‘We are keen to develop new initiatives to help improve financial resilience across Bristol’

Martha Girling leads the responsible business work at financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown (HL). Her role is varied, aligning and coordinating activities across the business.

This includes reporting and running HL’s charitable investments and volunteering scheme through the Hargreaves Foundation, which helps to transform young people’s lives through sport and education.

With a background in the charitable sector and project management, and a keen interest in sustainability, Martha built the HL’s original corporate social responsibility programme, and has been instrumental in developing this into a cross business, purpose led environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.

What’s the one thing that inspires you to get up in the morning?

It’s always been important to me to work for a company that cares about its community, people and clients. I’ve been lucky that my role at HL allows me to be at the heart of how we play an active role in the community we operate in.

From our work to support financial resilience to diversity and inclusion and our new climate commitments, I’m proud of the progress we have made and it’s great to see how engaged colleagues are with these issues, and how this plays back to supporting Bristol more widely and creating impactful changes.

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If you could pick one thing to change about Bristol what would it be?

Bristol is a great city, and I’m proud to call it home. However, there are vast extremes in inequality. Through my role at HL, and as a trustee of Feeding Bristol, I see first-hand how important the role of companies and charities working together are in helping address these issues and provide meaningful support to those who need it.

Martha is also on the board of trustees for the charity Feeding Bristol – photo: Feeding Bristol

What does a Better Bristol mean to you?

A more equitable city where the private, public sector and not for profit sector work collaboratively to find solutions to the issues we are facing around climate change, sustainability and financial resilience – all issues which have become more important as we continue to experience and live with the consequences of the pandemic and the economic uncertainty it has created.

What action could you as an individual take? What action could your company take?

At Hargreaves Lansdown, we have been at the heart of building resilience for over 40 years – helping the nation save and invest with confidence. This year, we wanted to go a step further. Alongside Oxford Economics, we have undertaken a comprehensive nationwide analysis into financial resilience – the Savings and Resilience Barometer for Great Britain – a unique report that will help policy-makers better understand the UK’s financial resilience.

Our findings demonstrate that while financial resilience has increased through the pandemic, much of this increase has been uneven.  With our analysis we are able to show the varying levels of resilience across different geographical areas and demographic groups. And we are keen to explore this specifically within Bristol and develop new initiatives to help improve financial resilience across the city.

What do you want to see from the Bristol business community in the next five years?

The ability to work collaboratively across private, public and not for profit sector to drive real change within Bristol that will have a positive impact for the whole community.

You can read more about corporate social responsibility at HL here.

Main photo: Hargreaves Lansdown

Read more: ‘We can utilise our skills to make Bristol a greener city’ 

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