Corporate to Code
22 July, 2025
Inclusion, Leadership, and the Future of Work in Financial Services
In a landmark episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions, hosted by Nadia, the podcast welcomes Julia Streets, MBE, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Streets Consulting. This powerful conversation celebrates Julia’s recent appointment as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her services to diversity and inclusion in entrepreneurship, particularly in the financial services and technology sectors.
Julia’s award could not be more timely. As a woman in business and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, she has spent years advocating for real change across the FinTech industry. Her commitment is not confined to speaking at major events or broadcasting messages through large platforms. It extends to the work she does in quiet rooms: mentoring, coaching, and supporting businesses and individuals to build truly inclusive organisations.
The discussion with Nadia delves into the evolving state of DEI across FinTech, the worrying trend of organisations stepping back from their commitments, and the commercial case for building inclusive cultures. It also unpacks the strategic role of inclusive recruitment in building sustainable businesses, something Harrington Starr sees every day in our work as a specialist FinTech recruitment agency.
A Milestone Worth Celebrating: Julia Streets Receives Her MBE
The episode begins with a celebration of Julia’s MBE, awarded in His Majesty King Charles III’s 2025 Birthday Honours List. As she tells Nadia, the recognition came on her birthday, a poetic coincidence that adds personal significance to an already momentous achievement.
Julia expresses a mix of pride and humility in receiving the honour. She acknowledges how meaningful it is not just for her, but for the mission she has championed for decades: advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the world of entrepreneurship and FinTech. She reflects on how her journey as a female founder and a vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community has shaped her work, and how that work, in turn, has helped shift the conversation across the industry.
But Julia makes one thing clear: the work is far from over. Recognition is important, but it must lead to continued action.
A Podcast That Changed the Conversation: The Birth of Diverse City
In 2017, Julia found herself at the House of Commons, listening to senior representatives from large organisations talk about their DEI initiatives. She noticed a troubling gap between what was being said and what was actually being done. Many claimed that “D&I is in our DNA,” and spoke proudly of their diversity efforts. Yet when Julia walked into those same organisations, she saw very little representation beyond the reception desk.
It was this dissonance that sparked the idea for the Diverse City Podcast. Julia wanted to amplify the voices of those doing the real work at the grassroots level, people who were not only pushing for change but embodying it. Over 16 seasons, the podcast interviewed a wide range of guests, from the Governor of the Bank of England.
The aim was not only to raise awareness but to create a tangible impact by bringing diverse perspectives into mainstream industry dialogue. Julia reflects on how this work has informed her broader mission: to ensure that organisations don’t just talk about inclusion, they live it, every day.
The Role of Quiet Rooms in Creating Real Change
While Julia is known for her public speaking and visible advocacy, she shares that much of her most impactful work happens behind the scenes. In one-on-one coaching sessions and leadership consultations, she engages with senior executives and co-founding teams across the FinTech space. These interactions often revolve around business growth, transformation, and, critically, organisational culture.
Culture, Julia insists, is everything. Whether a FinTech firm is scaling after a successful funding round or recalibrating after a downturn, its ability to thrive is intrinsically tied to its internal culture. And that culture is deeply shaped by how inclusive, representative, and authentic the organisation is.
Currently, five generations are working across financial services, and many believe a sixth is on the way. This generational shift means that younger employees, particularly Gen Z, expect more from their employers. They want to work for organisations that value inclusion, understand the importance of belonging, and practise what they preach. If they don’t find that, they won’t hesitate to look elsewhere.
This has major implications for FinTech recruitment. As specialists in this space, Harrington Starr understands how important culture and purpose are in attracting top-tier talent. Candidates are increasingly asking hard questions about company values, leadership behaviours, and DEI commitments, and employers must be prepared to answer with honesty and substance.
The Rise and Retreat of DEI in FinTech: A Worrying Trend
Nadia and Julia explore a concerning trend that’s gaining momentum across the industry: the retreat from DEI. After years of vocal commitment, many companies are now stepping back, quietly removing DEI content from websites, renaming initiatives, or deprioritising inclusion efforts under the guise of shifting strategy.
Julia notes that this pullback is not universal. It has created a clearer divide between performative actors and authentic leaders. The latter understands that inclusion isn’t just good for morale, it’s essential for business performance. They know that culture drives innovation, collaboration, and retention, and they’re determined to protect it.
These leaders may operate with a lower profile, but they are doubling down on their DEI commitments in meaningful ways. They understand that saying the right things is no longer enough. It’s the action that matters. It’s consistency that earns trust. And its inclusion will determine who wins the war for talent in the coming years.
