Equiniti and The Purpose Coalition - Breaking Down Barriers

We understand the importance and impact of our services and products to people and businesses, and have, for many years, placed a priority on ensuring that our voice, experience and knowledge is represented within official bodies that ultimately set the framework for how our country and society functions. We have dedicated industry directors, champions and experts enabling us to take important issues directly to Parliament, influence policy, and enable us to develop our products and services to best service the needs of the user, real people. 

Our membership of key industry organisations helps us ensure we have direct influence on current topical issues. Joining the Purpose Coalition means that along with other members including Barclays, Centrica, BP, UK Power Networks, The Wise Group, Leonardo UK, E.ON, Sodexo UK&I, Travelodge, BBC and Merlin Entertainments, we can work together to help break down barriers to opportunity and boost social mobility. 

We were proud to sponsor The Purpose Coalition’s February Breaking Down Barriers magazine. As the magazine’s guest editor, EQ’s Chief Risk Officer, Adam Green, dived into the big conversations shaping business, policy, and social impact. We focussed in on two of our business areas. 

Firstly our article on, ‘the national shame of bereavement in the UK’ (page 34) covered a subject we are all impacted by at some point in our lives. This highlighted the benefits of the free Death Notification Service (DNS) that allows users to notify member organisations of a person’s death, at the same time, thereby aiming to address some of the administrative nightmare surrounding bereavement. The DNS has changed the way banks deal with death notifications and EQ continues to challenge other sectors to follow suit. 

Secondly our article on, ‘how all employee share plans can empower workers’ (page 48), where we recognise the huge value of share plans and how they provide employees with real financial opportunity. We recommend changes to two of the tax advantaged all-employee plans, Save As You Earn and Share Incentive Plans, that would have a significant impact on take-up. 

Following closely on from the magazine’s publication, we finalised EQ’s own Breaking Down Barriers Impact Report, that focuses on EQ and the areas where we are ‘purpose driven’. This report was compiled through EQ employees discussing the topic with the Purpose Coalition through a series of workshops. The report focuses on how EQ approaches 15 of the Purpose Coalition Goals, looking at areas such as open recruitment, fair career progression, widening access to savings, and good health and wellbeing. 

We’re proud of our work in this area, and this report showcases how we foster a culture of inclusion within our organisation and beyond through our efforts to widen access to responsible financial products. As a business that plays a crucial role in the UK’s financial infrastructure, we remain committed to driving positive change and shaping a financial ecosystem that works for everyone. Within the report we hear directly from our clients, with case studies bringing to life where our services and products have supported people.  There are also a range of interesting data driven graphical representations of the breadth, depth and reach of our support across the UK.