Starling is a UK-based digital bank, disrupting the financial services industry. Founded in 2014 by Anne Boden, leading the way for women in finance, the bank was granted a licence by the Bank of England in July 2016 and launched its first mobile personal current account in May 2017 available as a mobile app for both iOS and Android phones. It launched the UK’s first digital business bank account in March 2018. The Starling Marketplace provides customers with in-app access to a curated selection of third party financial services. Starling also offers groundbreaking B2B banking and payments services. CEO and Founder Anne Boden said: “Diversity is at the heart of Starling. We believe that regardless of who you are, it is your knowledge, skills and experience that matter.
“As a starting point in 2017 we signed the Women in Finance Charter. This is a voluntary commitment by HM Treasury and signatory firms to make financial services a more gender balanced industry. When we signed up to the Charter there were 27% of women in senior roles. In 2018 we set a 30% target, which we achieved shortly after. But at Starling we like to push ourselves further, so we increased this goal to 40% by the end of 2021. We have met this target. However, more work is needed on all fronts across the financial sector to deliver the commitments in the Women in Finance Charter. This includes tackling the gender pay gap, paying women fairly and supporting women to flourish and thrive so they can access leadership and technical jobs that are valued and highly paid. Our gender equality data (as of end of August 2021) – at Starling women make up:
• 43% of our total workforce (1601)
• 39% of our Executive team
• 39% of our Board
• 41% of our senior managers
What does the future look like for Starling Bank?
“Since our last Charter update we have continued to grow and adapt to the changes brought by the pandemic. We now have more than 2.5 million customer accounts, including over 400,000 business customers, both small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) and sole traders. We hold 6% of the SME banking market. Without our inclusive environment our continued growth wouldn’t be possible. Equality is good for business and positively affects all of society. So, as we enter into a new year we will remain committed to continue to play our part not only through tangible actions but also by leading the sector by example.”
