Aviva chief Amanda Blanc tells MPs of ‘appalling’ reports of misogyny in financial sector
Amanda Blanc, chief executive of insurance giant Aviva, told the Treasury Committee on Wednesday that she has heard from “hundreds” of women describing their experiences of misogyny while working in the financial sector, as MPs investigate sexism in the Square Mile.
Blanc, who was appointed the government’s women in finance champion in 2021, said the societal issue was “amplified in financial services”, with her research showing higher than average rates of physical and verbal abuse towards women in the sector.
She made a LinkedIn post earlier this month asking women to confidentially share their experiences of sexism in the financial sector.
“I have been inundated with hundreds and hundreds of private messages from women who have had, I have to say, predominantly poor experiences, and I think that’s incredibly disappointing,” Blanc told MPs on Wednesday.
“Some of the stories have been absolutely appalling around unwanted advances, when people announce that they’re pregnant people saying things like ‘Well, that’s a bit inconvenient isn’t it,’ being followed to hotel rooms and things like that.”
Blanc also drew attention to her own experience dealing with “verbal abuse as a woman” at Aviva’s annual general meeting last year, calling the shareholder comments “unacceptable”.
She said more action was necessary to avoid women leaving firms over a culture of misogyny.
The Treasury Committee urged City bosses in 2018 to abolish the “alpha male” culture and end the stigma around women’s flexible working.
It is now scrutinising the sector’s progress since these recommendations and evaluating the impact of the Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter, which asks financial services firms to commit to gender balance.
MPs on Wednesday also heard from Nishma Gosrani, a partner at management consultancy Bain and Co, who worked alongside Blanc on a blueprint for other companies on the charter last year.