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Delighted to see that the laptops Key Group have donated to The Boathouse Youth Charity are helping to make a difference. Here are some using them to help complete their Silver DofE Award.
On Saturday 8 July, 25 Key Group colleagues took on the Guild Wheel Challenge raising over £3,000 for the Boathouse Youth Charity. The teams that took part in the event used their charity day to either walk, cycle, or run the 21-mile circular route around Preston - some getting caught in thunderstorms on the final stretch! Head of Facilities, Steve James and Group Financial Controller, Mark Small set up the event to fundraise for the Boathouse – one of Key Group’s official charities. The money raised will go towards provides positive recreational and educational activities for disadvantaged children and young people aged 5 – 17 – an incredible worthy cause. Simon Thompson, Group CEO, said: “Congratulations to the teams who took part and managed to raise a significant amount by walking a huge distance. Speaking to those who participated, I know it was hard work but being able to offer this type of support to the Boathouse Youth in the current environment is invaluable. “The work that the Charity undertakes is phenomenal and completely free of charge, so as a company that is committed to supporting not only its customers, but the wider community, we know this money will help to make a real difference.”
Key Group is delighted to announce that Standard Life Home Finance has scooped its first industry award at the 2023 MoneyAge Awards when it picked up the trophy for the Later Life Lender of the Year! Kay Westgarth, Director of Sales at Standard Life Home Finance was on hand to collect the award and said “Having launched in 2021, we’ve had an exciting couple of years as we navigated the challenges the market has thrown at us while focusing on supporting customers and advisers. “This is our first award as a brand, and I could not be more pleased as it recognises the hard work and determination of the team as well as the support provided by the wider Key Group.” Ben Waugh, Managing Director of Manufacturing at Key Group, added “Huge congratulations to Kay and the team, this is excellent news and highlights how as an organisation, we are truly leading the market.”
20 Key Group colleagues hiked up Scafell Pike in Cumbria in aid of Alzheimer’s Society raising more than £7,000 for the charity. The team tackled England’s tallest mountain, towering at 3,209 feet high, raising an incredible £7,456 for the charity. Representatives from across Key Group took park in the sponsored trek incorporating Compliance, HR, Marketing, Business Intelligence, as well as Advice and Customer Servicing teams.
SunLife and Key Group have recently announced a strategic partnership which will see the creation of a suite of ‘SunLife Sunrise’ lifetime mortgage products offered direct to consumers via tied advisers. Funded by Phoenix Group, these products will be Defaqto five star rated and provide customers with a range of flexible features which are designed to support them as they access their housing equity. The ‘Sunlife Sunrise’ Lifetime mortgage range will join a suite of other products offered by the brand including over-50s life cover which are designed to support older customers. “We are delighted to be working with a well-respected brand like SunLife to help them support customers with access to equity release products,” said Will Hale, CEO of Key and Exec Sponsor. “With increasing numbers of over-55 feeling the cost-of-living pinch and considering how they can make the most of all their assets in retirement, SunLife provides them with the reassurance of dealing with a familiar brand supported by decades of later life lending expertise provided by Key. "
We are proud to announce Key Group’s new charity partnership with Alzheimer’s Society. The charity – whose primary aim is to support those facing dementia, their carers and loved ones – comes onboard alongside the valuable support the company continues to offer its current charity, the Boathouse Youth. “We are absolutely delighted that Alzheimer’s Society has been named as one of Key Group’s charity partners,” said Jade Trafford, Community Fundraiser – Lancashire and Cumbria, Alzheimer’s Society. “In the UK, 900,000 people are living with dementia and too many are facing it alone. We want everyone affected by dementia to know that whoever you are, whatever you’re going through, you can turn to Alzheimer’s Society for practical advice, emotional support, and guidance. “By supporting Alzheimer’s Society, you are helping to make sure people with dementia and carers live more fulfilled lives, free from stigma and inequality. Initiatives such as Dementia Friends – which many Key Group colleagues have already participated in – are vital to this.”
Key Group is committed to playing an active role in supporting positive change when it comes to sustainability. That applies not only to our current and future environmental footprint, but also our historic impact, which is why to mark the launch of our very first Sustainability Report, we also announced we are funding the planting of enough trees in the UK to offset all our historic direct carbon emissions. Simon Thompson, Group CEO at Key Group said: “As a responsible employer and organisation operating in the UK, we are committed to supporting positive change when it comes to the environment, society and the communities we operate in. The offsetting of our carbon emissions is just one example of a host of different measures we have in place. “Whether it is colleagues taking the time to engage with a charity of their choice or increasing the diversity of our teams or helping more people to support local communities, we know each of these are vitally important and we are delighted to be in a position to outline our approach.”
Key including The Equity Release Experts scooped the Best Later Life Broker award at the 2022 Financial Reporter Awards. In the hugely competitive market we operate in, this is a great achievement and highlights how we are leading the market not only in terms of commercial results but also around quality of advice and customer support. Will Hale, CEO at Key, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Key and testament to the hard work of colleagues across the Group to ensure consistently good outcomes for our customers. “We have seen a buoyant market in the first half of 2022 with all parts of the sector returning to business as usual after a challenging couple of years. Now with our award-winning team firing on all cylinders, I am confident that we are ideally placed to have a fantastic second half of the year and continue to build on our market-leading position and to further evolve our customer proposition as the later life lending market goes from strength to strength."
more2life has won the Best Lender Website award at the What Mortgage Awards 2022. Key’s commitment to putting customers at the heart of everything was also recognised when it was awarded Highly Commended in both the Best Equity Release Broker - Customer Service and the Overall Best Equity Release Broker categories. The What Mortgage Awards recognise the best businesses in the UK’s mortgage and personal finance markets and are voted for by consumers. Dave Harris, CEO at more2life commented: “To receive this recognition for a second year running within such a competitive category alongside big consumer brands is outstanding. It shows that everything we are doing is paying off and I’d like to thank everyone for all their hard work to ensure we continue to stand and head and shoulders above the rest.” Will Hale, CEO at Key said: “Well done to all our colleagues who have worked so hard to continue providing exemplary service. To be highly commended for these awards by both our customers and partners is simply fantastic and a testament to all your support and commitment.”
When the pandemic was announced, we worked hard to ensure the safety of our colleagues and to continue providing excellent service to our customers by:•helping 98% of our colleagues to transition into working from home with coaching, video and hand-out support so they can continue to work and stay safe •moving our adviser teams to telephone advice smoothly and quickly to ensure that they could continue to support customers and corporate partners •working to overcome the difficulties posed by face to face valuations which saw more2life become the first volume lender to be in a position to do semi-automated valuations for the majority of its product ranges •keeping the communication flowing with the internal communications team ensuring that team members were up to date and had insight from senior management – including a regular video update from our CEO, Simon Thompson •understanding that some colleagues may be facing childcare or caring challenges at this time and working with people on an individual basis to help them with more flexible working hours, and other support.
