Santander was the workplace where Kate Wilkinson-Hill began her career as a teenager and where she has shaped a varied path through customer-facing roles, management and corporate operations. Her story describes progression from a local branch to head-office responsibilities and back into operations because she wanted to influence more customer journeys at scale. Along the way she discovered how workplace culture, peer networks and leadership support can make professional life and personal identity align.
Kate’s early life in a small village included dancing, singing and team sports, and family holidays that left her with a love of travel and close relationships. That background fed into a customer-focused instinct and a desire to support others. Her sister also works for Santander, reinforcing how careers can run in families and how shared values influence workplace loyalty and long-term contribution.
A personal path to visibility
When Kate first spoke about her sexuality with friends and family, responses were largely reassuring; several close people already assumed. At work, however, navigating public-facing interactions introduced tougher choices. The most uncomfortable moments came from coming out to regular customers—deciding whether to correct assumptions when someone asked, for example, how “he” proposed. These situations required judgement about personal safety, privacy and the desire for authenticity. For Kate, being open about her relationship at work became a deliberate act of inclusion and a small daily example of living openly.
Networks, leadership and moments that changed things
Embrace and peer support
Kate sought connection through the Embrace employee network when she needed guidance and a community. What began as a compact group of around fifty people grew into a platform that shares best practices across regions and brings colleagues together to discuss identity, policy and practical support. In time Kate took on a more active role, encouraging peers to bring their whole selves to work and helping shape inclusive conversations at leadership level. These informal networks created a space where personal stories could inform corporate policy.
Charity work and a turning point
One defining experience came during a 2016 charity trip to South Africa, organised by the bank, when volunteers helped build homes in a local community. That trip exposed Kate to diverse perspectives and offered a moment of personal reflection that increased her confidence. The shared challenge of service work deepened professional friendships across the organisation and helped her embrace change both personally and professionally. It stands out as the kind of experience that can reframe how someone sees their own capacity to act.
Parenthood, fertility support and practical policies
Kate and her wife became parents through shared motherhood, a path in which one partner carries the pregnancy for the other and both parents share biological and social roles. The couple used a fertility clinic in Leeds and navigated setbacks, appointments and time-sensitive procedures. Throughout that process Kate highlights the importance of employer flexibility—time off for clinic visits, an understanding manager and networks like Let’s talk fertility that allow colleagues to compare journeys. Company policies and compassionate managers made it possible to pursue treatment without sacrificing job security or wellbeing.
Their son, Jaxon, embodies the practical and emotional results of that support: a child who is part of both parents and whose arrival was celebrated by colleagues. Kate credits a few key people at work who knew about second attempts after a failed round and provided vital encouragement. More broadly, the organisation’s willingness to accommodate medical appointments and offer peer-to-peer advice demonstrates how concrete policies turn inclusion rhetoric into lived support.
Where progress meets the next steps
Kate sees real change in how the company approaches diversity and inclusion: a small affinity group has grown into an international community that influences strategy and shows up in crucial moments. Her hope for the future is simpler cultural bravery—people asking respectful questions and taking time to learn from each other. She recounts staying for hours after a leadership meeting to listen to a colleague’s story, an exchange that deepened mutual understanding and illustrated how conversation can be a tool for learning.
Her account is a reminder that policies, networks and individual acts of support all combine to make workplaces more inclusive. For Kate, the combination of employee networks like Embrace, visible leadership, and practical fertility support helped turn personal milestones into organisational strengths. The result is a workplace where being yourself is not only accepted but encouraged, and where families like Kate’s can thrive.