Published: November 13, 2023
At Unity Trust Bank we have been helping to create a better society for almost 40 years. Living by our principle of banking with integrity, we only lend to businesses and organisations that address social, economic or environmental needs.
We align our lending practices to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This ensures that our funding contributes positively to communities across the UK. Our mission is to help create a better society, not simply maximise profits.
So, when we win awards, we believe it’s in recognition of what we do every day for our customers, stakeholders and wider society. Let’s look at a selection of the awards we’ve won in 2023 and why they mean so much to us.
With our headquarters at Brindleyplace Birmingham, we work closely with businesses across the region that share our values and commitment to supporting local businesses. We were delighted to be recognised as Greater Birmingham Business of the Year 2023. We also won the Excellence in Contribution to the Community award for facilitating community engagement at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce awards. These awards demonstrate that we can deliver strong business results at the same time as delivering impact and staying true to our social mission.
At Unity, we’re committed to using finance for good. We’re proud to place our customers at the very heart of our organisation. We regularly ask for customer feedback, to ensure we provide banking products and services that meet their needs, whichever sector they operate in – from Pharmacies and Local Councils to Charities and Educational establishments. By aligning our products and services with our customers’ needs, we are able to support socially minded organisations deliver positive community impact. All this is reflected in our ‘Great’ score on Trustpilot.
Our Proposition and Brand team use this customer feedback to continually review and improve their customer communications. The shortlisting of our Head of Proposition and Brand, Louise Pursglove, for Marketer of the Year by the Financial Services Forum, is testament to this as it recognises her team’s dedication to delivering customer-centric marketing.
As an ethical bank, we lead by example and encourage our employees to act with integrity in everything they do. We hold a Carbon Neutral ‘Carbon Footprint Standard’ accreditation and have a Gold standard for Investors in People. In addition, we were the first bank to become a Living Wage Employer in 2013.
We have since been working to promote the Living Wage across our supply chain and the financial services industry as a whole. Our HR Director, Julia Tarpey, has been driving these efforts. We were thrilled when her work supporting the Living Wage’ goals was recognised by an awarding body. She won an Industry Trailblazer Award at the Living Wage Foundation Champion of the Year awards 2023. Julia says: ‘We are proud of our status as a Living Wage Employer and are delighted to have won this award. We proactively support Living Wage because it’s evidence of responsible employment practices.’
Our vision is to become the bank of choice for all socially minded organisations in the UK. We ensure that all businesses that want to make a positive contribution to society can. We offer them access to fair and affordable finance.
Unity Trust Bank are proud members of NACFB. We are delighted to have been shortlisted for three awards at the upcoming NACFB Commercial Leader Awards 2023. Unity is nominated for Specialist Lender, Community Lender, and Deal of the Year awards. This is testament to the strong relationships we’ve developed with brokers and intermediaries.
Charities play a hugely important role in our society. Unity Trust Bank is proud to provide day-to-day banking services and finance that meets their specific needs. We understand the challenges they face, and we have strong links to charity sector bodies including the Charity Law Association. So, we were pleased earlier this year when we were ‘Highly Commended’ at the Moneyfacts Awards in the Best Charity Banking Provider category, voted for by brokers and businesses.
We’re for helping to create a better society. Learn more in our Impact Report. Or, to find out more about how we support our customers and their local communities, head to our Customer Stories.
If you want to speak to someone about how we can support your business, contact us today. You can also view our range of Banking Products online.
All information in this article is correct as of November 2023.
