Unity ranked in Top 200 Women-Powered UK Businesses List 2025

Published: October 22, 2025

Unity Trust Bank has been listed as seventh in the Top 200 Women-Powered UK Businesses Report 2025. 

Now in its fifth year, the prestigious annual report is produced by J.P. Morgan Private Bank, in collaboration with Beauhurst. It is designed to celebrate and champion the growth and impact of women-powered businesses in the UK.

Included in the report, are high-growth companies that:

• are majority-owned by women
• have a management team comprising at least 50% women; or
• are led or founded by women[1].

This year, Unity has been ranked seventh in the list, in recognition of its female executive team. It is also only one of two banks to be included in the top 200 companies.

Christine Coe, Chair of Unity Trust Bank’s board of directors, said: “Unity’s mission is to help create a better society. Equality is embedded into the way we operate, as we believe that the best ideas and decisions come from diverse perspectives.

“It is fantastic to not only be ranked as seventh on this list, but to be the only bank in the top ten. What matters most, is that everyone at Unity has the opportunity and support to succeed in their career. This enables us to work together to create a positive impact in communities across the UK.”

Unity’s Board of Directors currently includes three female members:

• Christine Coe (Chair)
• Penny Hogan (Chief Finance Officer)
• Susan Sternglass Noble (Independent Non-Executive Director)

Half of the bank’s eight-strong ExCo team are women:

• Niki Barker (Chief People Officer)
• Catherine Douglas (Chief Customer Officer)
• Kiran Samra (Chief Risk Officer)
• Penny Hogan (Chief Finance Officer)

Unity is a signatory of HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter and is committed to ensuring that all roles are open to everyone, regardless of gender.

The report also references the bank’s commitment to ethical finance and its focus on supporting positive social impact:

 

“The bank’s focus on socially conscious consumers has driven impressive growth. In 2023, it announced that customer balances increased by 10% to £1.70bn as it partnered with more socially driven organisations. Additionally, it facilitated more than £1bn in lending, with 50.5% of funds reserved for areas with high levels of deprivation. Its ethos has likely contributed to its success, with turnover rising from £25.1m in 2021 to £102m in 2024.”

– J.P. Morgan Top 200 Women-Powered UK Businesses Report 2025 – The Top Ten

 

Unity’s mission is to help create a better society, not simply maximise returns. Its ‘double bottom line’ strategy means that profit is balanced alongside purpose.

The bank only uses customer deposits to support organisations that address social, economic and environmental needs. Every loan is aligned to one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure funds have a demonstrable impact.

Based in Birmingham, Unity is also ranked third in the report’s breakdown of women-powered businesses in the Midlands. The report states that the Midlands is home to 5,488 high-growth companies, an increase of 8.46% since 2020.

In the last five years, the total number of women-powered businesses in the UK has grown by 160%, from 6,085 to 15,795. Women-powered businesses now make up 30.4% of all high-growth companies, a significant rise from just 18.3% when J.P. Morgan’s top 200 list was first published.

About the report

J.P. Morgan is a global leader in financial services to corporations, governments, for-profit and not-for-profit institutions, and individuals.

J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Top 200 Women-Powered Businesses Report analyses the 15,795 high-growth companies in the UK founded, led, managed, or owned by women. It ranks the top 200 companies based on growth in sales and headcount. The report has been produced using Beauhurst’s data on high-growth companies.

For more information, and to view the full report, click here.

[1] Source: https://assets.jpmprivatebank.com/content/dam/jpm-pb-aem/emea/regional/en/documents/about-us/top-200-2025/1609-JPM_WPB_2025-FINAL-REPORT.pdf#page=32