Nineteen new financial firms have today joined the Treasury-backed Women in Finance Charter which now covers over 400 firms and 1 million employees.

The new signatories to the charter - which aims to increase female representation at middle and senior level - include several Financial Planning and wealth management firms as well as Integrafin, parent company of platform Transact.

Pensions and investment providers are also among the new sign ups.

The new firms include: Alliance Bernstein, Barnett Waddingham, Canaccord Genuity Wealth, CG Wealth Planning, Darlington Building Society, SJP partner firm Helen Williamson Financial Planning, Humboldt Financial, IntegraFin Holdings and Mercia Asset Management.

The 19 new Charter signatories announced today, 14 February 2024:

• AllianceBernstein

• Barnett Waddingham

• Cabot Credit Management 

• Canaccord Genuity Wealth Limited

• CG Wealth Planning Limited

• ClientTree Group Ltd

• Darlington Building Society 

• GoCardless 

• Gooding Accounts Ltd

• Haatch 

• Helen Williamson Financial Planning

• Humboldt Financial

• IntegraFin Holdings Limited

• Jensten Group Limited

• Lowell 

• Mercia Asset Management PLC 

• Oodle Car Finance 

• Scottish National Investment Bank

• Tandem Bank Limited 

The Women in Finance Charter was set up in 2016 after the Government had asked Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, former CEO of Virgin Money, to lead a review into the representation of women in senior managerial roles in financial services. She was asked to focus on the ‘talent pipeline’ among the executive population below board level.

In response to the recommendations in that review, the Treasury launched the Women in Finance Charter.

The 400 mainly financial firms signed up employ more than 1 million staff. Member firms include financial advice firms, investment and pensions firms, global banks, credit unions, insurance companies and fintech start-ups.

Members include: Abrdn, Blackrock, Brewin Dolphin, Brooks Macdonald, Ellis Davies Financial Planning, Jane Smith Financial Planning and Magenta Financial Planning.

• Financial Planning Today Snap Analysis: The Women in Finance Charter now covers one million employees working for over 400 firms. In less than a decade it's made a major and welcome improvement in the proportion of women in financial firms able to move up the corporate ladder. There is more to do, of course, but the Treasury is rightly proud of its achievement. The scheme is not perfect, however. Some firms are not reaching their targets and some firms have dropped out. Overall, however, it is moving the representation of women in middle and senior management in financial services in the right direction and numbers are growing steadily.