Friends Life : announced as a finalist in the Opportunity Now awards

Important note: The information in this section is intended for use by journalists only and customers should not use it to make financial decisions. Please remember that information in past press releases may no longer be current

Friends Life has been recognised for their efforts in making gender equality a business priority by being put through to the finalist stages in the Opportunity Now Excellence in Practice Awards 2015.

Friends Life is a finalist for the Transparency Award, a partnership between Opportunity Now and the Government Equalities Office. It recognises organisations which are taking an active role in evaluating gender equality in their workplaces, taking action and publicly reporting their progress.

Now in their 20th year, the Opportunity Now Excellence in Practice Awards recognise and celebrate the public and private sector organisations that are leading the way in creating workplaces that work for women through best practice, innovation and individual achievement.Opportunity Nowis the gender equality campaign fromBusiness in the Community.

Kathryn Nawrockyi, Opportunity Now Director, Business in the Community, said:

"Congratulations to Friends Life on being a finalist in the Opportunity Now Excellence in Practice Awards 2015. The standard of entries was incredibly high and all finalists demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to transforming workplace culture, which lifted them above the rest. By taking the lead on women's progression, moving it from a diversity initiative to a core business priority, they are at the forefront of driving change to create workplaces that work for women at all levels, across a wide range of sectors."

Jonathan Wright, Organisation Development Director at Friends Life said:
"We are absolutely delighted to be shortlisted as a finalist for Opportunity Now's Transparency Award. Gender equality, and a diverse and inclusive culture, continue to be top priorities at Friends Life. We want diversity and inclusion to be something we are known for, giving us a competitive advantage and making this a better place to work."

The winners will be announced at the Opportunity Now Excellence in Practice Awards Gala Dinner, which takes place onTuesday 21st April 2015 at the London Hilton on Park Laneduring Business in the Community's Responsible Business Week.

A full list of the shortlisted organisations in each of the nine categories is available via theOpportunity Now website.

Jo Swinson, Minister for Women and Equalities said:

"I am delighted that Friends Life has been shortlisted for this important award which recognises the power of transparency to achieve real and lasting change. Friends Life has taken significant steps to improve gender equality in their workplace and importantly have made that information public. They clearly recognise the business case for fully employing women's potential and fairly rewarding their efforts."

-ENDS-

For more information please contact:

Lizzy Ellery	Friends Life	0117 928 3318	[e-mail]
Laura Cooney	BITC	020 7566 8653	[e-mail]

Ref N0229

Notes to Editors

About Friends Life

Friends Life provides pensions, investments and insurance for over five million customers. Our key business lines are corporate benefits, protection and retirement income.

Friends Life is the brand name of Friends Life Group Limited.

Our heritage dates back to 1810, with Friends Provident being founded in 1832 to help alleviate the hardship of Quaker families facing misfortune.

Other brands in the Friends Life group include:

• Friends Provident International, which provides life assurance, pensions and investment products to Asia, Middle East, Europe, UK and other selected markets.
• fpb AG, a wholly owned distribution partner in Germany.
• Sesame Bankhall Group, which was formed in 2009, combining an IFA network, support service provider and mortgage club, to create a large distributor of professional support services to financial advisers.

Important

This news service is for information purposes only and does not provide any form of advice, recommendation or financial promotion. Any opinions expressed by third parties are those of the third party concerned and not of Friends Life Group Limited. Friends Life Group Limited does not accept liability for any errors or omissions or for loss incurred because of reliance on information or opinions given.

The content of the news items set out above are accurate only as of the date of issue and Friends Life Group Limited does not undertake any obligation to update them.

Useful links:

www.friendslifegroup.com/media-centre.aspx
www.flickr.com/photos/friendsimages
www.twitter.com/FriendsLifeTalk.

To follow Friends Life twitter page on your mobile, simply text "follow FriendsLifeTalk" to 86444 (UK only)

Friends Life is a business name of certain companies in the Friends Life group including the following

Friends Life and Pensions Limited Company number 475201
Friends Life Limited Company number 4096141
Friends Life FPLMA Limited Company number 00004599

Each of the above companies is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority

Friends Life Marketing Limited Company number 5059179
Friends Life Investment Solutions Limited Company number 6389025
Friends Life Services Limited Company number 3424940

Each of the above companies is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Friends Life Management Services Limited Company number 983330 is an appointed representative of Friends Life Services Limited, Friends Life and Pensions Limited and Friends Life Limited.

Friends Life The Blue Line Limited Company number 3146254 is an appointed representative of Friends Life Marketing Limited.

Suntrust Limited Company number 1460956 is not authorised or regulated by either the Prudential Regulation Authority or the Financial Conduct Authority.

Each company is an incorporated company limited by shares and registered in England and Wales with a registered office at Pixham End, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1QA

Telephone calls may be recorded. Friends Life is a registered trade mark of the Friends Life groupwww.friendslifegroup.com.

About Opportunity Now
Opportunity Now is the gender equality campaign from Business in the Community. Opportunity Now has defined three priorities that are critical to business in achieving the potential of people, teams and organisations. These are: a better gender balance for leadership progression; unbiased recognition and reward for all; and, agile work cultures that are fit for the future. For information about Opportunity Now's work on equality, diversity and inclusion please seehttp://opportunitynow.bitc.org.uk/.

About Business in the Community
Business in the Community is a business-led charity committed to shaping a new contract between business and society.

We have over 30 years' experience forging better relationships between business and society, driven by a unique collaboration of business leaders. We stimulate action by challenging and supporting thousands of businesses to create a fairer society and a more sustainable future - through our local, national and international campaigns.

Business in the Community is one of The Prince's Charities, a group of not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales is president.www.bitc.org.uk.