What Progress Together does

Progress Together is a UK not-for-profit membership body founded in 2022 as the formal output of a Government-commissioned taskforce, headquartered in London and led by founder and CEO Sophie Hulm with Alderman Vincent Keaveny as Chair. The organization is purpose-built to improve socio-economic diversity at senior levels within the UK financial services industry, where employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds have been shown to progress up to 25% slower than peers despite equal performance. Its core asset is the UK's largest dataset on socio-economic background in financial services, covering more than 200,000 employees across member firms, which underpins an annual public Data Report series and a 92%-member-coverage Impact Report.

The product portfolio is delivered to enterprise members and includes the Progress Together Toolkit and the Making the Invisible Visible Communications Toolkit for internal change and advocacy, the Accelerated Progress Programme (APP) — a cross-firm mentoring programme for senior-leadership progression — workshops, training, and events, plus content assets such as The Invisible Advantage Podcast and awareness campaigns launched at venues including the House of Lords and the Bank of England. Operationally, Progress Together runs as an enterprise field-sales motion that recruits UK financial services firms (including AXA, Aviva, Fidelity International, Schroders, Accenture, and A&O Shearman) and trade bodies (Investment Association, PIMFA, TheCityUK, Scottish Financial Enterprise, Social Mobility Commission) as members, generating revenue through recurring membership fees while representing over one third of the UK Financial Services sector.

Name

Progress Together

Legal name

Progress Together

Website

https://progresstogether.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Progress Together is a UK not-for-profit membership body, founded in 2022, that improves socio-economic diversity at senior levels in UK financial services through a benchmarking dataset of 200,000+ employees, mentoring programmes, toolkits, and events delivered to enterprise member firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Membership Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer-Led Workforce Partnerships & Sector Strategies (EDAAAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

Keywords

• Socio-economic diversity consulting
• Workplace inclusion services
• Diversity benchmarking data
• Cross-firm mentoring programmes
• DEI membership body

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Progress Together is a not-for-profit membership body. Financial services firms join as members to gain access to benchmarking data, mentoring programmes, workshops, training sessions, toolkits, assessment tools, peer networking, and public recognition of their diversity progress.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Progress Together is a not-for-profit membership body that sells enterprise memberships to UK financial services firms, providing access to socio-economic diversity benchmarking data (the largest UK dataset covering 200,000+ employees), toolkits, cross-firm mentoring through the Accelerated Progress Programme (APP), workshops and training, and public recognition of member progress. The flagship product is the cross-firm Accelerated Progress Programme, supported by annual Data Reports, Impact Reports, the Progress Together Toolkit, and the Making the Invisible Visible communications toolkit.

