The awards recognise outstanding organisations and individuals who have championed positive change in diversity and sustainability in the treasury profession through passion, commitment, and creativity.

A panel of eight judges comprising experienced practitioners from treasury, finance, and business, with a wealth of experience in diversity and sustainability, oversaw the prestigious accolades. 

ACT presents this award to an organisation which has gone the extra mile to champion diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The judging panel looked at four key criteria⁽¹⁾ to determine the winner: accessibility, diversity, equity/social mobility, and future forward. They commented:

“For the overall winner, understanding that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace is integral to fulfilling its purpose, their aim is to give everyone who works with them, and every customer who comes into contact with them, the chance to succeed and the support to thrive. The winner demonstrated a clear policy focused on recruitment, advancement and retention of diverse colleagues, benchmarked externally, with leadership held to account”.

The judges further commented that their own experiences with NatWest matched these aims. “We all felt very strongly that they had a very comprehensive programme and the judging panel all had very good lived experience with them.”

Katie Murray, NatWest Group CFO, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have been recognised by the ACT as the Diversity Bank 2024. Having a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace makes for stronger teams, bringing more perspectives to the table and is essential in helping us to succeed with our customers. Thank you, ACT, for recognising our efforts, and for introducing these inspiring diversity awards.”

Announcing Tom Macdonald, Solutions Delivery Director in our Working Capital Sales team in Glasgow as the winner of the Diversity Business Leader Award, the ACT judging panel said:

“Tom is an inclusion champion, part of NatWest’s Employee Led Networks and actively involved in the Rainbow Network, both of which involve supporting colleagues in the UK and beyond. Tom is also a mentor to a number of graduate colleagues, and he champions women and girls as part of a programme at a local secondary school. Tom, who was included in the UK 50 Kindness and Leadership List last year, has also recently raised money for Down’s Syndrome Scotland and lends support to entrepreneurs and start-ups as well as to young people through involvement with the Prince’s Trust. These activities and initiatives are only a selection of those that Tom is involved in, showing his commitment and efforts toward diversity and inclusion across his organisation and beyond. We were all agreed on the winner.”

Tom commented: “Being recognised by the ACT as Diversity Business Leader is an amazing feeling, and it will motivate me even more to continue my inclusion journey. For me, it’s a privilege to be working for an organisation who literally couldn’t do more when it comes to offering opportunities and new challenges.  My inclusion work has been vital in terms of building an awareness outside of local work silos, and becoming an inclusion champion has given me valuable access to organisations and information that just make me feel incredibly fortunate and empowered to help.” 

(1)   Notes on Diversity Bank Award criteria

1. Accessibility: an organisation that provides an accessible and supportive workplace for their employees (for example, visible and non-visible disabilities, working parents, mental health schemes and hybrid working solutions);
2. Diversity: those taking steps to encourage and support diversity across ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+ and neurodiversity at all levels of the organisation or more widely;
3. Equity or social mobility: considerations made to provide equal opportunities irrespective of background and socio-economic status, and span to include those championing non age-biased recruitment; and
4. Future forward: investment in upskilling teams, mentoring, positive hiring practises and changing the organisational culture.