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Empower Her

The Empower Her project is a programme delivered by Saracens Foundation to inspire the next generation of future female leaders through sport. The project pairs 16–24-year-old females with Saracens Women’s Rugby and Saracens Mavericks Netball elite athletes. Developed in conjunction with and funded by Shawbrook, Empower Her aims to tackle gender stigmas through both sport and business with measurable, life-changing impacts on the participants.

Creating opportunity

Our collaboration has already produced some significant achievements:

  • Two participants have progressed onto the RFU National Youth Council, allowing the project to reach a wider audience whilst positively affecting changes within youth rugby.
  • One Empower Her graduate has also secured a full-time role at Shawbrook and another has successfully completed an internship.

  • A Mentee on the 21/22 cohort has progressed into the Saracens Women’s squad and is now a mentor on the 22/23 course

  • Participants created the #endthestigma campaign which addresses the issue of the menstrual cycle for women in sport and the need to provide access to sanitary products in first aid bags.

  • An Alumni programme ensures there is a future legacy, enabling us to support all beneficiaries beyond their time on the programme.

  • Tamara Taylor (England and Saracens player) featured on the Standard Issue podcast to talk about the programme

Realising potential

The partnership has also enabled Shawbrook to better understand the struggles women have in sport and evaluate the symmetry with females in our business and the wider financial services sector. Our colleagues have delivered sessions alongside the Foundation, creating positive change within our own business.

“The Empower Her project creates opportunities for young women in Sport to realise their potential and to have the confidence, experience and core skills to pursue leadership roles in the future – whether in life, in sport or in their chosen career. We believe it’s important to show our customers, employees and community that our purpose – to power up ingenuity to create opportunity every single day – is more than words. It’s a commitment, it’s a passion and it’s the reason why we exist.”

- Jo Grobel, Chief of Staff at Shawbrook Bank

Our business

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Investors

We provide finance to a range of customer segments that value the premium experience, flexibility and certainty we deliver. Our ambition is to deliver for more customers in more markets. We will do this by combining the innovative mindset and agility of a start-up with the scale and financial strength of a large business. 

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Saracens sponsorship

As official banking partner of Saracens Rugby Club, we are proud to champion elite women’s sport by supporting the growth of both women’s rugby and netball as lead sponsor of the Mavericks.

Saracens sponsorship

About Shawbrook

Shawbrook provides finance to a wide range of customers who value the premium experience, flexibility and certainly we deliver.  We are a purpose-led organisation, with a focus on delivering long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.

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