The InterBank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) Forum was formed in 2002. At the outset it was a network of LGBT+ Networks only from the Investment Banking sector which met certain key membership criteria. Each institution was represented on the InterBank Committee by members of their respective LGBT+ Networks. In 2012, InterBank decided to restructure itself beyond Investment Banking and become more inclusive of the financial services industry.
Today, the InterBank LGBT+ Forum committee consists of members of the LGBT+ Networks from the following organisations*:
| Accenture |
| Barclays |
| Bank of America |
| BBVA |
| Bloomberg |
| BNP Paribas |
| BNY Mellon |
| Citigroup |
| CME Group |
| Credit Suisse |
| Deloitte |
| Deutsche Bank |
| DTCC |
| EY |
| Euroclear UK & International |
| Evercore |
| FactSet |
| Fitch Group |
| Goldman Sachs |
| HSBC |
| IG |
| ING |
| Jefferies |
| JPMorgan Chase |
| KPMG |
| London Stock Exchange Group |
| Lloyds Banking Group |
| Macquarie |
| Mastercard |
| Moody’s |
| Morgan Stanley |
| NatWest |
| NewDay |
| Nomura |
| Northern Trust |
| PwC |
| Royal Bank of Canada |
| Santander Bank |
| Société Générale |
| Standard Chartered |
| State Street |
| TD Securities |
| TP ICAP |
| UBS |
* Each organisation has two representatives who serve on the committee.
The aims and objectives of InterBank are as follows:
- To create an open and inclusive forum for LGBT+ employees from Financial Services Firms (FSFs) in which to meet and discuss issues impacting LGBT+ employees in their day-to-day work environment.
- To enable the sharing of best practices between the LGBT+ employee network groups (ENGs) of FSFs regarding:
- recruitment of LGBT+ talent
- professional and personal development of LGBT+ employees, and
- how LGBT+ networks can support client engagement and business activity, so as to assist FSFs to (a) cultivate an environment that is inclusive and supportive of their LGBT+ employees, and (b) positively value and encourage their ENGs’ activities.
- To provide a forum for developing an appropriate collective response to LGBT+ issues that benefits FSFs and reflects positively on the Financial Services industry’s commitment to the LGBT+ community.
- To promote and encourage networking opportunities for LGBT+ employees of FSFs.
InterBank organises regular networking evenings for its members at locations in the City and Canary Wharf. It also partners with other networks of networks and forums to deliver relevant events and networking opportunities to its members.
InterBank also supports Corporate and Social Responsibility initiatives, allowing its members to support LGBT+ community initiatives across the Greater London area. We sponsor a special film screening at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival/BFI Flare annually. InterBank continues to be a sponsor of Positive East’s Red Run which on or around World AIDS Day each year.
Meet our Co-Chairs
Laura Laing (she/her) – LinkedIn
Laura works for TD Securities and is Head of FX, Metals & Derivatives Operations, Europe and Co-Chair of InterBank since January 2023. She previously served on the Inclusion sub-committee for InterBank driving efforts to engage more women with the network. Laura is an LGBTQ2+ Ambassador, Mental Health Awareness Stream Lead, a TD Securities Pinnacle Award winner 2019 and TD Bank Vision In Action award winner 2019.
Ewa Pisarczyk (she/her) – LinkedIn
Ewa works for BNY Mellon as Account Manager, Clearance and Collateral Management and became Co-Chair of InterBank in July 2023 and will finish her one-year term 30 June 2024.
Sarah Mahmood (she/her) – LinkedIn
Sarah is an FX analyst within the Operations space, and served as co-lead of the communications sub-committee for InterBank until becoming Co-Chair elect effective 1 July 2024.
Sarah started her career at TD where she handles BAU and exceptional cases on a day to day basis. Sarah has strong communication skills and is focused on providing the best service to counter-parties, as well as promoting diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Outside of work, she is a musician, loves travelling and the arts.
We are pleased to have these dynamic women as our co-chairs and look forward to you meeting them in person at one of our monthly networking events.