Debbie Crosbie Advocates for Inclusive Financial Services in London
Women's History Month provides a pivotal moment to celebrate the significant contributions women make throughout the City of London while reflecting on ongoing efforts to ensure the Square Mile remains an inclusive and welcoming destination for emerging talent. The City's enduring strength has always stemmed from its capacity to attract individuals with diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills, making inclusivity fundamental to sustaining that vitality for future generations.
This is why the work of leaders who actively champion inclusion holds such profound importance for the financial district. Leaders like Dame Debbie Crosbie, Group CEO of Nationwide Building Society and the Women in Finance Champion, serve as powerful voices for transformation across financial services. Her leadership significantly influences the sector's advancement in representation, opportunity, and workplace culture.
Career Beginnings and Advice for Younger Self
To commemorate Women's History Month, we engaged in a conversation with Debbie Crosbie about her professional journey and insights regarding the Women in Finance Charter. She also shared her perspectives on how collaborative initiatives like the Destination City programme can help ensure the City remains an open and inviting environment for everyone.
How did you begin your career, and what guidance would you offer your younger self?
"I launched my career on the Prudential graduate training programme in Glasgow, an experience that revealed the extensive scope and impact of financial services. It taught me early that willingness to learn, collaborate, and embrace challenging roles can lead to rapid and meaningful progression."
"If I could advise my younger self, it would be to back yourself sooner. Do not wait until you feel perfectly prepared before seizing opportunities; growth often emerges from stepping forward before feeling fully ready. Always surround yourself with individuals who stretch your thinking and support your ambitions."
Valuing Impact and Innovation in Financial Services
What do you most appreciate about your role and working in the City and financial services?
"I value the ability to make a meaningful difference for millions of people, helping households achieve financial security, supporting colleagues in their growth, and strengthening one of the UK's most critical sectors."
"I enjoy the blend of tradition, challenge, and innovation that comes with working in a large financial services organization based in the City."
Priorities as Women in Finance Champion
What are your key priorities and ambitions as Women in Finance Champion?
"We have made substantial progress in increasing the number of women in senior financial services roles, but we must accelerate and deepen these efforts. Over 400 firms have committed to the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter, and I aim to help them transform ambition into measurable, sustained change."
My focus areas include:
- Strengthening the executive leadership pipeline.
- Supporting mid-career women, where we often observe the most significant attrition.
- Addressing future workforce changes, particularly the new leadership models accompanying AI development and adoption.
"When women succeed in business, they inspire the next generation and help ensure our economic growth is both inclusive and sustainable, which is a central motivation for me in this role."
The Ongoing Need for the Women in Finance Charter
Women still represent only 18.6% of senior leadership roles in UK financial services. Why is the Women in Finance Charter still necessary, and where can we build momentum for a more inclusive sector?
"The Charter remains essential because progress, while significant, is incomplete. There has been remarkable advancement in some sectors and roles, especially in achieving better gender balance on boards, but we still lag in the most senior positions."
Momentum can be built by:
- Embedding accountability at executive and board levels.
- Retaining women in the workforce longer through modern pathways that accommodate various life and career stages.
- Continuing sector-wide collaboration and sharing best practices.
- Making deliberate interventions to tackle under-representation in areas like technology and data.
"The Charter serves as a unifying force that brings firms together with a shared goal, and that shared accountability is still very much needed."
Inclusion as a Cornerstone of Career Development
Why is inclusion central to ensuring the City remains a place where people genuinely want to build their careers?
"Inclusion is not merely about fairness; it is about productivity, innovation, and competitiveness. The City thrives when it attracts the broadest mix of talent, perspectives, and lived experiences. A financial sector that welcomes everyone, regardless of background, gender, or personal circumstance, can better meet the needs of the diverse customers and communities it serves."
"If people feel genuinely included, supported, and able to progress in London, they will choose to build their careers here. A sense of belonging is what keeps the City dynamic, resilient, and globally relevant."
Destination City is the City of London Corporation's growth strategy for the Square Mile, aiming to enhance its appeal to investors, students, workers, and visitors by showcasing all it has to offer.
