• Noel Butwell appointed to an independent taskforce commissioned by Government and led by City of London Corporation 
  • Seeks to improve progression in financial and professional services


Standard Life Aberdeen today announces the appointment of Noel Butwell, its CEO of Adviser Platforms, to the City of London Corporation (CoLC) independent taskforce to boost socio-economic diversity at senior levels in UK Financial and Professional services (FPS). 

Commissioned by HM Treasury and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy*, the taskforce is the first of its kind with a mission to challenge the lack of career progression for those coming from non-professional backgrounds and to explore the intersections with other protected characteristics, including gender and race.

Over 80 organisations across a range of sub sectors and regions are involved in the taskforce by shaping its outputs and working towards greater socio-economic diversity.

Taskforce Chair and Policy Chair at the City of London Corporation, Catherine McGuinness, said:

“This is a unique opportunity to redress how the financial and professional services sector supports talent from diverse backgrounds, providing equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their socio-economic status to get ahead. Through a sustained commitment, the taskforce will make a real difference in creating meaningful and lasting change.”


Noel Butwell, CEO Adviser Platforms, said:
“I’m delighted to have this opportunity to work with colleagues across the industry to address the issue of diversity. There have definitely been great improvements in the financial services industry, including within Standard Life Aberdeen, but we need to continue with this focus to make further improvements. 

Standard Life Aberdeen have some great initiatives and practices underway to support colleagues and society as a whole. These include our gender, ethnicity and social inclusion action plans, our charitable partnerships, a market leading UK parental leave policy, and crucially, I’m surrounded by colleagues who are passionate about driving change. 

There’s more to do though, and I’m looking forward to not only sharing our progress with the Taskforce, but also learning from other members about what’s working in other companies. I want to understand what action we can take to do better and, together, create long lasting change that will be beneficial across the industry.”


The taskforce will run from May 2021-November 2022.  For more information, please visit www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/whogetsahead

* https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/socio-economic-diversity-taskforce-in-financial-and-professional-services

ENDS

Media enquiries 
For further information, contact:
Patricia Corrigan, Global Media Manager 
Patricia.corrigan@aberdeenstandard.com
0774 092 4558 

About Standard Life Aberdeen 
 We are futurists, enabling our clients to be better investors. 
Standard Life Aberdeen operates across three vectors that reflect how our clients interact with us:
Investments: Our global asset management business serving institutional and wholesale clients
Adviser: Our UK financial adviser business, providing services to wealth managers and advisers through our Wrap and Elevate platforms
Personal: Our UK wealth and savings business, combining our financial planning business, digital direct-to-consumer services and discretionary fund management services
Headquartered in Scotland, we have offices in over 50 locations worldwide and employ around 6,000 people.

The Taskforce 
 Full membership of the taskforce will be finalised in due course. It will be supported by PwC, Deloitte and MyKindaFuture. The City of London Corporation will report back on the findings of the taskforce by November 2022, with the first formal meeting due to take place in May 2021.
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/whogetsahead
Diversity of the taskforce (Advisory Board and Taskforce members):

  • 18% identifying as BAME
  • 50% female
  • 41% from non-professional backgrounds (defined by parental occupation at 14)
 

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