UK’s favourite business insurance provider is one of the first to sign up to new equal opportunities employment framework.

London, 29 March, 2018 – Simply Business, one of the UK’s largest business insurance providers, has signed up to the new UK Social Mobility Pledge at the invitation of Rt Hon Justine Greening MP.

Announced at Westminster today, Simply Business is embracing their responsibility as a UK business to help boost social mobility in the UK. Simply Business is amongst the first cohort to sign up, which include industry giants BT, ITV and Adidas, and encourage all UK businesses to play their part and join them.

The Pledge is framed around three commitments:

• The provision of work experience and apprenticeship opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds or circumstances.
• The adoption of open recruitment practices which promote inclusion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds or circumstances.
• Coaching and mentoring on career opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds or circumstances via charities and direct to colleges.

Kelly Harris, Legal & Social Impact Director, Simply Business said:

“Social mobility in the UK is an issue close to Simply Business’ heart so we jumped at the chance to sign the Pledge. As an accredited B Corp, we already run a number of social mobility projects, such as work experience for students from non-privileged backgrounds, and we are excited to pilot ‘name-blind recruitment’ to remove any unconscious bias from our hiring process and ensure opportunities are truly open to everyone.

“I come from a non-privileged background and have experienced first hand the barriers this creates. Whilst social mobility is on the agenda and improved in some ways over the 23 years I’ve been in the Legal profession, we still have a long way to go to ensure everyone has fair access to opportunities. We believe it’s essential to nurture and progress talent from all backgrounds and hope other employers feel the same.”

Rt. Hon Justine Greening MP added:

“Simply Business is a great example of a UK business that prioritises making a positive social impact. Their enthusiasm for working with me on the Social Mobility Pledge is an encouraging sign that more and more companies value improving social mobility in Britain.

“With the support of companies like Simply Business and organisations including the CBI, British Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses, we are reaching influential decision makers and encouraging them to be part of the solution on how we change things for the better on equal opportunities.”

To learn more about The Pledge and how businesses big and small can get involved, visit www.socialmobilitypledge.org

– ENDS –

Note to Editors

For more information, please contact:

Sophie Poston / Jemima Young 020 7199 6415 / 020 7199 6417 [email protected] / [email protected]

About Simply Business

Simply Business is one of the UK’s biggest business insurance providers, specialising in public liability insurance for SMEs and insuring over 900,000 small businesses and landlords across Britain.

Launched in 2005, Simply Business provides an online brokerage service, delivering policies tailored to individual business requirements. Using the power of tech and data to create the best possible customer experiences, Simply Business employs over 800 people across offices in London, Northampton, and Boston in the US.

Owing to its internal underwriting capability, Simply Business can cover over 1,000 trade types – ranging from plumbers to accountants to dog walkers. An accredited B Corp for their positive social impact, Simply Business has also been voted the Sunday Times Best Company To Work For twice in a row.