It was such an honour that Sapphire was highly commended in last week's FTAdviser #DIFA2023 ceremony, and a personal delight for me to receive the recognition on behalf of the team.  In my prior blog I explained Sapphire's journey so far, and the reason for establishing diversity and inclusion as a foundational pillar for delivering professional services to a high standard.  I also listed the other categories Sapphire was shortlisted for such as championing gender inclusivity, and digital marketing and recruitment campaign.

It was a beautiful reception, an enjoyable evening and a great opportunity to meet new people from companies I did not know much about.  My fellow guests came from across the entire financial services industry, which is in and of itself indicative of the sector's ever evolving reach: from top tier financial institution asset managers to sole proprietor podcasters, across the UK and the entire world; we were all under one roof and focussed on finding out what everyone was doing to ascertain what works best in embedding diversity and inclusion within our teams.  FT Adviser published highlights of the evening which you can view here.

The evening's presenters highlighted a very interesting and pertinent point - that D&I initiatives, apart from improving operational performance, are important to the successful implementation of Consumer Duty, the FCA policy statement currently being implemented by regulated firms which I discussed in my prior blog What Consumer Duty Means To Sapphire. If we are not fair, responsible, and do not hold a duty of care for people within our team, how can we address Consumer Duty and be truly responsible and fair to our consumers? The way we relate with those closest to us - how open we are to accepting differing viewpoints -  affects our understanding of the world around us and ultimately decides the way we address the needs of consumers to deliver good outcomes.

On behalf of the Sapphire team, I would like to thank all our clients and stakeholders who supported us over the past 14 years. Your trust, loyalty, and collaboration empower us to continue trailblazing... because that is what makes all the difference.