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“Be the role model that you wish you had at the start of your career.” To kick off our International Women’s Month events, our CEO Raman Bhatia interviewed Cynthia Davis CBE in our London office, broadcast across Zoom for other offices. Cynthia is the founder and CEO of two equality and diversity businesses. In November 2023, she was awarded an CBE for her exceptional contributions to equality and diversity. She has been running her recruitment company, Diversifying Group since 2025 and her pro-diversity job board, Diversifying Jobs, since 2020. When asked about mentoring and what it means to her, Cynthia said “you find time for the things that you love,” so she makes time for mentoring. “Growing up I didn't have role models that I could ask for advice. It’s so powerful for us to be visible to younger generations.” Raman and Cynthia spoke about the legacy that Cynthia wants to leave for her daughter: “If you can change one person's life, you’ve made a difference. My daughter has seen that no matter where you start or where you are, you can still make somebody’s day by being kind and helping them.” As for women facing barriers, Cynthia said “imposter syndrome can be the thing that stops us from moving forward. I’ve had to learn to overcome this. Don’t self-disqualify. Don’t be afraid, push yourself and put yourself out there.” Our internal network, #WithWomen have more events planned to celebrate International Women’s Month, stay tuned!
“Over half of respondents feel proud of achieving things they never previously thought possible.” To kick off our month-long celebration for International Women’s Day, we teamed up with Small Business Britain to ask 1,000 women founders how their lives changed after starting a business. Our Chief Customer Officer, Maria Vidler shared the wider findings with 200 female entrepreneurs at Small Business Britain’s ‘International Women’s Day’ event at the House of Lords on Friday. The main finding? 80% of respondents said they felt more confident since starting a business. As Maria said during her speech on Friday, “The numbers from the survey tell a story, but so do you. Your ambitions, challenges and successes all contribute to the future of the UK’s small business landscape.” Keep an eye out for our series ‘I Built My Business, My Business Built Me’, which will tell the stories of these women founders and the moments that gave them the confidence to start and grow their businesses.
On Monday, we hosted a panel with our charity partner, Smart Works. Our colleague, Charlotte Lorimer, was joined by Nasra, a woman supported by the charity in securing work, and Chloe, a Smart Works volunteer stylist. It was great to hear first hand from Nasra on the impact that Smart Works has on women across the country. With nine centres across the UK, Smart Works is an award-winning charity that gives unemployed women the tools and confidence they need to get a job and secure financial independence. Currently 63% of women go on to get a job within one month of their visit. We’re helping Smart Works hit their new goal: they plan to double their numbers by 2025, when they aim to reach 10,000 women a year. Find out more about the incredible things Smart Works are doing here: https://smartworks.org.uk/
During Pride Month in June, groups from our internal LGBTQ+ network, Bend the Bank, marched in #PrideinLondon and #PrideCymru. Then more recently we popped up at #SouthamptonPride and #ManchesterPride over the Bank Holiday weekend 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ All events were demonstrations of solidarity and togetherness, but also gave space for reflection on why Pride is so important.
We won Best Banking App and Best Children’s Financial Provider at the 2024 British Bank Awards 🏆🏆 The awards were based on customer reviews, so thank you to everyone who got involved and, as always, to Team Starling for getting us there 💜
In March, a group of volunteers from #TeamStarling visited the National Trust nature reserve at Wicken Fen to learn more about our partnership and the impact it’s having. We caught up with Ajay Tegala, wildlife presenter and conservationist, to find out just how important peatland is in preserving wildlife and battling climate change. We explored the peatland, helped to deconstruct a (very) old fence, and above all enjoyed the time in nature. It was a fun and eye opening experience for everyone who came along. Thank you to the National Trust for having us, and to Ajay for such a great talk. Keep your eyes peeled for more content on our peatland restoration project 🌳
We're delighted to announce the appointment of Raman Bhatia as Group CEO of Starling Bank. Raman is currently the CEO of energy market disruptor OVO, and before that he led digital banking at HSBC’s retail business in the UK and Europe. He brings a wealth of consumer tech and fintech expertise to Starling and will take over from interim CEO, John Mountain, when he joins later this year. David Sproul, Chair of Starling Bank, said: “We see significant opportunities for Starling under Raman’s leadership as the economy stabilises, as our truly differentiated offering for personal and small business customers wins market share in the UK, and as our Engine by Starling SaaS business secures further international contracts. I want to thank John Mountain for his wise stewardship of Starling these past eight months and am delighted that we will continue to benefit from his expertise at the company.” Anne Boden, Founder of Starling Bank, added: “I am pleased that in Raman we have found someone who can take Starling into its next phase of growth while cherishing the culture and values we have worked so hard to instil in everything we do.” Raman Bhatia said: “I am truly honoured to be appointed as the next Group CEO of Starling Bank. Starling is a company I have long admired because it believes passionately, like I do, in using the power of technology to do the right thing for its customers and its people. I can’t wait to get started and to see what we can achieve together."
Are community networks at work important? 🤔 We think so. We want to be a workplace where everyone can show up as their best selves. For many of us, an essential part of this is being able to find our community. For some of our team, particularly those in the earlier stages of their career, the workplace can be one of the first times they’ve mixed with people from their community. We want to encourage people to bring their authentic selves to work, so it's our responsibility to provide a safe place for them to do that. Joining a network is also a great way to meet colleagues from across departments, bond through similarities and celebrate differences. The best workplaces further personal growth as well as professional – something we think is very important. Last week, our diversity and inclusion networks hosted a series of ‘Always Open’ roadshows at our London, Manchester, Southampton and Cardiff offices. Here’s a list of the networks involved and what they do to support our colleagues across Starling: Bend the Bank: A network for LQBTQ+ colleagues and allies With Women: Our women’s network Embrace: Our race and ethnicity network Mental Health Positive: Our mental health network United Abilities: Our disability network These networks were created to promote discussion and provide resources and support around all of these topics. Thank you to everyone at Starling who played a part in making the roadshows a success, and everyone who came along to learn more 💜
Kick On with Starling is back! We’ve partnered with Gift of Kit to allow clubs and schools across the UK to apply for FREE Starling branded women's and girls' football kit, equipment and FA affiliated coaching vouchers. And the kit now includes sports bras! We recently commissioned a survey of grassroots football clubs and found that girls are *three times* more likely to quit football than boys – stating body confidence as a key reason. And 34% of coaches think girls need more support through puberty. We’re changing the game for good, helping to grow the women and girls’ football community. Find out more here: https://kickonwithstarlingbank.com/
Some of our Starlings marched at Southampton Pride on Saturday 🥳 We spoke to one of our parade organisers, Erin Wilcox, about the day: “It was a great day, filled with bubble guns, Starling bank card costumes, and an amazing and inclusive atmosphere. We were joined on the march by our colleagues - some members of the LGBTQ+ community, and others, allies. It’s so refreshing to work somewhere that actively supports and encourages diversity like Starling Bank does.” We’ll see you next year #SouthamptonPride! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
