Key Group
The Key Group (KG) focuses on helping the over-55s finance a better retirement by enabling them to access the wealth tied up in their homes. The organisation includes the UK's largest equity release adviser, Key; the UK's top equity release provider, More2life; the leading later-life sourcing/support system, AiR Mortgage Club; and the sector's biggest referral service, Key Partnerships.
With 546 colleagues, the group's culture is driven by its Aspire values of be ambitious, supportive, personal, act with integrity and be responsive and expert. Teams are expected to aspire to be the best they can and these values impact all aspects of work life from customer interaction to end-of-year-reviews.
As evidence of this culture in action, KG has won more than 100 industry awards and its advice arm has garnered 15,884 Trustpilot reviews with an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars.
The group initially launched in 1998 as one of the country's first equity-release specialists. Now diversified, in 2018 it acquired a stake in the AiR Group and its advice arm, Key, split in the same year to provide customers with a choice between fee-free advice – Key Equity Release; or whole-of-market guidance via the Equity Release Experts service.
The Key Group operates from Preston, Knowle and Gloucester and has 150-plus home-based advisers. When lockdown was imminent, more than 97% of colleagues moved to home-working within 10 days.
CEO Simon Thompson has been integrally involved in all communications, including providing regular company-wide video updates and hosting virtual lunch sessions with people across the group.