Norma Conway, PTSB’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Wellbeing Manager, recently won the inaugural Eimear McBride Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award at the IOB Future of Finance Awards 2025 in recognition of her impactful work leading DEI initiatives that have positively impacted colleagues, customers, and communities.
Since joining PTSB in 2022, Norma has led the evolution of DEI across the bank, including the refresh of a DEI strategy. She leads a programme of DEI activity and supports employee groups in the organisation - bringing changemakers together to foster greater awareness, allyship and understanding of intersectionality.
We speak with Norma about her purpose-driven career, the power of storytelling and creating workplaces where everyone feels celebrated, encouraged and appreciated.
Thank you so much. I’m genuinely honoured to receive this award, particularly with this being the first Eimear McBride Award. I know this is clearly very important to Eimear’s friends and colleagues at the IOB, and that has made it even more impactful, so I really am proud and honoured.
My career has always centred around the people elements of the workplace, from learning and development through to culture and inclusion. I’ve spent over 19 years working across industries, initially in training and development roles and then progressing into leadership positions that focused more deeply on wellbeing, engagement, recognition and ultimately DEI.
I joined PTSB in 2022 as DEI and Wellbeing Manager, which felt like a natural next step. It brought together my experience in organisational development, my passion for inclusive cultures and my ability to lead strategic, people-focused change. Throughout my career, I’ve always been drawn to roles where I can make a meaningful impact on people’s experiences at work, and I feel very fortunate to have turned that passion into a purpose-driven career.
What really drew me to DEI was the understanding that inclusive workplaces don’t just happen - they require intention, effort and leadership. It’s about creating a culture where people feel like they belong and can thrive as their authentic selves. Over the years, I saw firsthand how diversity and inclusion efforts can transform not just organisations, but individual lives, my own included.
I was particularly inspired by the ability of DEI work to elevate voices, remove barriers and create workplaces where everyone feels celebrated, encouraged and appreciated. For me DEI is about building systems where equity is the default not the exception and I find that deeply meaningful.
As DEI and Wellbeing Manager at PTSB, I’m responsible for leading on two of the bank’s Cultural Enablers. I work closely with our Executive Committee (ExCo), Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Unity Network (our Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs), colleagues and external partners to shape and deliver our DEI Strategy. Together we ensure inclusion and belonging are embedded across all areas of the bank. I’ve led the refresh of our DEI strategy, aligning it with colleague feedback, recommendations from the Irish Centre for Diversity and external best practice. Key to our success is the shared accountability and ownership of our actions which is integrated throughout the organisation, it’s something we can all be proud of.
We’ve launched new initiatives across disability, ethnicity and LGBTQ+ inclusion and brought together our five ERGS as the Unity Network, a unified brand that emphasises collaboration and intersectionality. We have delivered supports for domestic violence and abuse, disability awareness training for our SLT and neurodiversity inclusion initiatives. We have introduced Intercultural Competence and Cultural Intelligence (CQ) to colleagues, an area we are just getting started with.
A major highlight was achieving Investors in Diversity Gold accreditation in 2023, two years ahead of our target. At the time we were only the 12th organisation in Ireland to do so which was fantastic recognition for PTSB. We are just starting the re-accreditation process and it is a great opportunity to chart all that we have achieved in the last two years.
Of course, colleague wellbeing plays an integral role when it comes to DEI, particularly in relation to fostering psychological safety and supporting mental health. In 2024 our team supported the bank’s Ibec KeepWell Mark accreditation, and we are currently developing a refreshed Wellbeing Strategy to launch this year.
I feel privileged to be in a role primarily focused on improving the workplace for colleagues. I get the opportunity to work daily with our Employee Resource Groups and external partners to create a positive impact for colleagues, customers and the communities we work in. It's an amazing position to be in. I also get to create and deliver key strategies for the bank, research best practice and achieve key DEI & Wellbeing accreditations. When you get to pair that with the very human and tangible impact we make for colleagues with initiatives like pre-conception care, career coaching for new parents, supports for neurodiverse colleagues, that’s really the magic of the role.
This initiative was very much a collective effort led by our Gender Balance ERG – BALANCE, and it’s something I’m proud to have supported. The mentorship programme was designed to empower our female colleagues by helping them to overcome obstacles and progress in their careers, whilst building their network across the bank.
BALANCE focused on creating a structure that was inclusive, accessible, and scalable - and the response was incredible. Over 400 mentees have now completed the programme, which speaks volumes about both the appetite for connection and the commitment to progressing gender equity across the organisation.
What made this initiative so special was how it brought together so many voices. Mentors, mentees, ERG members and senior leaders were all aligned around a shared goal. It’s a brilliant example of how our ERGs drive real impact and how colleague-led initiatives can shift culture from the inside out.
One initiative I’m especially proud of is the creation of a unified brand for our five ERGs. Each of our ERGs, ADAPT, BALANCE, DICE, LIVEWELL and PRISM, had been doing fantastic work in their own space. However, collectively we saw an opportunity to come together under one shared identity that reflects collaboration, innovation, and intersectionality.
This wasn’t just about visual branding, it was about shifting how we work together. It encouraged cross-ERG partnerships, elevated visibility and created a sense of collective momentum. This unification helped us align more closely with our overall DEI strategy and our brand promise of being ‘Altogether more human’.
For me, that unifying moment captured what inclusion really means: not just creating individual spaces for belonging but bringing people together to build something bigger and better.
There is a lot of external noise around DEI at the moment and to ensure that doesn’t distract from the progress we are making, it’s important to always consider DEI deliverables not only for our colleagues, but for the customers and communities that we serve. Modern Irish society is diverse, the customers we serve are diverse, and DEI is key to representing our customers, building trust, and ensuring we meet all of our customers’ needs. This is the link between DEI and the successful delivery of our Business Strategy, and it is why it needs to be at the forefront of our conversations with leaders so we continue to support DEI.
Once you have that support established, then it is time to listen. Really listen to your people. DEI isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, and the most impactful work is rooted in the lived experiences of employees. From there, it’s about setting clear and ambitious goals, ensuring leadership accountability and being honest about where you are and where you need to go.
I’d also say don’t underestimate the power of storytelling. Data is essential, but people connect with stories. Share progress, celebrate wins and let your people be the voices of your DEI journey.
Finally, embed inclusion into the everyday, into your policies, processes, and leadership behaviours. This will mean it becomes part of how the organisation works, not just a standalone initiative. DEI is a long-term commitment, but the impact is powerful, lasting, and absolutely worth the effort.
It was genuinely humbling to be nominated by peers. They really understand the work, the challenges and the intention behind what we have done so it meant a huge amount. Winning the award was a moment of real pride for the whole team working on these projects and the wider colleague community at PTSB who are contributing every day to build an inclusive culture.
If I look to the future with a DEI lens, the introduction of this award is a powerful reminder of how far we have come. I believe financial services are leaders in DEI. The connection between DEI and delivering for customers is evident. Some examples of how we have embraced this in PTSB are our Autism-friendly branches, voice guidance functionality in our ATMs and self-service bank machines, and Lámh training for branch colleagues.
While we must continue to shift mindsets, challenge systems and create spaces for all, the introduction of this award to recognise our achievements among peers across the financial services industry, is incredibly affirming and I hope it will help to give all members the motivation to keep pushing forward.
Norma Conway won the inaugural Eimear McBride Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award at the IOB Future of Finance Awards. Learn more about the IOB Future of Finance Awards 2025 winners here.