Performance, not privilege: Tackling barriers to senior leadership in UK financial services

Socio-economic background remains the single strongest predictor of who reaches senior leadership in UK financial services, according to new data released today by the Bridge Group and Progress Together at a roundtable hosted at the Bank of England.

The newly released dataset – the largest of its kind globally, spanning over 210,000 employees across 40 firms – reveals entrenched barriers: employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds take 16% longer to progress into senior roles than peers from privileged backgrounds. Senior leadership continues to be dominated by privileged backgrounds, with diverse talent pipelines stalling before the top.