Be The Change... Growing the Talent Pool through Championing Diversity and Inclusion

ipushpull is a FinTech, however, we also see it as our purpose and responsibility to tackle long-term systemic and industry-wide challenges that are impacting the UK’s ability to retain its position as a leading hub for FinTechs. Specifically, we need to grow the talent pool to bridge the gender and racial gap. We also need better representation of people from socially deprived backgrounds that don’t naturally get the same opportunities as those that are able to go into higher education or workplace internships. Addressing these inequalities will help improve decision-making and remove bias, a win-win. To hit these inequalities head on you must address the source of the problem in schools, which is why I founded Work in FinTech, to help students discover opportunities to work in our industry. On a practical level, we have been arranging groups of students to go into companies such as Revolut, Goldman Sachs and TP ICAP to have their eyes opened to the possibilities and broaden their horizons. We also arrange mentoring sessions to help tackle common questions about how to get that first job and provide interviews with leaders from across the industry sharing their experiences of getting into our sector. We’re working with university students, sponsoring them through their course and in turn, they’re helping us develop exciting innovations at ipushpull! The hope is that when they graduate, they can progress into a full-time role with us, or we can help them find a role with other FinTechs in the community. Lastly, we are a founding partner of the University of East London new Centre of FinTech which has been set up to increase the exposure of students to the world of FinTech, and in so doing, prepare them for the world of work and help them discover the exciting roles available. Having a common purpose that’s bigger than the company mission, we believe, sets us apart from most other companies. It’s a philosophy that defines who we hire and why we hire which is based on talent and passion, not what's written on a CV. You can view the full results of The Top 1% Workplace Awards by downloading your free copy of The Financial Technologist.