I lead one of the largest Employee Networks in HSBC UK, with nearly 2600 members: and achieving membership growth of over 28% in 12 months. I have organised over 20 internal large events (9,900 colleagues attended) such as Carers Week, World Mental Health Day, and finally International Day of People with Disabilities. As well as creating new relationships with the Bank of England’s ERGs and other large organisations. The ERG under my tenure was also paramount in HSBC achieving Gold employer status from the Business Disability Forum with a score of 95.8%. This score is highest that has been achieved since Business Disability Forum launched the current iteration of the Disability-Smart Framework in September 2021.
•I significantly improved the ability of HSBC call-centre teams to provide accessible customer service. The training I led (800 colleagues), enabled understanding the communication preferences/ styles of people with disabilities, the different ways they bank physically and digitally, and the challenges they might contact each bank about. This has had a transforming impact on customer satisfaction and the lives of those who often don’t feel heard or understood when trying to access financial services.
•I have Initiated and delivered an intense people programme that has given 1200 people managers globally the skills to enable them to help colleagues and customers with disabilities thrive, through coaching, facilitation, and ensuring the digital tools they use are usable and accessible to all.
•I have pioneered staff focus groups to give an accessibility lens on the employee and staff experience, with regard to the relocation one of HSBC’s flagship branches so that it will be a fully accessible one and a blueprint for further branches globally. The sessions I hosted with Ability members from the all over the UK, has led to the banks architects and partners delivering over 50 different improvements in the new branch layout including materials, sensory spaces, signage and colours. This also involved me leading detailed surveys and 121 sessions around all areas of the design.
Specific examples include:
•An Ability ERG member who is blind providing me insights into the overall design, and braille signage.
•A wheelchair user who advised me that they sometimes find branch turning circles are not large enough, so we have provided wider doorways, ramps, and interview rooms – This provides easier access (1.5 meters to 2.2 x 2.0 meters) for wheelchair users, and customers with push chairs. We have also provided parking for mobility scooters.
•Customers and colleagues with hearing loss told me that conversations with the teller at our glazed branch counters were not always easy to understand, and so we have lowered the overhead speakers to improve audibility.
The work I led was then recognised by BDF and with HSBC winning the prestigious Disability Smart Accessible Built Environment Award 2024.
•I led and drove inclusive communications within HSBC by managing a project to train 400 global HSBC staff creating internal and external communications, whilst bench marking the impact of the training. Furthermore, I established a methodology for bench marking the accessibility of communications. This showed a significant improvement in each quarters assessment. To reinforce the bank’s commitment to continue and maintain this progress, these quarterly accessible benchmark scores have now been adopted by the Chief Communications Officer on his personal Scorecard. The result has been that a staggering 90% of HSBC groups communications globally are now accessible by staff and customers. This piece of work I passionately delivered has won the prestigious BDF Inclusive Communications Award for 2023.
•HSBC wanted to provide sustainable job roles to those who were furthest away from employment due to disability. I was paramount in contributing and providing guidance every step of the way – ultimately bringing together different member groups to allow meaningful and engaging discussions to take place with their HR partners, as well as providing the benefit of real lived experiences of members and colleagues. It is truly amazing to see that all this hard work paid off, and in 2023 the bank hired 10 new colleagues in Meet and Greet roles within the organization. They are based in reception at our Group HQ in London and do a truly fabulous job! I helped throughout the recruitment process by attending and leading the welcome days, and I am working with HR partners and Scope to further this initiative to other sites across the UK.
•I led a new more inclusive workplace careers programme providing advice, cv writing and mock interviews to those in my local town and community who have disabilities. Additionally I have also provided support in my local SEN centre with literacy sessions.
•I have worked with Shelter and other charities to provide safe spaces and homes to disabled individuals.
