Women in finance

We wouldn’t have it any other way

From day one, we’ve set out to disrupt the banking sector. Our goal was to shake things up and create something dramatically different from the norm. But it wasn’t just about giving our customers a bank that was truly unique, it was about treating our people differently too.

That’s why we’ve designed our employment policies and roles to appeal to all. Every position in our bank, no matter the department, is open to everyone. Gender doesn’t even come into it when we’re making a recruitment decision; it’s about what you can bring to the table.

So, when the government reviewed the representation of women in senior managerial roles in financial services in 2015, we’re happy to report that we were already streets ahead of the competition.

The review made four recommendations to the industry:

1. Firms should have one member of the senior executive team who is responsible and accountable for gender diversity and inclusion

2. Firms should set internal targets for gender diversity in senior management

3. Firms should publish progress annually against these targets in reports on their website

4. Firms should have an intention to ensure pay of the senior executive team is linked to delivery against these internal targets on gender diversity

The HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter is designed to get firms to commit to implement these recommendations, and we signed up straight away.

Having created a culture of inclusivity at Atom, we’re proud to say that we are targeting all the important conditions of this charter.

What we’ve done so far

• We have brought recruitment in-house to take greater control over hiring campaigns, and increasing our reach into our local communities
• We’re supporting regional initiatives that drive an increase in gender representation across industries such as engineering, technology and physical sciences
• By actively promoting flexible working and family-friendly benefits we’ve become known as an attractive family-friendly employer
• We endeavour to ensure we meet the needs of our diverse workforce beyond gender
• We encourage and support our people in their careers
• We’re working on initiatives to help grow and promote women to move up the organisation
• We’ve nurtured close links with other challenger banks to support each other and attract more women into the world of finance

We’ve met two of our initial Charter targets early. We’ve ensured equal pay for equal roles across all genders, and we’ve reached at least 33% female representation on our Board. Now, our focus is on keeping up these standards.

We’re also working hard towards our third target: reaching at least 45% female representation across our total team by March 2027.

Since signing the Charter, we’ve seen our female representation at Board level rise to 43% and female representation on our Executive team rising to 44%, which increased from 14.3% in 2020. Currently, female representation across the organisation sits at 41.93%, up from 37.4% in 2020.

We believe a more diverse and inclusive business leads to better outcomes and experiences for our customers. We are actively refreshing our culture alongside the rollout of our People Experience Strategy, which places a specific focus on talent and succession.

To champion the diverse talent already within Atom, we have introduced a Talent Management Framework featuring defined succession planning, career development pathways and leadership coaching to identify and support female talent.

To directly support the retention of our people, in October 2025 we implemented an enhanced Forming a Family Policy, providing 26 weeks of full pay for maternity and adoption leave, and a further 26 weeks at half pay. We also introduced six weeks of full paternity pay from day one of employment to encourage shared parental responsibility.

Additionally, we launched the Atom Women’s Network in 2025. It’s led by five female colleagues and, 18 months into its journey, it has surpassed 150 members, representing approximately 60% of the women working at Atom. The network operates with a formal governance structure and dedicated sub-committees to provide structured mentoring and support.

The aims of the Network are to:

• Develop - Providing female specific support with professional and personal development and access to relevant resources.
• Connect - Giving women the opportunity to build lasting relationships and connections across the bank and creating a safe space/community they can discuss issues openly that matter to them.
• Inspire - Supporting our junior talent to grow and inspiring the next generation to consider a career in the Fintech industry.

To date, the network has delivered a variety of events, including:

• An “UNMUTE” session with Dale Carnegie.
• A networking masterclass with Jeni Smith.
• A talk by ultra-triathlete Lyndsey Blair.
• A “Leading Like An Ally” boardroom session.

To further integrate an inclusive perspective into our wider organisational culture, we have established a dedicated Allyship Lead within the committee. This initiative is designed to build a broader allyship strategy and actively promote male engagement in diversity events.

Finally, to support wider industry change, we have a targeted programme of work to address the gender imbalance in our sectors. This focuses on not only the workplace but also in encouraging more females to study STEM related subjects.

In Autumn 2024, we announced our support for two new scholarships on Durham University’s AMI Women in Technology programme, aimed at prospective female Computer Science students from low-income backgrounds. Since then, we have provided two scholarships per year, supporting six students in total, alongside our established North-East internship programme.

Helen Wilson

Chief People Officer