Treasury appoints new Women in Finance champion
Amanda Blanc will succeed her predecessor Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, who has spent five years in the role, she will continue to support and promote the charter as an advisor
HM Treasury has appointed Amanda Blanc, chief executive of Aviva, as the new Women in Finance champion who will spearhead efforts to boost gender diversity across the UK financial services.
Blanc will succeed her predecessor Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, who has spent five years in the role, she will continue to support and promote the charter as an advisor.
The new appointment comes as the fourth annual Women in Finance charter review found a clearer link between executive pay and diversity targets than previous years, with 49% of signatories saying the link is “effective” and 47% needing more time to tell.
There are now over 400 signatories to the charter covering 950,000 employees across the financial services sector.
John Glen, economic secretary to the treasury, said: “The Women in Finance charter isn’t a box ticking exercise – it requires real change to help talented women to reach their potential and drive forward one of our most important and innovative sectors.
“The last year presented a unique set of challenges and there is still much more to do, so firms must not take their foot off the gas.”
Commenting on her new appointment, Blanc said: “This is a huge honour but also a huge responsibility. Ensuring women have as many opportunities as men in financial services is critical. It’s critical for women. It’s critical to the future of UK financial services. And a successful, inclusive, financial services industry is critical to a revitalised UK economy.”
