Supporting women of colour in business

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Building a business is something that everyone should have the opportunity to do. But we know that some communities have more obstacles to overcome than others in achieving their entrepreneurial dream.

Santander Breakthrough has championed the cause of women in business from its inception in 2011 and is committed to supporting female entrepreneurship by improving women’s access to the advice, resources and finance needed to start and grow a business. 

Through our long-standing connection with PRECIOUS – a digital platform, network and resource for women of colour led by Foluke Akinlose MBE - we were proud to commission research into the challenges and achievements of female entrepreneurship and women business leaders from underrepresented groups.

This research and our steering group of wonderful female business owners of colour are helping us to develop a full programme of support for this important yet underrepresented source of entrepreneurship.

Louise Robinson Head of Breakthrough

The banking industry needs to do more to engage with women of colour in business

We’ve joined forces with PRECIOUS to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by women of colour in business.

We hope that our survey on the experiences of these business owners provide insights that will help both us and PRECIOUS to understand what support activity is required to help women of colour prosper.

Supporting women of colour in business | Santander Breakthrough

I am very excited to have launched this research in partnership with Santander.

We began this journey two years ago to gain an insight into the challenges and opportunities that women of colour face when starting or growing a business in the UK. It's an area that has scant research and I am delighted to share the insights we uncovered. 

I believe women of colour in business are a rich, diverse, yet largely untapped and in some ways invisible sector of British business. 

It’s time to shake off this cloak of invisibility, and time to co-create and collaborate to provide the tools and services that will enable these entrepreneurs to thrive.

Foluke Akinlose Founder of PRECIOUS

The women of colour Breakthrough programme - Financial Readiness

Financial Readiness is a business support programme for UK-based SMEs founded and/or led by women of colour. It's fully funded by Santander and delivered in partnership with UpSkill Digital.

This research and our steering group of wonderful female business owners of colour have helped us to develop a full programme of support. Find out more about the programme

Building a business is something that everyone should have the opportunity to do. But we know that some communities have more obstacles to overcome than others in achieving their entrepreneurial dream.

Recent research, such as the Rose Review, has rightly highlighted the barriers faced by women in setting up and growing a business, but the particular challenges faced by women of colour also need focus.  As an industry, we have a significant job to do to make change happen.

Manroop Khela Head of Specialist Business Units