Company Overview: As part of our commitment to transparency and equality, we are publishing our gender pay gap data in compliance with UK regulations. This report outlines our gender pay gap for the year ending 5 April 2025 and provides a breakdown of the distribution of pay across different quartiles, bonuses, and the measures we are taking to address the gap.

1. Gender Pay Gap Using Hourly Pay:

• • Mean Gender Pay Gap: 19.4%
  • Median Gender Pay Gap: 15.7%

The mean gender pay gap is calculated by comparing the average hourly pay for male and female employees across the entire workforce. The median gender pay gap represents the difference in the hourly pay of the middle male and female employees when all employees are ranked from lowest to highest pay. A mean gap of 19.4% indicates that, on average, men earn 19.4% more per hour than women across the organisation. The median gap of 15.7% shows that the middle-paid male employee earns 15.7% more than the middle-paid female employee.

The higher mean gap compared to the median suggests that a proportion of higher-paid roles are occupied by men, which increases the overall average. This reflects representation at senior and specialist levels, rather than unequal pay for equivalent roles.

2. Gender Distribution in Pay Quartiles: We have divided our employees into four quartiles based on hourly pay. The distribution of men and women in each quartile is as follows:

This breakdown illustrates the percentage of men and women in each quartile and helps highlight where gender imbalances may exist.

Gender representation is relatively balanced in the lower quartile. Male representation increases progressively in each higher pay quartile. Women are currently underrepresented in the upper two quartiles, particularly in the highest pay band.

The distribution indicates that the primary driver of the current gender pay gap is underrepresentation of women in senior and higher-paying roles, rather than unequal pay at comparable levels.

The narrowing gender balance in lower quartiles is positive; however, progression into upper quartiles remains a key area for focus.

3. Bonus Pay:

• • Percentage of Men Receiving Bonus Pay: 72.6%
  • Percentage of Women Receiving Bonus Pay: 58.8%

These figures show the proportion of men and women who have received bonus pay, which includes commission, in the reporting period 12 months to 5 April 2025.

This gap reflects commission based roles with greater male representation currently.

Improving female representation in bonus and commission eligible roles will be an important lever in addressing overall reward equity.

4. Gender Pay Gap Using Bonus Pay:

• • Mean Bonus Pay Gap: -0.4% (In favour of women)
  • Median Bonus Pay Gap: -8.8% 

These figures represent the difference in the average and middle point of bonus payments between men and women. A negative gender pay gap indicates that women, on average, received higher bonuses than men.

This negative pay gap is primarily due to the structure of our bonus system, where the majority of bonuses are attributed to commission payments. The mean bonus gap of -0.4% indicates that, on average, women received slightly higher bonus payments than men. This is a positive indicator and suggests that where women participate in bonus schemes, outcomes are equitable.

Commission-based bonuses are directly linked to individual sales and retention performance, and this structure is open to all eligible staff within the sales and retention teams, regardless of gender. Both male and female employees in these teams have equal opportunities to earn commission-based bonuses based on their individual contributions and results.

The median bonus gap of 8.8% indicates that at the midpoint, men receive higher bonuses. This is due to a concentration of higher individual bonuses among men at certain levels.

We are committed to maintaining transparency and fairness in our bonus structure and will continue to monitor our processes to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to benefit from commission-based rewards.

5. Employee Headcount: The data in this report is based on a headcount of 383 UK based employees as of the snapshot date.
6. Person Responsible for Gender Pay Gap Reporting: This report has been compiled by Claire King, Head of HR who is working with Group Exec team to ensure that we meet our legal obligations and continue to work toward a fair and inclusive workplace.
7. Next Steps and Action Plan: We acknowledge the gender pay gap and are committed to taking appropriate steps to reduce it. The gap is influenced by a range of factors, including the distribution of men and women in different roles and seniority levels. The overall output of this report suggests the drivers impacting our results are underrepresentation of women in senior roles, higher male participation in bonus-eligible positions and structural workforce composition, rather than unequal pay for equal work.

   There is no evidence within this dataset to suggest systemic equal pay issues; instead, the gap reflects representation and progression challenges, which we are committed to work to improve.

   It is important to acknowledge that the composition of our leadership team plays a significant role in contributing to this pay gap. Our leadership team at the time of this report data was predominantly male, which has resulted in a higher proportion of men in higher-paying roles. This gender imbalance in leadership and senior positions directly impacts our mean hourly pay gap, as a larger representation of men in these higher salary brackets skews the average pay figures.

   We have already made progress in appointment and progression of female Managers into more senior positions; and these changes will reflect in future data reports. We aim to reduce the gender pay gap and promote a more equitable pay structure across all levels of the organization.

   We are taking the following steps to address the gap:

   Improving Representation at Senior Levels

   Strengthening succession planning processes, actively identifying and supporting high-potential female talent and ensuring diverse shortlists for senior recruitment.

   Supporting Career Progression

   Explore mentoring programmes, investing in leadership development opportunities for women, continue to review promotion processes for bias.

   Reviewing Bonus and Reward Structures

   Assessing eligibility criteria for bonus schemes, monitoring bonus outcomes by gender annually and increasing transparency in performance-based reward decisions

   Enhancing Flexible Working and Retention

   Promoting flexible working at all levels, supporting return-to-work programmes, strengthening family-friendly policies.

Conclusion: We are committed to continuous improvement and will monitor our progress to ensure that our workplace remains fair, inclusive, and supportive for all employees, regardless of gender. We remain dedicated to taking meaningful action to close the gender pay gap and foster an inclusive environment where all employees can thrive, regardless of their gender.