How Streets Consulting Helps FinTech Firms Grow and Transform
At Streets Consulting, Julia’s team works across three key areas: campaigns, content, and coaching. Campaigns focus on helping FinTech firms craft and deliver messaging that cuts through the noise and reaches the right audiences. This includes media relations, video production, and digital marketing strategies that align with the client’s brand and business goals.
Content development is supported by AI tools, allowing organisations to create more with less. But Julia is clear: using AI requires a strong focus on nuance, accuracy, and brand security, particularly in a heavily regulated space like financial services.
Where the firm truly differentiates itself, however, is in its coaching. Julia offers executive and life transformation coaching to senior leaders and emerging talent. She works with individuals and small groups, often focusing on co-founding teams who are navigating the complex journey of business growth and cultural evolution.
Mental health is a growing area of concern, particularly for leadership teams. Julia points out that while team wellbeing is often discussed, the mental health of leaders is still rarely addressed. Her coaching aims to fill this gap by creating safe spaces for reflection, development, and resilience-building.
To extend this support further, Streets Consulting has launched an accessible online soft skills course, designed to be affordable and inclusive. With tiered pricing and a commitment to donate 10% of proceeds to Street Child, a charity gaining momentum within the FinTech industry, Julia continues to blend learning with social impact.
The Five Essential Lessons for Inclusive FinTech Leadership
Towards the end of the episode, Nadia asks Julia to share the key insights gained from running the Diverse City Podcast. Julia responds with five core lessons, each one a strategic imperative for leaders looking to build inclusive and high-performing FinTech businesses.
The first is that inclusion must be led from the top. It’s not a side project or a tick-box exercise. True leadership is demonstrated daily through the decisions leaders make and the values they embody.
The second lesson centres on the so-called “sticky middle” of organisations, typically the layers just below the C-suite. These individuals often hold significant power over hiring, budgets, and team performance. Supporting them to understand, value, and embed inclusion is essential.
Third is the recruitment process. From how job adverts are written to how interviews are conducted, inclusive recruitment practices must be baked in from the start. This is especially true for neurodiverse candidates and those from socially excluded backgrounds, who may be unintentionally filtered out by traditional methods.
The fourth lesson is the importance of allies and advocates. These are the people who will speak up for others when they’re not in the room. who will ensure that diverse voices are heard, supported, and championed across the business.
Finally, employee resource groups (ERGs) are a rich source of insight. They offer grassroots feedback that can shape policies, practices, and strategies. But companies must engage with ERGs authentically, listening, not lecturing. And they must avoid putting people into narrow identity silos. Most employees are intersectional, bringing a range of lived experiences to their roles.
The Commercial Case for Inclusion in FinTech Recruitment
As Julia explains, this is not just a social movement; it’s a commercial strategy. Businesses that want to outperform their peers must pay attention to culture, representation, and the lived experience of their teams. And that starts with how they hire.
At Harrington Starr, we work with FinTech companies across London, New York, Belfast, and Europe to find, attract, and retain exceptional talent. We know that the organisations leading the way on inclusion are also the ones attracting the best people, driving the most innovation, and delivering the strongest commercial results.
Whether you're hiring for engineering, product, data, or commercial roles, the message is clear: culture matters. Inclusion matters. And walking the talk matters.
What You Do Next Is What Matters Most
As the conversation draws to a close, Nadia asks Julia what one piece of advice she would offer to listeners who want to be more actionable in their approach to inclusion. Julia’s answer is characteristically clear: what matters most is what you do, not what you say.
Inclusion, she says, isn’t about grand statements or corporate posters. It’s about the daily decisions you make, the people you promote, the language you use, and the cultures you build. It’s what defines your reputation, your talent pipeline, and your future as a business.
This episode of FinTech’s DEI Discussions is a timely reminder that diversity and inclusion are not trends; they are critical components of commercial success, organisational sustainability, and human connection.
Harrington Starr is a leading FinTech recruitment firm with a global presence, specialising in connecting top-tier talent with the most innovative financial technology companies across London, New York, Belfast, and beyond. Since 2010, we have built a reputation as trusted advisors within the FinTech sector, delivering expert recruitment solutions across technology, sales, marketing, operations, and C-suite leadership roles. With deep industry knowledge and a commitment to driving inclusive hiring practices, we partner with businesses at every stage of growth, from start-ups and scale-ups to established financial institutions, helping them build high-performing, diverse teams that power long-term success. At Harrington Starr, we don't just fill vacancies; we help shape the future of FinTech.
