Jack: Finding community through our PRIDE Network

We're proud to have our PRIDE Network where both LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies alike can come together as a community in which everyone feels confident to be themselves.

The network aims to support members in achieving their personal and career development.

Jack tells us about his unconventional career path and his experience of being an active member of the network.

Diverse and purpose-driven

Hello, my name is Jack and I currently work as a Business Manager for Royal London’s Group Chief Risk Officer. I’m also one of the two Co-Chairs of our PRIDE Network, which champions a diverse, inclusive and connected community. I love working for an organisation that is so purpose-driven and focused on creating a better world for its customers and wider society. It is also refreshing to be part of an outcomes-focused modern mutual that considers and pursues its strategy in the long term. 

I joined Royal London in January 2019, having worked professionally in the equestrian industry since leaving school at 16. I had dreamt of working with horses since I was very young and after my GCSEs, worked hard to follow my passion. I built a positive reputation for myself and within a few years was able to make a living competing, training and selling horses. However, over time and after a few injuries, the relentlessness of the job started to take its toll and strip away the enjoyment from my passion. I was 25, had just recovered from quite a significant hip injury and at the point of that crossroads, did not feel like I had a vast array of transferrable skills or qualifications.

"I wasn’t alone in joining Royal London from a different industry with unconventional skills and experiences"

Fortunately, some good friends worked at Royal London and encouraged me to apply for a job to kick start my new chapter. I applied for a Customer Service Consultant role and soon realised that I wasn’t alone in joining Royal London from a different industry with unconventional skills and experiences.

In the five years that I’ve been part of Royal London, I’ve been empowered to work hard and make the most of opportunities to develop. My previous, and very different, career did not pose any barriers to my progression in a more corporate setting. If anything, my background was an asset as it provided me with different perspectives and developed my competitive streak.

Communications Lead for our PRIDE Network

Nowadays, I'm comfortable in my skin as an openly gay man, although I was certainly wary when I joined the corporate world. However, I shouldn’t have worried as Royal London’s culture is so open and encouraging in bringing your expanded self to work. I joined the PRIDE Network as a member soon after joining the company, becoming the committee’s Communications Lead after about three years and then one of the Co-Chairs soon after. This ongoing experience continues to strengthen my feeling of community at work. In fact all our inclusion networks’ make a difference by empowering and inspiring people at work. 

From my first role as a Customer Service Consultant, to managing a team of more than 20 colleagues and then working in the company’s Strategy team, I’ve always been made to feel like my differences were my superpower. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.

Explore more stories

Our People Stories

 

Find your Royal London job