Brand by Santander

It became clear Santander needed direct feedback from the women it intended to support to bring the research to life. To better understand the issues faced, we helped Santander convene a working group of women of colour in business (at varying life stages), running product-based businesses. With this group, we led safe space listening and co-creation sessions. This culminated in a workshop with the group, Santander senior staff, and industry stakeholders. Here, business owner shared real life experiences of the biggest barriers they faced in starting, growing or sustaining their business. The Santander team benefitted from hearing these insights first-hand and had the opportunity to ask questions to each woman. We also explored collaboratively the solutions that would help business owners break through these barriers, and how Santander could help. After discussing our findings, we co-created an action plan that recommended support tailored to the needs of the women we consulted.

The bank was impressed by our approachable and energetic nature, and how we encouraged contribution across the group. The sessions were bold but never compromised, nor did anyone feel put on the spot – crucial for the difficult topics we covered.

This project broke new ground for Santander and the broader banking sector. It also provided visibility for - and was led by - the views and voices of women of colour in business. Santander aimed to build meaningful support for women business owners of colour. They intended its impact to be long-lasting and relevant. The bank still works with many women from our group demonstrating the impact of the project.