Life At Wesleyan
From what we do to what makes us different, learn more about what sets us apart as a market-leading business
Our History
Wesleyan was founded in 1841 to help factory workers in Birmingham save for sickness and funeral expenses. While a lot has changed since then, our position has remained the same: to act purely in the interests of our members and customers.
In 2005, Wesleyan began specialising in financial advice, products and services for our chosen professions - doctors, dentists and teachers. Our ambition to be the best provider in these chosen markets has driven our strategy ever since, and we have exciting long-term plans for further growth as a market-leading business.
In an industry prone to short-termism, our experience and ability to take a long-term view is invaluable. It’s made us resilient to market shocks and taught us how to find, develop and reward the right people to help us implement new strategies for success.
What Makes Us Different
We are a proud mutual
Being a mutual is an integral part of who we are and how we operate. We’re owned by our members, which means we can invest more time in the people who matter most – our members, customers and colleagues, as well as the communities in which we live and work
We're here for the long term
As a mutual with no pressure from external stakeholders, we can make long-term decisions that have long-term benefits. This is reflected in how we run our business – from our approach to sustainability to our transformation programmes
We are all about you
As a specialist financial services provider, we pride ourselves on our in-depth knowledge of the sectors we support. We’re also proud of our established partnerships with affiliations related to our key professions, including NASUWT, RCGP and RCOG
A Business for the future
At Wesleyan, we’re committed to building a stronger, more sustainable business so that we can continue to deliver for our members and customers for years to come.
We are in the middle of an exciting transformation programme that will unlock opportunities to grow our business as we enhance our digital capability, becoming more data driven and cost-efficient while maintaining an absolute focus on our customers.
We plan to meet these goals in three ways:
Lifelong partner
One of our key ambitions is to build lifelong relationships with our customers – from qualifying in their chosen field to retirement.
An important part of becoming a lifelong partner is to develop products, propositions and services that meet the needs of our customers as every stage of their lives and careers.
This begins with our Next Step programme, working with the next generation of trusted professionals to reach their long-term financial goals.
Brilliant to do business with
We’re making exciting changes at Wesleyan, as we implement our multi-million-pound transformation programme that will make us truly brilliant to do business with.
This involves investing in our infrastructure to build technological resilience and working to provide an easy and efficient service for all of our customers.
We’re also strengthening how we serve and advise our customers by offering greater choice in how and when they interact with us, whether that be online, by phone or in person.
Mutuality with edge
We are firmly committed to our mutual status. It’s what makes us different to many other financial services companies and our customers value the benefits it can bring.
If we are to provide long-term, sustainable benefits, we have to make mutuality work to best effect. This means we need to achieve the right blend of care and commerciality – what we call mutuality with edge.
As such, we are delivering a number of projects that will strengthen our business while continuing to drive value for members.
For example, in 2021, our market leading With Profits Fund became available to Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) via the Novia investment platform. This gives us the opportunity to use existing infrastructure and expertise to provide greater benefits to our members.
Our commitment to sustainability
As a mutual, our ethos of care is at the heart of our company. This is because we believe that when we work together, our collective efforts have the power to make a difference. From how we invest money to the way we serve our communities, we proactively seek opportunities to be a positive force for change in a number of key areas of sustainability. These include:
- Reducing our use of paper and printing - Our long-term ambition is to have a paperless office and to reduce paperwork needing to be sent to our customers. We also reuse 80% of our printer toner cartridges with the remainder being recycled
- Waste reduction - None of our waste is sent to landfill – 90% is recycled, with the remaining 10% used as Refused Derived Fuels
- Sustainable practice in our offices - We’re continuing to make changes in our offices to reduce our carbon emissions – from changing our electricity tariffs to introducing reusable biodegradable plates for meetings
- Travel - We are reducing our business travel as much as possible and support our employees through the Cycle2Work Scheme. We’re also committed to supporting the Birmingham Clear Air Zone initiative
- Suppliers - Our sustainability principles are embedded in our procurement policies and we will put this commitment above any short-term commercial considerations when choosing suppliers, outsourcers and other business partners
- Collaborating with the wider business community - We are proud signatories of the UK Business Group Alliance for Net Zero and for a green recovery from Covid-19