Tell us about your organisation.
Helping customers with their personal and business banking needs; from mobile apps to mobile branches, we’re empowering our customers and with initiatives like our Friends Against Scams drive, protecting them too. We believe passionately in Welsh businesses, which is why we’re already supporting 20,000 of them with sector specialist support and over £1.5bn of funding.
We want to see more Welsh female entrepreneurs succeed and our proud that 48% of businesses at our Entrepreneur Accelerator in Cardiff are led by women.
This facility has supported more than 500 Welsh start-ups and scale-ups since it opened in 2015, while our team of Business Growth Enablers and Relationships Managers are connecting SMEs and bigger Welsh brands to a global eco-system of businesses. And we believe in building better communities, which is why over the past four years we’ve provided more than £7m of funding across England and Wales through our Skills and Opportunities Fund, helping more than 300 organisations.
Why are you supporting the awards?
We [NatWest Cymru] want to recognise and celebrate inspirational role models. One of the common themes that comes up time and time again through our research, is the lack of accessible and relatable role models. The awards are a fantastic platform to showcase inspirational women and for recognising the skills, knowledge and ambition that the nominees bring not only to their local community but also to the Welsh economy.
Why does gender equality matter to you?
Gender equality benefits everyone and striving towards a better gender balance, by helping women to accelerate is a huge focus, not only of mine but also of the banks, ensuring we create a more diverse workforce for staff. We are also supporting and encouraging more women to explore setting up their own business.
Female entrepreneurs and female-led businesses make a significant contribution to the national economy but there is still a lot of untapped potential. Our commitment to support more women to succeed in business goes beyond financial services.
Through our Women in Business Programme we provide tailored support for female entrepreneurs – from introductions to relevant organisations to tangible day-to-day support.
Why do you support the work of Chwarae Teg?
We [NatWest Cymru] are passionate about helping more women to achieve their ambitions. The work done by Chwarae Teg resonates with us, as there are so many synergies and opportunities to support and amplify the work delivered by Chwarae Teg.