Sian is committed to redesigning the financial ecosystem to reduce poverty and enable investment in people’s potential. After learning about financial exclusion and microfinance on an Open University course, Sian left a diplomatic career to work on financial inclusion at the anti-poverty charity, Toynbee Hall. As Director of Policy, Innovation and External Affairs, she now leads Toynbee Hall’s team of participatory researchers and innovators focused on understanding people’s lived experience of exclusion, poverty and inequality, with the aim of co-designing solutions which support better, more sustainable outcomes for people and their communities. Sian supported HM Treasury to create the fee-free Basic Bank Account, has led work on improving access to fee-free ATMs in areas of multiple deprivation, and chaired the Payments Strategy Forum’s End User Needs Working Group to develop more flexible and transparent payment solutions to meet consumer needs.
She studied at Durham, the Open University and SOAS, and is an Executive Coach.
