Alison Rose at panel event
BANKING ON
T
Racial Equality
his autumn NatWest Group set out its commitment to racial equality. Here Alison Rose, CEO of the bank, explains to Style of the City readers why it is so important that NatWest challenges the inequalities faced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in Wales and the rest of the UK. Our purpose as a bank is to champion potential, helping people, families and businesses to thrive. It is a clear call to action for all of us in the bank as we break down barriers that get in the way and fight inequalities that hold people back. This includes inequalities and barriers faced by people from Black, Asian and Ethnic
Minority backgrounds. These inequalities and barriers persist, and I believe we at NatWest Group have a substantial role to play in tackling them. Simply put, it’s not enough to recognise the problem; organisations like ours must be a part of the solution.
Throughout the summer they collaborated with people from all backgrounds right across the bank and beyond. They spent time listening and learning, including conducting a bank-wide survey on race, diversity and inclusion which drew over 21,000 responses from our colleagues.
In June, following the rise of the Black Lives Matter protests across the world, I established a Taskforce led by the co-chairs of our 5,000 strong multicultural network and members of my leadership team.
They carefully analysed all that they heard and learnt. And from there they planned for action.
The Taskforce’s role was to help us listen, learn and better understand the issues we are facing, and consider the key actions we can take to tackle inequalities for Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority customers, colleagues and communities.
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This autumn I was proud to share their report: ‘Banking on Racial Equality: A Roadmap for Positive Change’. Informed by the Taskforce’s findings, this report outlines commitments from NatWest Group designed to make meaningful, positive change for our Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority colleagues, customers and
