Our communities

We continue to support Laura North, founder of We Speak, a winner of our Investec Beyond Business programme in 2019, as an official partner this year.

After pivoting to a hybrid model, with the support of Investec, We Speak has grown rapidly, and continues to make a positive impact.

This year, Laura was named in the NatWest WISE 100 Women Social Entrepreneurs list, where she won the award for Star of the Future. This award recognises a CEO or leader showing star qualities and who is relatively new in their social enterprise career, with three or fewer years of leadership experience. We are so very proud to help fund, nurture and partner with Laura on We Speak, which works with young people from under-represented backgrounds to improve their speaking confidence.

Investec volunteers from London, Edinburgh, Sheffield, the Channel Islands and Johannesburg have taken part as mentors, supporting young people to improve their speaking skills and confidence.

Helen, Royal Holloway University of London, a student of an Investec mentor said “We Speak is a great programme that is well suited to help beginners like me to get the hang of public speaking. The mentor's ability to put people at ease through games and breakout rooms created a safe environment in which to share one's passions. Getting the chance to talk in front of professionals was a unique opportunity and their feedback was invaluable!”

We have been supporting Routes, a winner of the Investec Beyond Business programme in 2019, helping women who have experienced a hostile UK Asylum System to grow in confidence, build relationships and access opportunities. Through their ‘Mentoring with Meaning’ programme, 7 Investec women (across our London, Leeds and Bournemouth office) grew as purposeful leaders and helped create change in the workplace by mentoring 7 other women from Refugee and Asylum-seeking backgrounds, providing in total 196 hours of mentoring.

• Routes Mentoring - Felicity's journey
• Routes Mentoring - Antonella Mandato
• Blog by Antonella's mentee, Diana

This national charity focuses on helping children develop the reading skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.

Currently in England, one in four children can’t read properly when they leave primary school. In addition, Covid-19 has caused a lot of disruption to school learning and with approximately 380,000 children having spent lockdown at home without a single book, it’s predicted that these numbers will rise. Through our relationship with Bookmark, people from across our UK offices can support young children with their reading through a virtual platform.

Our Edinburgh office supports the homelessness charity Fresh Start who help people who have experienced homelessness to establish themselves in their new homes.  Each year, Fresh Start helps thousands of new tenants, ranging from families to individuals, to make a home for themselves.

Starfish Greathearts Foundation works with local community groups in South Africa to develop their capacity to deliver professional and sustainable services to children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. Investec has been supporting Starfish since 2007.

Our partnership has helped to make a huge difference to vulnerable children. The funds raised through our internal campaigns and fundraising events help Starfish to continue to invest in the futures of more than 13,500 children every year.

Our Manchester office supports The Lancashire Wildlife Trust. This charity is a grassroots movement of people from a wide range of backgrounds who believe that we need nature and nature needs us. Its Lancashire branch covers the areas of Manchester, North Merseyside and Lancashire and aims to create a region that is rich in wildlife for all to enjoy. 

Our Glasgow office supports Urban Roots, a community-led environmental charity working across the south side of the city. The organisation empowers local people to make choices and lifestyle changes that are beneficial for them, their communities and the environment. The scheme has helped transform numerous derelict or unused green spaces into thriving gardens where fruit, vegetables and flowers can be grown. This makes the area look more attractive and creates safe social spaces that bring people together.