Reflecting on nine months: turning evidence into opportunity

Nine months ago, I stepped into the role of CEO at the Bridge Group, hugely excited about the opportunity to craft the next chapter for the Bridge Group alongside brilliant colleagues and trustees. I am so grateful to them all for their expertise, dedication and kindness as I have fully settled in.

As I look back on what we have achieved together and have planned, the urgency of our mission has never been more apparent.

The national context: a call to action

The current landscape for social mobility in the UK is sobering. The Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation 2025 report continues to highlight deep-seated disparities and the recent headlines surrounding Trinity Hall, Cambridge, served as a stark reminder of why we must use data and evidence to inform all types of policy.

As our Bridge Group research repeatedly shows, socio-economic background remains the greatest predictor of opportunity, affecting access and progression in the workplace more than any other characteristic. This is not just a moral issue, it is a talent, innovation, and risk issue that hampers our country's economic growth.

It is also a deeply personal issue. At the heart of all this, we remain focused on individual livelihoods and what most people aspire to: fair access to education and rewarding work, alongside financial security for them and their loved ones and a workplace where they belong and can fully thrive.

Looking back: nine months of momentum building

Since I joined, the Bridge Group has achieved significant milestones that reinforce our commitment to rigorous research and practical action:

Pioneering sector research: We launched a major report with a consortium of eight leading law firms, identifying effective practices to move the needle on socio-economic inclusion from early careers to partner.
Data-led insights in financial services: In collaboration with Progress Together, we released Performance, not Privilege, drawing on the largest dataset on class and careers in finance and analysing over 210,000 employees across 40 member firms.
Walking the talk: In June 2025, we officially became an accredited Living Wage employer, ensuring our internal practices reflect the values of fairness we advocate for externally.
Hearing from you: Last summer we undertook an anniversary consultation. It was both validating and humbling to hear why the Bridge Group matters to so many of you. You told us we are experts in socio-economic inclusion. That we are trusted for robust, independent insight and that we are your strategic convenor and partner.

Alongside our partners and friends, our 10th anniversary party last November, generously hosted by Slaughter and May, was a moment to celebrate a decade of turning evidence into opportunity.

That evening, we published our new anniversary report highlighting the breadth of what our charity has achieved over the past ten years. The scale is vast: we have analysed 180 million data points, conducted over 2,000 interviews and advised over 170 organisations. Our influence is even more significant:

Our evaluation of the Civil Service Fast Stream led to a four-fold increase in the success rate of applicants from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
We set industry standards by creating the first cross-industry employer toolkit with the Social Mobility Commission.
Our research led to the creation of the City of London Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce and of Progress Together, thereafter, helping drive sector change across financial services.

Looking ahead: the next decade of change

As we enter 2026, our focus is on extending the benefits of socio-economic inclusion even further.

Upcoming research: In March we will share vital new research with KPMG on why socio-economic inclusion matters when building future-ready boards and we will also publish our evaluation of the Sutton Trust’s Pathways to Banking and Finance programme.
Strengthening governance: We were overwhelmed by the response to our open call for trustees and look forward to onboarding our new trustees in the first half of 2026.
Cross-sector collaboration: In the coming months, we are excited to be announcing our new Lead Partners and to launch our Advisory Board to facilitate collaboration and break down barriers to opportunity together.

Join us

Our vision is clear: an education system and a labour market where background is no barrier, and everyone, wherever they started in life, has the chance to realise their potential.

With your support, we can:

Lead independent research that fills national evidence gaps;
Create open-access guidance that levels the playing field;
Scale collaboration across sectors, so change happens faster; and
Strengthen our public voice in shaping national policy.

So please partner with us on research, donate to maintain our independent voice, make introductions to other forward-thinking leaders, and collaborate with us to amplify our collective impact.

If you share our commitment to fairness, opportunity and evidence-led change, we look forward to working with you in the next stage of our journey.