Santander UK has been recognised as one of The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2022 for taking action to decrease gender inequality in the workplace.

The Times Top 50 Employers for Women is the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established listing of employers striving for gender equality in the workplace. Run by Business in the Community (BITC) - The Prince’s Responsible Business Network, and The Times for over a decade, the process identifies companies which make gender equality part of the way they do business, working to embed it at all levels.  

This year’s applicants were closely assessed on the work they do to remove the drivers that enforce gender inequality, from flexible working and family-friendly policies to pay, reward and progression. Santander was recognised for a range of initiatives to support its work in driving gender equality including:

•    A flexible working policy and extensive family friendly policies such as enhanced family leave – 23 weeks fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave and five weeks paternity leave;
•    Its Champion Accreditation from Tommy’s Pregnancy and Parenting at Work scheme for its support towards pregnancy loss and stillbirth, fertility, surrogacy and adoption;
•    Gender balanced recruitment shortlists for senior management positions; 
•    The partnership with menopause support app Peppy, providing access to expert guidance for more than 600 colleagues to support their menopause journey; 
•    An employee-led ‘Women in Business’ network which provides career support and networking opportunities, and supports in ensuring a more balanced representation of women in Santander; and
•    Continued publication of a Pay Gap report alongside a targeted Gender Action Plan to help to reduce the pay gap.

Tim Hinton, Santander’s Gender Sponsor and an Executive Director said: “This is fantastic news and recognises the continued focus we place on achieving Gender Equality and being an inclusive employer of choice for women. We’re making progress, but we must keep up the focus, remove barriers, provide additional career pathways and ensure that we have the right support in place to allow our female talent to thrive at Santander.”

Katy Neep, Gender Equality Campaign Director at Business in the Community, said: “The cost of living crisis following hot on the heels of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 faced by women has further shone a light on how far we have to go on gender equality. Without action from all employers, we will end up chasing our tails while trying to eradicate the inequalities gap and create truly inclusive workplaces for all women.

“The Times Top 50 gives us hope that we are making strong progress in our goal towards gender equality and in our 40th year we call on all employers to be bolder, braver and faster in achieving that goal.

“This year’s application process was the most competitive one we have ever seen. Employers like Santander haven’t lifted their foot off the pedal when it comes to supporting women at work and they are a strong example of what commitment to making gender inequality a thing of the past looks like.” 


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Notes to Editors

About Business in the Community 
Business in the Community is the oldest and largest business-led membership organisation dedicated to responsible business. We were created nearly 40 years ago by HRH The Prince of Wales to champion responsible business. We inspire, engage and challenge members and we mobilise that collective strength as a force for good in society to:  
·    Develop a skilled and inclusive workforce for today and tomorrow  
·    Build thriving communities where people want to live and work  
·    Innovate to sustain and repair our planet 
www.bitc.org.uk/the-times-top-50-employers-for-women/

Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 31 December 2021, the bank had around 19,200 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the UK.

Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC LN) is a leading retail and commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain. It has a meaningful presence in 10 core markets in the Europe, North America and South America regions, and is one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. Its purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way. Santander is building a more responsible bank and has made a number of commitments to support this objective, including raising over €120 billion in green financing between 2019 and 2025, as well as financially empowering more than 10 million people over the same period. At the end of 2021, Banco Santander had €1.15 trillion in total funds, 153 million customers, of which 25.4 million are loyal and 47.4 million are digital, 9,900 branches and 197,000 employees.

Media Enquiries 
Leonora Burtenshaw    M: 07701004107    E: leonora.burtenshaw@santander.co.uk 

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