Tara Ryan

Your Story:

Tara joined Monzo in 2016 and since then has helped to create, sustain and scale Monzo’s values and culture as it has grown from 50 to over 3000 people.

Tara entered the FinTech world due to a passion for financial inclusion and the belief that the banking industry did not serve society’s most vulnerable people. Seeing that Monzo shared those values and offered an exciting pace of work and a focus on delivery she joined and didn’t look back.

Tara’s approach to People has been to solve for the 98% and then create flexible options for those that does not work for. She has prioritised engagement and inclusion throughout her time at Monzo as she believes that people are only truly able to explore their potential when they feel safe and supported.

She has been listed as one of the ten most influential women in HR and is a passionate advocate for wellbeing at work. She is a regular speaker at events related to mental health, LGBTQIA+ issues, inclusion and engagement. She currently lives in Swansea with her wife and their dog Milo.

Your Impact:

At Monzo 20% of our population is LGBTQIA+. In our engagement survey we have a diversity score of 8.8, and an inclusiveness score of 8.5 from our overall population. We believe these scores are due to the culture that has been set from the beginning at Monzo and driven consistently throughout my tenure at Monzo. As one of the earliest employees she has been a fervent advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and have ensured that at every level of the business inclusion is prioritised. Key contributions:
- All policies are designed with inclusiveness at the heart of them and recognise and support that families come in all forms. Our caregiver leave supports those starting families to make independent choices as to who will be the primary caregiver and who will be the secondary to suit the individual couple’s needs.
- Our industry leading pregnancy loss policy enables both partners to take the time they need in the event of pregnancy loss. Recognising that both partners need physical and mental health support during this time.
- Prioritised offering gender dysphoria care as part of our private health care provisions.

Your Advice:

Very few people are genuinely brilliant because of a training course. Jumping into things, being curious and figuring things out will often lead to the fastest career growth that you can get. You have to take charge of your own development even if you’re not sure of where you want to go. Look for opportunities to get involved in things that will stretch you or give you new knowledge. My last manager said ‘always optimise for what gives you options’ and I think that’s great advice.