I Joined Our Rainbow Network Not Long After Coming to Work at the Group. The Network Supports LGBT+ Colleagues With Career Development, Mentoring, and Access to Role Models

Anthony Francis first joined us as part of an IT graduate scheme. He has since been featured on the FT’s Top Future Leaders list, and is an inclusivity champion at Lloyds Banking Group.

I joined the group as an IT Project Manager. But I knew there were loads of alternative options across the business, and that was pretty exciting.

I went on to become an agile delivery lead, creating agile and flexible systems to help first-time homebuyers. Then I was a transformation manager, which meant that I worked on a large digital change programme across the bank. This led me to my current role as an executive business manager.

It’s felt good to know that I could continue on this career path and make a success of it, making the most of the diverse opportunities at Lloyds Banking Group.

I’ve also been very passionate about inclusion and diversity from the start and joined our Rainbow network not long after coming to work at the group. The network supports LGBT+ colleagues with career development, mentoring, and access to role models.

I continue to be an active member of Rainbow — putting myself out there and helping bring awareness to the benefits of an inclusive environment. I’ve got a great team behind me and I feel that I’m fully equipped to help. The fact that you can see the difference that you’re making to people’s lives is really compelling.