ACN partners with Lloyds Banking Group

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The Asian Communications Network (ACN) is celebrating its first anniversary with the announcement of a new corporate partnership with Lloyds Banking Group to help tackle the persistent lack of ethnic diversity at senior levels across financial services communications.

Lloyds Banking Group has identified two key priorities for the collaboration: building a more inclusive recruitment pipeline that attracts senior-level talent from a wide range of backgrounds and enhancing inclusive leadership across its Corporate Affairs function.

Formed in 2024 by Advita Patel, Farzana Baduel, and Shayoni Lynn, ACN has quickly grown into a trusted voice for change, with a community of nearly 500 across communications, media, and marketing sectors in the UK. 

“Partnerships like this move us from conversation to transformation,” said Shayoni Lynn, Chair of the ACN Advisory Board. “Leadership in financial services and communications has long lacked diversity of voice, experience, and perspective. Together, we’re committed to changing that - creating space, opportunity, and visibility for talent that has too often been overlooked.”

The scale of the diversity challenge in our sector is undeniable. In England and Wales, 87% of PR practitioners are White and only 5% are Asian (CIPR PR Population Report, 2024). The ethnicity pay gap in UK PR stands at 25.6%, with only 14% of senior in-house roles and 9% in agencies held by non-White professionals (PRCA, 2024). At board level, only 6% of FTSE 100 Chairs come from these backgrounds (Fair Play Talks, 2025). 

"Without intentional action, the diversity gap will persist and nothing will change, and that simply cannot happen. This is why partnerships like this are so essential," said co-founder Advita Patel.

Through this 12-month partnership, Asian employees at Lloyds Banking Group will become part of ACN’s Founding Circle and will have access to a range of events and workshops held within the business, and across the wider industry. The leadership team at Lloyds Banking Group will work closely with ACN co-founders to ensure they are reflecting relevant insights and lived experiences from the Asian Community into their internal and external strategies as they embark on a significant transformation programme across the business.

“We’re committed to building a more inclusive culture and attracting talent from the widest range of backgrounds,” said Andrew Walton, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Lloyds Banking Group. “Partnerships like this are vital to sustaining progress and delivering meaningful change. Collaborating with ACN supports our Race Action Plan, helping us learn, adapt, and act - creating an environment where diverse voices are empowered to lead with confidence.”