Starling is a proud supporter of the Women in Finance Charter, having become a founding signatory in 2017. We believe that this voluntary commitment made by HM Treasury and signatory firms to improve the gender balance in the financial services industry has the potential to create lasting change.

We report on our progress every year to demonstrate our continued commitment to equality, ensure transparency of our efforts, and prevent any unravelling of the advances made since the Charter’s creation.

Equality in financial services is particularly important to us. Of the hundreds of banks founded in the UK over time, just one was founded by a woman; that’s Starling Bank, which Anne Boden set up in 2014. She’s now leading the UK Government’s taskforce created to boost the number of women founding high-growth enterprises.

In addition to our initiatives that advance women’s careers at the bank and the sector, we focus on equality in other areas too, like trying to close the financial literacy gap between girls and boys, levelling the playing field in women’s football, and focusing our engineering talent on building a first of its kind feature for people experiencing economic abuse.

Our target

When we signed up to the Charter in 2017 there were 27% of women in senior roles. We set a target of 40% of women in senior positions, which we have met and continue to hold.

Our 2023 data

Starling’s 2023 gender equality data shows that women make up:

  • 42% of our total workforce (2,939 as of August 2023).
  • 40% of our Executive team.
  • 44% of our Board.
  • 46% of our senior managers.

Growth and gender diversity

Since our last update Starling has continued to grow. We’re nearing 3,000 employees and have launched a new office in Manchester that’s home to some fantastic fintech talent. Our gender equality initiatives have kept up with our growth. We are particularly proud of:

  • Our new With Women network, which aims to nurture an environment where women can bring their true selves to work. With Women hosts regular talks with inspiring female leaders and women’s charities, runs a book club that shines a spotlight on critical women’s issues, and promotes awareness and action for the issues that are important for our women employees.

  • Our new charity partnerships, including with Smart Works, which supports women to further their careers with expert interview coaching and clothes that boost confidence. Our partnership with Surviving Economic Abuse also saw us raise the bar for people, usually women, experiencing economic abuse, by creating an industry-first tool that lets people hide abusive payment references while still receiving money, such as child support, that they’re rightfully owed.

  • Our support for women’s football. We’ve given away £400,000 of free kit, equipment and coaching vouchers for girl’s and women’s grassroots teams. We’re also the front of shirt sponsor for Southampton FC Women, and together we’ve launched our ‘Coaches of Tomorrow’ programme which will get more women into coaching too.

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