Product overview

Progress Together is a not-for-profit membership body offering a unified platform of services focused on improving socio-economic inclusion at senior levels within the UK financial services industry. The core offering consists of membership access to benchmarking tools (Data Reports covering 200,000+ employees), the Progress Together Toolkit for internal change management, and the Making the Invisible Visible Toolkit for campaign support. The flagship product is the Accelerated Progress Programme (APP), a cross-firm mentoring programme. Additional offerings include The Invisible Advantage Podcast, Impact Reports, and workshops/training events. Members also receive access to a peer network for sharing best practice and public recognition of their organization's progress. The organization launched in 2022 following a Government-commissioned taskforce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accelerated Progress Programme (APP) A cross-firm mentoring programme designed to build leadership confidence and capability, helping senior professionals from lower socio-economic backgrounds progress into leadership positions in UK financial services.
• Progress Together Data Reports Annual public data reports providing the UK's largest dataset on socio-economic background in financial services, covering 200,000+ employees from member firms for benchmarking and analysis.
• Progress Together Impact Report Annual impact reports measuring progress on socio-economic diversity across member firms, with data collected from up to 92% of Progress Together members.
• Progress Together Toolkit
• Making the Invisible Visible Toolkit
• Workshops, Training and Events
• Member Resources
• The Invisible Advantage Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• 2% increase from 26% to 28% in senior leaders from socio-economic backgrounds across member firms (2023-2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• City of London CorporationcoreOthers · 1 January 2022City of London Corporation spearheaded the development of Progress Together and provides ongoing support. Chair of Progress Together, Alderman Vincent Keaveny, is also associated with the City of London. The City of London works with its membership body on practical approaches firms can take to enable everyone from all walks of life to achieve their full potential.
• AXA UK&IcoreOthersAXA UK&I is a founding partner of Progress Together, committed to making the Financial Services sector fairer and more diverse by removing barriers and enabling everyone to thrive regardless of life stage, lifestyle, background or heritage. As a founding partner, AXA is confident that by working together, they can create a sector where people feel they belong and can achieve their full potential.
• AccenturesupportingOthersAccenture supports Progress Together's mission to build a more inclusive society where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed. They recognize that a workforce reflecting the socio-economic make-up of society is critical to creating business value.
• AvivasupportingOthersAviva is committed to levelling the playing field and making social mobility in business a reality. They believe helping to create a diverse, inclusive society is fundamental to being there for people, serving customers well, and contributing to fairer, more equal communities.
• A&O ShearmansupportingOthersA&O Shearman supports Progress Together, recognizing that the legal sector still has a long way to go to create an inclusive workplace where everyone has the opportunity to access and thrive regardless of background. Coming together is an important step towards industries being more representative of society.
• Fidelity InternationalsupportingOthersFidelity International is proud to have a compassionate, people-centred culture where people feel valued and supported to thrive. Through their involvement, they want to ensure socio-economic background is not a barrier to a successful career, either within Fidelity or in the wider financial services sector.
• Investment AssociationsupportingOthersThe Investment Association supports Progress Together, emphasizing that inclusive leadership teams help create positive culture, deliver better decision-making, and are more attractive to top talent. They highlight Investment 20/20's efforts to attract diverse talent from the ground up.
• PIMFAsupportingOthersPIMFA supports Progress Together, emphasizing that inclusion and diversity is important for boosting diversity of thought, innovation, creativity, and organizational effectiveness. They look forward to working with the City of London Corporation on practical approaches firms can take.
• The Bridge GroupsupportingOthersThe Bridge Group is greatly encouraged that UK Financial Services now has its own peer network to advance socio-economic diversity. They highlight that the group enables sharing of data, effective practice, accountability, and a collective voice. Their research shows rewards include a more engaged, productive workforce and a more resilient, sustainable sector.
• The CityUKsupportingOthersThe CityUK supports Progress Together, stating that improving socio-economic diversity is essential to reflect the community the industry serves and ensure ongoing success. They hope businesses will seize the opportunity to develop and retain diverse leadership talent.
• The Financial Services Skills CommissionsupportingOthersThe Financial Services Skills Commission supports Progress Together, stating it is vital that industry tackles socio-economic diversity at senior levels across UK financial services to attract and retain the skills and talent the sector requires to remain diverse, inclusive, and globally competitive.
• SchroderssupportingOthersSchroders supports Progress Together, affirming that diversity is crucial to success. Attracting and retaining talented people who can understand and embrace different perspectives ultimately leads to more insightful and innovative perspectives for clients.
• Scottish Financial EnterprisesupportingOthersScottish Financial Enterprise is delighted to support this initiative, emphasizing that enabling new pathways and equal progression for diverse talent from all backgrounds is essential for their vision and strategy for the financial services industry in Scotland.
• Social Mobility CommissionsupportingOthersThe Social Mobility Commission is pleased to support Progress Together, working together to give people control over their own destinies and unleash their true potential to help improve socio-economic inclusion across the sector.
• Social Mobility FoundationsupportingOthersThe Social Mobility Foundation welcomes Progress Together's launch and looks forward to working with its members to drive socioeconomic diversity at senior levels. They emphasize focusing not just on outreach and early careers, but also on creating conditions for people to stay, thrive, and lead.
• The Sutton TrustsupportingOthersThe Sutton Trust supports Progress Together, noting that through their own work supporting young people into financial services, they know how vital a collaborative approach is to make sustained change. They want to ensure those they support to access the sector have the same opportunities to progress and thrive.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Bridge Group: UK research and consultancy charity focused on social mobility and socio-economic diversity in education and employment. Direct peer because it publishes overlapping socio-economic research, supports corporate progression programmes, and is itself a Progress Together supporter working in the same problem space.
• Social Mobility Foundation: UK charity that supports high-potential young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds into professional careers, including financial services. Direct peer because it targets the same talent pipeline Progress Together addresses at the senior-leadership end and is a current supporter.
• Women in Finance Charter: UK government-backed HM Treasury initiative asking financial services firms to commit to improving gender diversity. Direct peer because it is a UK FS-specific, data-driven, senior-leadership diversity membership scheme with overlapping members and policy backing.
• Investing in Ethnicity: UK advisory and benchmarking firm focused on ethnic diversity and inclusion in financial services. Direct peer because it provides benchmarking data, toolkits, and advisory to UK FS firms — the same buyer Progress Together serves — on a closely adjacent diversity dimension.
• Business in the Community (BITC): UK business-led membership charity promoting responsible business and inclusion across employers. Direct peer because it offers D&I advisory, toolkits, and benchmarking to large UK employers that overlap with Progress Together's membership offering, but across all sectors.
• Social Mobility Commission: UK government advisory body monitoring social mobility and advising ministers on socio-economic inequality. Direct peer because it shapes national policy and data on socio-economic outcomes that Progress Together's sector work feeds into, and is a current supporter.
• The Sutton Trust: UK social mobility charity focused on improving educational access and outcomes for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, including pathways into financial services. Direct peer because it shares the socio-economic diversity agenda, runs research, and is a Progress Together supporter.
• 30% Club: Global campaign group working with business leaders to increase gender diversity at board and senior management levels, with strong UK Financial Services activity. Direct peer because it operates a similar cross-firm, chair/CEO-led membership model in UK FS targeting senior-leadership representation.
• Change the Race Ratio: UK business-led campaign focused on increasing racial and ethnic minority representation at senior levels in major UK employers. Direct peer because it uses the same cross-firm, chair/CEO-commitment model in UK business that Progress Together applies to socio-economic diversity in UK FS.

Emerging players

• PIMFA: UK trade association for the wealth management, investment, and financial advice industry. Emerging peer because it is both a Progress Together supporter and a sector membership body addressing D&I within a major UK FS sub-vertical, partially overlapping with Progress Together's remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/progress-together

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Progress Together