Standard Chartered volunteers inspire young talent in North England at WOW Rotherham event
on 13 May 202413 May 2024, Rotherham, UK – Standard Chartered joined the WOW Rotherham event on Saturday with volunteers and speakers supporting a number of festival activities to help inspire young talent in North England.
Last October, Standard Chartered announced its role as Global Girls Champion1 of the first ever WOW Girls Festival2. Since then, over 50 female Bank colleagues have supported the WOW Festival using their skills and expertise to power conversations with and for young people across the UK as well as in Istanbul, Turkey, and Lahore, Pakistan, where the Bank has offices. WOW Rotherham is the latest stop on WOW’s UK Bus Tour and served as a powerful platform to connect with thousands of people from the local communities.
WOW Rotherham was a free, diverse community festival, packed with activities engaging participants around the city centre and on the iconic WOW bus, including panel discussions with inspiring guests, WOW Big Ideas conversation, stunning performances from local art groups, musicians, dancers and poets, and various creative workshops. A team of Standard Chartered employee volunteers participated in the speed mentoring event, networked with young people and supported workshop activities, which took place on the WOW Bus.
Among the volunteers on the day, was Rotherham-born, Tracey McDermott, the Bank’s Group Head Conduct, Financial Crime and Compliance. Tracey joined Jude Kelly, WOW’s Founder and CEO, in conversation about social mobility and leadership. She also joined Rotherham’s Creative Networks via a podcast recording at Riverside Records and took part in some of the activities on the WOW Bus.
Tracey McDermott said “I was part of the WOW launch event last October and attended the celebrations at Buckingham Palace in March where we were joined by nine young women from the Bank’s Futuremakers Goal programme. One of my favourite things about this partnership is the ability to connect with young people and I have loved the experience of exchanging insights with them and celebrating together their power and potential. I was delighted to be invited to be part of the Rotherham WOW Girls Festival and feel privileged to share my story in my home town.”
The WOW Girls Festival has engaged so far with over 23 000 children and young people, with almost 3 500 taking part in the activities on the WOW Bus. Standard Chartered will continue its commitment to creating lasting impact in its communities by championing young talent, offering them opportunities to learn, earn and grow and share competencies and expertise globally through employee volunteering programme and its global Futuremakers initiative.
Tracey’s bio: Tracey McDermott, CBE | Standard Chartered (sc.com)
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2https://thewowfoundation.com/latest/introducing-the-wow-girls-festival
For further information please contact:
Claire Newell
Head of Communications for UK and Europe
Tel: +44 (0)207 885 8857
Email: Claire.newell@sc.com
About Standard Chartered
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The WOW Foundation
The WOW Foundation is a charity that believes a gender equal world is desirable, possible, and urgently required. Through festivals, events and more, our global movement celebrates women, girls, and non-binary people, taking a frank look at the obstacles they face and discussing solutions for change. Find out more here.
About WOW Rotherham
The event was brought to you by Rotherham Council in partnership with Flux Rotherham, Rotherham Music and the WOW Foundation, and was being supported using public funding by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Co-produced with community groups and individuals across Rotherham, along with support from trainees aged 16 – 25 years as part of a skills development programme through Children’s Capital of Culture.
For more information about the WOW Rotherham Festival, please visit their website at wow.fluxrotherham.org.uk/
About Flux Rotherham
Flux Rotherham is part of the national Arts Council Creative People and Places Programme. It co-creates arts with communities of Rotherham by making, sharing and connecting all creative activities in the Borough. For more details visit www.fluxrotherham.org.uk
About Children’s Capital of Culture
For more information about Rotherham becoming the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture in 2025 and how you can be part of it, head to www.childrenscapitalofculture.co.uk, follow us on Instagram (@ccoc_rotherham2025), Facebook (/ccocrotherham2025) and Twitter (@ccoc_roth2025) and share your experiences using the #Rotherham2025 hashtag.
Rotherham Children’s Capital of Culture 2025 is designed and delivered by children and young people in Rotherham, in partnership with a range of organisations and funders.