24 June City elects Sheriffs of London for 2025 – 2026
9 June
Change Starts Together: Storytelling with Jacqueline Girow
‘Change Starts Together’ is our storytelling campaign which forms part of The Lord Mayor's Appeal Power of Inclusion programme.
These stories help us to raise awareness of the importance of social mobility within the City of London and across the UK, as well as inspiring businesses to create inclusive cultures by hearing from those with diverse socio-economic backgrounds.
To celebrate Social Mobility Day on June 12, we asked Jacqueline Girow, Executive Director at London & International Insurance Brokers' Association (LIIBA) to share her 'Change Starts Together' story...
Please tell us about your early life, background and aspirations?
I grew up in Leicester, having moved there from the south of England when I was around 5 years old when my father found a job in the region. My family didn’t have a lot of money and whilst my brother and I qualified for free school meals, my mother refused them as there was a lot of stigma back then.
I remember it being quite tough throughout the junior school years. My mother made our clothes or bought them second hand and we received things like new school shoes as birthday presents.
If you’d have asked me during my early school years what my aspiration were, I would have said an author, as I loved the escapism books offered. Once I’d moved to the comprehensive school it was clear to me that, even though I was in the top tier class, it would have been impossible for me to progress to 6th form, let alone University.
Everyone else in my class would chat about what subjects and degree courses they wanted to take, and I felt quite isolated. This had a detrimental effect on my personality and attitude – my grades fell and I started to play truant. I knew I was expected to start working as soon as I was able to leave school, so why bother applying myself?
As soon as it was my last day at school, I applied for a host of jobs and was lucky enough to find myself working as a cashier within an insurance company – and so started my career 43 years ago!
During that time, I have worked for many firms, learning many different skills, taking various vocational qualifications and changing roles. I’ve been an underwriter, trainer, project manager and operations manager.
Tell us about your experience of working in the City?
I didn’t move to the city until 2001, after the firm I worked for went into receivership. I had been living in Manchester for around four years at the time and decided to take the plunge and move to London.
I found a stark difference once I started working in the city. Most, if not all, senior level personnel I came in to contact with were from affluent backgrounds and had been to prestigious public schools and universities. Whilst they were all lovely people, I felt very self-conscious at times which made me nervous when speaking.
Even though I had lived most of my life in the East Midlands and Manchester, I didn’t have a regional accent. Again, this was the influence of my mother who had grown up in London and worked as a cashier in the Bank of England before she married. I can still hear her telling me that if I picked an accent up from anywhere north of Watford, I would never have a good job!
I remember chatting to someone at an event, who told me how surprised they were I had managed to reach a good level of seniority through my career, despite being a woman and not having a typical background.
I know the person meant it as compliment, but it made me feel a little self-conscious and sad when they added that it wouldn’t have happened had my career started within the city.
What does social mobility mean to you?
In the past I have felt the need to work extra time and be a complete perfectionist to prove I could do a role as well as anyone, but I’m glad the tide is finally turning. It’s no longer acceptable to stigmatise people due to their background or how they speak.
I work for a small trade association with a headcount of only 7, but we work with a huge variety of member firms. I lead on our equity in talent initiates, which I love.
My work involves liaising with many social mobility charities and organisations which is hugely rewarding, especially when I spot those who have come through our programmes our and about in the city.
This Social Mobility Day 2025, what is your top piece of advice for businesses hoping to improve their socioeconomic diversity and create a more inclusive environment?
Firms get the culture they deserve. Those who provide training and an environment which celebrates the nuances of their workforce will reap the benefits. The more diverse a workforce is, the better the culture is, and the more likely people are to contribute to the goals and success of that firm by applying their skills.
Skills should be the prime consideration for any role, and failure to provide a welcoming environment will see good talent demoralised and head for the door to a competitor.
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