Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Actively building DE&I practises into our recruitment strategies and yours.
Our DE&I commitment
At BWD, we don’t just talk about the benefits of DE&I recruiting strategies, we actively chase them with a continued commitment to DE&I both internally and as we deal with our clients. For us, it’s not simply checking a box, it’s a continuous learning process.
From candidate screening using fair and equal practises to investing in DE&I research, maintaining a diverse, equal, and inclusive approach is our top priority. We frequently monitor our recruitment processes to ensure we’re staying true to our commitment.
Education & Development
Education is the most important tool we have to eliminate bias and ensure fair and equal opportunities for our candidates. We regularly attend DE&I workshops, develop high-quality training materials, and have strict protocols to help our recruitment consultants and clients hire fairly.
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Research, Analysis & Reporting
Knowledge is power, particularly when it comes to improving DE&I in recruiting practises. That’s why we invest time and effort into heavily-researched DE&I surveys to increase awareness of DE&I issues within the financial services industry.
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Processes
One of the ways we actively pursue the best possible DE&I strategy is by developing protocols, processes, and checklists to eliminate bias throughout the candidate screening, client discovery, and interviewing stages.
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BWD: The Employer
BWD proudly fosters an inclusive, diverse, and equality-driven culture within our internal teams. Our recruitment strategy is heavily dictated by our DE&I targets to maintain our status as an equal opportunity employer.
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Celebrating difference
We strongly believe both business and the industry benefit from diverse representation and will continuously strive to be DE&I leaders both as an inclusive employer and helping to drive and influence positive change within the sector.
Insights
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James Woods reflects on retirement, the FIRE movement and whether stepping away from work truly delivers fulfilment, after seeing advisers and business owners return to the industry sooner than expected.
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A recruitment-led outlook on the 2026 pensions actuarial market, covering de-risking, dashboards and LGPS megafunds — and what they mean for hiring, pay and career moves.
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Former U.S. Navy Intelligence Officer Lena Sisco joins BWD’s James Walker to explore the power of elicitation — revealing how better conversations build trust, uncover intent, and lead to stronger professional outcomes.
The BWD Census: your definitive guide to salaries, earnings, and benefits in the UK financial services sector.
Our independent survey gathered data from over 540 professionals including Financial Advisers, Investment Managers, Business Development Managers (BDMs), Paraplanners and Compliance Professionals, all completed via an online, confidential questionnaire in January & February 2025.
