At Seedrs, we’re committed to improving gender diversity not just within our organisation, but also within the wider financial services industry. That’s why we signed the Women in Finance Charter in 2019, committing to increasing the number of women in our senior management – and here’s our 2023 update.
Our target, set in 2019, was to maintain female representation in senior management at a minimum 30% by 30 September 2022, which we achieved. At the end of Q3 in 2022, the number of female senior managers as a percentage of total senior management was 31% at Seedrs, slightly below the UK average of 33% in 2020 and 2021. But one year later, as of 30th September 2023, we are proud to share that this percentage has risen to 43%. We are thrilled to have increased the number of women in senior management by over 10%.
Seedrs is 8% ahead of the 2022 national average of 35% (this year’s data not released yet), and as a FinTech, we’re proud to be part of the Women in Finance Charter and are committed to shaping a future of finance that supports innovation, diversity and inclusive industry standards.
The Women in Finance Charter is described as a commitment by HM Treasury and signatory firms to work together to build a more balanced and fair industry; the Charter reflects the government’s aspiration to see gender balance at all levels across financial services firms.
Diversity is a core value of Seedrs – it always has been and always will be. Our central mission is to democratise the future of finance, making private investing accessible to millions across the globe, starting in the UK, US and now, more recently, the EU. We can’t achieve this mission without a diverse team and with diversity of minds in leadership. Having women in leadership positions encourages a new narrative, shaping a brighter future of financial services, and consequently, a revitalised economy.
Perhaps most importantly, however, we are aware that change is not passive – to make an impact, we need measurable targets, progress reporting and transparency, and as an organisation, we’re committed to putting these in place to make a real difference.
Our CEO, Jeff Kelisky, is the champion of the Women in Finance Charter at Seedrs, and is accountable for the initiative. He spoke of Seedrs’ commitment to the charter:
I’m extremely proud, not just of the progress that Seedrs has made in ensuring our senior leadership team is inclusive and fair, but that our entire team is committed to improving the diversity and accessibility of the wider industry. It should be ‘a given’ that women have equal access to opportunities within financial services and in line with this imperative, we have always sought to ensure that our senior leadership team at Seedrs is also reflective of this belief.
We look forward to seeing the results of the Charter this year and are dedicated to working together as an industry to advocate for positive change in the workplace.
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