Why Dame Alison Rose Believes Inclusion Starts at the Top

Inclusion is often spoken about as a cultural goal—something to be nurtured from within teams or through grassroots efforts. But Dame Alison Rose, former chief executive of NatWest Group, approached it differently. She understood inclusion not as a byproduct of good intentions, but as a leadership obligation. In her view, it starts at the top—or it doesn’t start at all.

As the first woman to lead a major UK bank, Rose was acutely aware of the structural barriers that shape access to power. Her leadership wasn’t symbolic—it was strategic. She used her position not only to widen the aperture for others but to institutionalize systems that could outlast her tenure. From board composition to promotion pathways, Rose treated representation as both a metric and a mandate. Some of that legacy is reflected in this entry.

Central to her philosophy was the idea that inclusive cultures are built through decisions, not slogans. That meant embedding diversity goals into business strategies, making executive teams accountable for progress, and measuring outcomes with the same rigor applied to financial performance. For Rose, inclusion wasn’t a side initiative—it was a criterion for leadership itself. Learn more in how Dame Alison Rose promoted inclusion through top-down reform.

She emphasized intersectionality, recognizing that race, gender, socioeconomic background, and disability all intersect to shape opportunity. NatWest under her leadership launched targeted programs to support underrepresented employees and leaders, while also reforming recruitment and evaluation practices to surface hidden talent. Her approach was less about optics and more about systemic access.

Rose also extended the principles of inclusion beyond the internal workforce. She challenged the bank to think differently about its customers—especially small business owners, women entrepreneurs, and underserved communities. Through initiatives tied to the Rose Review and beyond, she linked inclusive leadership to inclusive economies.

What set her apart was the clarity with which she tied inclusion to institutional health. In Rose’s framework, diversity of thought wasn’t just a moral good—it was a business advantage. She made the case that inclusive leadership leads to better decisions, stronger teams, and more resilient companies. But it only works, she argued, when those at the top are willing to listen, change, and lead by example. Her continued impact is profiled in this FN London article about Dame Alison Rose.

Dame Alison Rose didn’t treat inclusion as an HR responsibility or a reactive fix. She treated it as executive work—strategic, measurable, and essential to long-term success. In doing so, she reframed what leadership in the modern financial world can look like: powerful, inclusive, and built to reflect the full society it serves. To see more about institutional accountability, visit https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2023/11/an-apology-from-the-ico-to-dame-alison-rose/.