Lloyds Banking Group Niche Markets Director receives Honorary Doctorate
Kamel has over 32 years’ banking experience and is recognised for being the architect behind the Asian Strategy across Lloyds Banking Group. Her remits have included product development, cultural training, strategy and marketing, resulting in some very high profile sponsorships of over 30 national Asian events including sponsoring The Asian Jewel Awards and The Asian Women of Achievement Awards for seven years and more recently The Asian Awards, which Lloyds Banking Group sponsored again this year.
It is through the sponsorship of such events that Kamel has paved the way in demonstrating the bank’s commitment to supporting the UK’s diverse Ethnic communities and acknowledging their invaluable contribution to UK society and the economy. Lloyds Banking Group was one of the first to introduce Shariah compliant accounts for business customers as well as a portfolio of other Islamic products.
For the Indian community the bank also introduced services to allow money transfers and Rupee mortgages, all championed by Kamel. Kamel is passionate about having a level playing field and is a regular key note speaker on the subject. She helped found the bank’s Ethnic Minority Network and the mentoring programme which has been going strong for ten years to help the Group understand the benefits of diversity in the workplace and with its customers from the top of the organisation down to front-line colleagues.
Kamel designed and delivered her own cultural training courses to over 500 senior colleagues to help them understand the Asian community and how they like to do business. Her drive and enthusiasm to improve cultural understanding has resulted in Kamel supporting the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Report on Community Cohesion as well as chairing initiatives such as the Government’s Procurement Working Group, producing a report advising ministers on how they can use procurement to leverage race equality and help Small Minority Ethnic businesses grow. After leading a delegation to India during Gordon Brown’s visit in 2008, and acting as an ambassador for the group in the UK, Kamel has received several awards from various sectors in recognition of her support for diversity and community cohesion across the years, including Who’s Who Award, 2010 Gordon Brown Diversity Award, NRI Professional Award and Asian Achievers Woman of the Year Award to name a few.
