to lead an independent taskforce looking at improving socio-economic diversity at senior levels in UK financial and professional services.
The taskforce conducted hundreds of roundtables and interviews, consulted extensive literature, and engaged firms at various stages of the socio-economic diversity journey. As a result, an independent membership body Progress Together was created.
Progress Together currently represents a third of the UK’s financial services workforce. Its founding partners include Accenture, A&O Sherman, Aviva, AXA, City of London, EY, Fidelity International, Man, Paragon, Santander, PwC and Schroders. Jersey Finance joins 50 official Progress Together supporters including TheCityUK, UK Finance, Innovate Finance and the Financial Services Skills Commission as official supporters.
Karolina Pilcher, Senior Strategy and Research Manager, Jersey Finance, said: “We’re committed to supporting Progress Together and working with them, alongside financial and related professional services in Jersey to create an industry where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are excited to collaborate with the Progress Together team for the next three years on any existing and new initiatives which contribute to an enabling environment in the financial services sector where employees from all socio-economic backgrounds have equal opportunity to progress.
“This partnership has the potential to bring about really positive, constructive change, providing us with fresh perspectives to support our industry’s 14,000-strong workforce in delivering a first-class service to a diverse international client base.”
Sophie Hulm, Progress Together CEO, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Jersey Finance as a Progress Together supporter. It shows a commitment to improving socio-economic diversity at senior levels in financial services.
“Socio-economic diversity leads to improved employee retention, diversity of thought, greater innovation and a better understanding of consumers’ needs. It benefits individuals, businesses and the wider economy.”
