Transparency data

UK Export Finance Public Sector Equality Duty Compliance: 2025-26

Published 24 June 2026

As outlined in UKEF’s 2024–27 People Strategy, we celebrate each other’s differences by listening, respecting and supporting each other through a collaborative approach, focused on impact and outcomes. We recognise that having a diverse and inclusive environment, where people feel safe and valued, is critical to UKEF’s success.

1. Public Sector Equality Duty requirements

1.1 General duty

The general duty requires public authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other unlawful conduct prohibited by the act
• advance equality of opportunity between people who share and people who do not share a relevant protected characteristic
• foster good relations between people who share and people who do not share a relevant protected characteristic

These are sometimes called the 3 aims of the duty.

The relevant protected characteristics are:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

1.2 Specific duties

The specific duties which apply to UKEF are to:

• Publish one or more equality objectives at least every 4 years
• Publish information on general duty compliance with regard to people affected by your policies and practices every year
• Publish information on general duty compliance with regard to your employees every year
• Publish gender pay gap data by 31 March every year

2. Evidence to support the meeting of the specific duties

2.1 Publish one or more equality objectives at least every 4 years

In 2025 we agreed new equality objectives and agreed actions to support them being achieved:

• To increase the proportion of women in Senior Civil Service (SCS) roles by 31 March 2029

• To increase the proportion of staff with disabilities, both overall and within SCS roles by 31 March 2029

• To increase the proportion of ethnic minority staff within SCS roles by 31 March 2029

Progress Summary:

Since the equality objectives were agreed, UKEF has seen measurable progress across all three areas. The proportion of women in Senior Civil Service roles has increased year‑on‑year, from 26.5% to 32.7%. Over the same period, the proportion of SCS colleagues recorded as “all other ethnic minorities combined” has increased from 12.2% to 14.3%. The proportion of employees declaring a disability has also increased, from 7.0% to 11.6%, reflecting both improved workforce representation and increased confidence in declaration; however, disability data for SCS roles continues to be suppressed to protect anonymity.

In 2026, UKEF may agree on additional equality objectives, subject to internal governance and approval processes. Any new objectives will be published once agreed and will be supported by appropriate delivery plans.

2.2 Publish information on general duty compliance with regard to people affected by your policies and practices every year

Although UKEF’s direct customers are businesses rather than individuals, we recognise that our policies and practices can indirectly affect people in the UK who share protected characteristics. In line with the Equality Act 2010 and the PSED, UKEF gives “due regard” to the three aims of the duty when designing products, shaping policy, and delivering services.

3. Promoting equality through our UKEF Business Plan

UKEF is committed to increasing the impact we have on customers from underrepresented groups and ensuring that all regions and nations of the UK can benefit from UKEF’s offer. Our Business Plan 2024-2029 includes a delivery objective focused on inclusive trade (Objective 3), aimed at supporting a broad range of businesses to export while driving local growth across all regions of the UK. This objective contributes to improved access to export finance for underrepresented and underserved groups.

Milestones under this objective include:

• Measuring the number of underserved businesses we support, setting a baseline and increasing the proportion of these businesses year-on-year
• Maintaining a minimum of 80% of the businesses we support based outside London over the business plan period.

In support of this objective, UKEF:

• Supported a broad SME base, with 18% of supported SMEs being women-led businesses

• Convened stakeholders to address barriers faced by ethnic minority-led businesses, including hosting the Empowering Ethnic Minority Businesses panel in partnership with Business Insider in March 2025

• Conducted two panels at the Black Business Show in October 2025 focused on support for Black-owned businesses looking to scale internationally
• Formally joined the Invest in Women Taskforce and hosted the first of a series of annual UKEF Women in Business Events in Leeds.

4. How UKEF ensures compliance

4.1 Policy and product development

Equality considerations are embedded in UKEF’s product development and policy review processes. Where relevant, Equality Impact Assessments are undertaken to assess potential impacts on individuals with protected characteristics.

4.2 Accessibility

UKEF is committed to ensuring that digital services are WCAG 2.2 AA compliant for accessibility, including auditing legacy systems and promoting inclusive design practices.

4.3 Proportionate approach

Because UKEF’s customers are companies, not individuals, the risk of direct impact on protected groups is limited. However, UKEF applies a proportionate approach to PSED compliance, considering indirect impacts on UK individuals where relevant, particularly in areas such as outreach to underrepresented business groups and regional access to services.

4.4 Record keeping

UKEF keeps a record of how equality considerations have been addressed in decision-making, in line with best practice and the Brown Principles.

This approach demonstrates UKEF’s commitment to embedding equality into its operations and ensuring that our services are accessible, fair, and inclusive, even where our primary interactions are with businesses rather than individuals.

4.5 Publish information on general duty compliance with regard to your employees every year

Diversity and inclusion are considered through all elements of the employee lifecycle; there are various activities which are undertaken on an ongoing basis, and some which are specific to a particular year, depending on priorities which have been identified. These are detailed below:

Actions taken on an ongoing basis

• UKEF has four core values, one of which is “Respecting All” - “We value difference, building an inclusive workplace that encourages authenticity and celebrates individual and collective success”. These values are woven into our performance management system as part of a mandatory objective relating to behaviours expected of all employees.
• UKEF has six staff diversity networks, each with an SCS level champion; they are self-led and set their own priorities for the year.
• HR meet with each of the diversity networks to discuss any topics raised by the networks and agrees on any actions to be taken forward to support diversity and inclusion
• UKEF has Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) status, demonstrating our commitment to recruiting, retaining and developing disabled people.
• We maintain and routinely promote guidance on holding inclusive meetings, to support employees in considering accessibility and inclusion when planning and managing meetings.
• Our HR frameworks are generally based on central Civil Service model documents, which have undergone equality assessments
• We have a workplace adjustments process published, which details when workplace adjustments are considered and implemented, both at recruitment stage and for the duration of employment; this goes above the legal minimum requirements relating specifically to reasonable adjustments.
• Our performance management process includes reminders to consider workplace adjustments when setting objectives and throughout the year
• We have a Mentoring/reverse mentoring framework in place with a range of mentors available and an SCS level Mentoring champion which is published to staff
• All staff undertake mandatory learning on Civil Service Expectations, which includes a topic on why Diversity and Inclusion matters

