Kimberley Ward

Kimberley Ward is a Proposition Manager at First Direct Bank for Financial Inclusion and Vulnerability and Financial Health, where she is currently responsible for supporting customers with protected characteristics, variable needs and/or vulnerabilities. Kimberley is a passionate mentor and Speak Up Guardian for colleagues with disability and accessibility requirements, or those interested in development in this area. She has worked in Financial Services for more than 14 years in a variety of roles.  Kimberley is profoundly deaf after gradually losing her hearing as a child and in 2015, became the first woman in the world to undergo a Cochlear Implant Surgery under local anaesthetic whilst pregnant. In addition to hearing loss, Kimberley also has further invisible disability from ill health which requires the use and support of reasonable adjustments in the workplace.