Phoenix Group, the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business, announces that two colleagues, Rabya Akhtar and Mateo Urquijo, feature in this year's prestigious EMpower Ethnic Minority Future Leaders Role Model List 2021.
The EMpower Ethnic Minority Future Leaders list showcases the ethnic minority talent wokring at all levels of business who are making a significant contribution inside and outside of their organisations to increase opportunities for people of colour. Both Rabya and Mateo were nominated by peers and employees for the award, with nominations then reviewed by an esteemed judging panel. Nominees are scored on: the influence of their role, their impact on ethnic minority inclusion inside and outside of the workplace; and their business achievements.
Rabya, who is a workplace pensions relationship manager, is a founding co-chair of the MOSAIC network, Phoenix's Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community network for colleagues that seeks to enhance the cultural awareness of diverse BAME communities, and also helps to actively drive diversity and inclusion across the Group. Along with co-chair Imran Khan, in this role Rabya has hosted events for colleagues with leading academies and thought leaders to discuss Black Lives Matter and systemic racism. Rabya has been instrumental in driving greater social and cultural awareness through organising a programme of events that help colleagues learn more about the steps they can take to support colleagues from other communities at work.
Outside of work, Rabya is also an active member of the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group for Racial Equality, which seeks to identify and address racism across society, and is part of YWCA Scotland. Throughout 2020 she worked closely with Parliament to produce the Young Women Lead Report 2019/2020 on the education-employment transition for young BAME women.
Mateo, who is head of strategy and commercial for workplace pensions, has been instrumental in the delivery of a new diversity data initiative at Phoenix Group, called 'Who We Are'. The initiative has delivered the first holistic insight into diversity and inclusion across Phoenix Group, bringing together colleague data in a simple and consistent way. The initiative achieved a 77% completion rate in just two months after being rolled out to colleagues. Under the Customer Pillar of Phoenix's Sustainability programme, Mateo leads a cross-functional team from across the business on financial inclusion, financial wellness, and education, and works closely with the Group's Executive Committee on diversity and inclusion to inform, challenge and influence the business' direction on diversity and inclusion issues.
Phoenix Group lanched its 'Who We Are' initiative following involvement from colleagues across the Group, which was lead by Mateo, colleague Imran Khan, and the 'Who We Are' team. It provides a modern, safe and confidential way for colleagues to share their diversity data. The initiative also enables colleagues to learn more about the many areas of diversity through a corresponding educational site. Phoenix is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the diverse nature of its customers and communities in which it operates.
Additionally Mateo serves as a committee member of MOSAIC and through this also sits on the Scottish Parliament's Cross-Party Group for Racial Equality.
Tamar Hughes, Group Head of Talent and Organisational Development at Phoenix Group, comments:
"It is fantastic to see two of our colleagues receiving this award for the work they are doing to drive positive change across the diversity and inclusion agenda not just at Phoenix Group but across the whole industry. At Phoenix we believe that having greater diversity of thought, experience and outlook within our business will help us better understand our customers and meet their varied and changing needs. Our aim is to create an environment where all our colleagues can flourish and grow and it's great to see colleagues like Mateo and Rabya driving the diversity agenda forward."
Founder and CEO of Involve, Suki Sandhu OBE, says:
"I'm thrilled to be celebrating another incredible group of Ethnic Minority and Advocate Role Models who are championing inclusion and inspiring the next generation of talent. Discrimination and barriers to success are still prevalent for ethnic minority groups and role models are essential to changing perceptions and show everyone that you can be successful in business while also being your authentic self at work."
Phoenix Group's programme of diversity and inclusion is based of four pillars - gender, ethnicity, disability and social mobility - with specific objectives and priorities for each. The Group has nine active colleague networks, including MOSAIC, which celebrate colleague empowerment, collaboration and contribute to Phoenix as an inclusive place to work.
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Enquiries
Rachel Esland
Phoenix Group
07892 705 093
rachel_esland@standardlife.com
Sarah Muir
Lansons
07837 537 937
Note to editors
Read more on our 2021 diversity and inclusion programme and its commitments in our latest Sustainability report which can be downloaded here.
About Phoenix Group
Phoenix Group is the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business with c.14 million customers and £338 billion of assets under administration across both our Heritage and Open businesses.
Our Heritage business, where we are market leader, is focused on the safe and efficient management of insurance policies. The Heritage business comprises products that are no longer actively marketed to customers, and where we have stepped in as the custodian of these policies. We have built this business through the consolidation of over 100 legacy insurance brands.
Our Open business comprises products that are actively marketed to new and existing customers and has five separate business units. Our Workplace pensions and Customer Savings & Investments ("CS&I") units operate under the Standard Life brand and manufacture long-term savings and retirement products to support people saving for their future.
The Retirement Solutions unit within Open includes both vesting annuities and our Bulk Purchase Annuity ("BPA") business, where we acquire annuities and deliver the financial stability required to secure pensions currently provided by corporates.
The Open business comprises our market leading brand - "SunLife" - which sells a range of finanical products specifically for the over 50s market and our European business unit which spans Ireland, Germany and the International Bond segment in the UK and operates under the Standard Life brand.