Ongoing recruitment specific activities

• All recruitment adverts reference UKEF’s commitment to D&I. (Women in Finance Charter; Disability Confident; Mental Health at Work Commitment and Race at Work charter) this includes highlighting the various staff networks we have as well as Appropriate Behaviour Champions/Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• All candidate packs reference the disability confident scheme and as part of the sifting process. Candidates who meet the essential criteria, will be invited for an interview
• Anonymous recruitment - At the sift stage all applications are anonymised (no details in terms of name/gender/DOB/ethnicity etc).

SCS recruitment

• At procurement stage - agencies will be asked to articulate in their tender document what their process is for attracting a diverse pool of candidates.
• When engaged as part of the initial briefing exercise D&I will be reinforced and the appointed agency will be expected to provide a long list with both gender and ethnically diverse candidates.
• We are in discussions with Cabinet Office regarding the Care Leavers scheme.

New actions taken in the previous year

• HR published a D&I intranet page, providing a central point for employees to understand the PSED objectives and HR’s plans to meet these in the coming year. The page also details D&I considerations throughout HR routine activities (e.g. recruitment processes) and reminds employees of support mechanisms in place.
• Using our new Occupational Health provider, we’ve enabled our employees to access neurodiversity support as needed.
• A new workplace Adjustments Framework and Step‑by‑Step Guide have been published, which are aligned to the Civil Service model and improve clarity, consistency and accessibility for employees and line managers when requesting, agreeing and reviewing workplace adjustments.
• UKEF has joined the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme to promote greater understanding of hidden disabilities across the department.
• A review of guidance relating to flexible working (including office attendance) was undertaken, and a revised page has been published which outlines all routes to agreeing to flexible working. This includes informal agreements and enables the recording of information on Workplace Adjustment or Carers’ passports if applicable.
• Learning and Development opportunities are considered on an ongoing basis as they arise. Where appropriate and within Civil Service guidelines, we have engaged with relevant staff networks to encourage take‑up among groups aligned to UKEF’s equality objectives.
• UKEF has joined the ‘Women in Tech’ scheme and has conducted a review of alternative recruitment platforms to encourage applications across advertised roles, from ethnic minorities and females.
• Guidance notes to support candidates across the recruitment lifecycle are available and sent out to both external and/or employees on request.
• Mock interview support is available to all UKEF employees, and is delivered on an individual or group basis as requested.
• A review is being undertaken to review the recruitment data, including interview panels, to ensure diversity is being considered at all stages of the recruitment lifecycle.
• Antisemitism training was offered to all SCS and staff in key roles. The training was designed to provide a practical foundation of understanding how antisemitism can manifest in the modern day, its impact on colleagues and workplace culture, and how to respond appropriately in a professional setting.
• An article was published to encourage and remind UKEF colleagues to update their personal information within the HR self-service system; helping ensure legal/statutory requirements are met.
• HR attended training relating to the Public Sector Equality Duty, with specific focus for senior managers in HR on undertaking equality assessments
• Co-Heads of HR have booked to attend an upcoming Women in Finance Charter signatory event on 30 June. Here, insights will be gathered to understand the impact the Charter has on women in senior roles across the financial services sector. UKEF will use these insights to inform future considerations/plans.
• A project group has been set up to implement all changes relating to the Employment Rights Act 2025.

4.6 Equality information relating to employees – information correct as at 31 March 2026

Gender by grade

Grade	Male	Female
Senior Civil Service	67.3%	32.7%
All UKEF Staff	55.9%	44.1%

Age by grade

Grade	16-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-69
Senior Civil Service	0%	0%	16.3%	40.8%	42.9%
All UKEF Staff	0%	17.2%	28.3%	23.4%	31.1%

*50-69 age grouped to protect anonymity

Ethnicity by grade

Grade	White	All other ethnic minorities combined	Not declared
All UKEF Staff	57.7%	37.4%	4.9%
Senior Civil Service	79.6%	14.3%	6.1%

Disability by grade

Grade	Disabled	Non-disabled	Not declared
All UKEF Staff	11.6%	82.3%	6.1%

*Senior Civil Service data has been suppressed to protect anonymity

Sexual orientation by grade

Grade	Lesbian/Gay/ Bisexual	Heterosexual	Other/Not declared	Not Reported
All UKEF Staff	5.1%	83.3%	7.9%	3.7%

*Senior Civil Service data has been suppressed to protect anonymity

Religion or belief by grade

Grade	Religion or belief declared	No religion	Not declared	Not reported
All UKEF Staff	55.9%	33.3%	8.8%	2.0%
Senior Civil Service	47.0%	30.6%	22.4%	0%

Marital status by grade

Grade	Married/Civil Partnership	Single	Widowed/Separated/Divorced/Other	Not declared	Not reported
All UKEF Staff	45.8%	43.1%	6.6%	1.4%	3.1%
Senior Civil Service	59.2%	28.6%	12.2%	0%	0%

UKEF’s gender pay gap information is contained in a separate publication. The latest one can be found here.