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Hargreaves Lansdown

hl · LSE Basic Materials
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FY2022 Annual Report · Hargreaves Lansdown
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Report and Financial Statements 2022

EMPOWERING 
PEOPLE TO 
SAVE AND 
INVEST WITH 
CONFIDENCE

CONTENTS

Strategic report
Hargreaves Lansdown at a glance
Chair’s introduction
CEO Review
Strategy & KPIs
Market overview
Business model
Stakeholder engagement
People
Corporate citizenship
Performance
Risk management and the  
principal risks and uncertainties

Governance
Chair’s introduction 
Board of Directors
Corporate governance report 
Audit Committee report 
Directors’ Remuneration report
Nomination Committee report
Risk Committee report
Directors’ report
Section 172 statement
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities 

02
04
06
12
18
22
24
26
31
45

51

61
63
66
74
79
107
111
114
118
122

Financial statements
Independent auditors’ report 
Section 1: Results for the year 
Section 2: Assets and liabilities 
Section 3: Equity 
Section 4: Consolidated statement  
of cash flows 
Section 5: Other notes 
Section 6: Company financial statements 

Other information
Directors, company secretary, advisers  
and shareholder information 
Five-year summary 
Glossary of alternative financial 
performance measures 
Glossary of terms 

124
131
139
147

149
150
159

166
167

168
171

S
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a
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Our purpose 
We empower people to save and invest 
with confidence. Offering a service 
that supports them in building their 
financial resilience and achieving the 
right outcomes. We listen and respond 
to the needs of our clients and other 
stakeholders to evolve, grow and 
prosper collectively.

Who we are
We are the UK’s largest digital wealth 
management service. For over 40 years, 
we have helped clients to manage their 
finances through our broad and easy 
to use service. Today we are trusted 
with more than £123 billion by 1,737,000 
clients. We are a well established, FTSE 
100 company, headquartered in Bristol 
employing over 2,000 people.

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

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GovernanceFinancial statementsOther information 
 
HARGREAVES LANSDOWN AT A GLANCE

OUR PURPOSE  
DRIVES OUR  
STRATEGY  
Transform the savings  
and investment experience
Combine the best of  
human expertise, augmented  
by digital capability
Deliver a uniquely personalised 
service to simply manage your 
financial health and wealth

FIND OUT MORE

Pg 4: Chair’s Introduction
for the Chair’s perspective on our client 
focused strategy

Pg 12: Strategy and KPIs
for further details on our Strategy and KPI’s 
we will be using to measure progress and 
performance against our strategic pillars

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

... ACHIEVED THROUGH  
OUR 5 STRATEGIC PILLARS

The delivery of our strategy will encompass the whole business, 
as we optimise the way we work together to execute on the 
next stage of HL’s growth. We are mobilising and monitoring 
delivery and execution across five pillars of our strategy.

Create a step  
change in Client 
Service & Efficiency

Develop  
our Digital  
Backbone

Scale the  
Foundations

Accelerate Growth 
via our Integrated 
Proposition

Enable our People, 
Strengthening 
our Culture

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GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationStrategic report 
HARGREAVES LANSDOWN AT A GLANCE
CONTINUED

... GROUNDED IN OUR  
CULTURE AND OUR 5 KEY VALUES

Over 40 years of client service means we understand the important role 
we can play in building a better future for both our clients and wider society. 
Our culture, values and governance ensure we keep our clients at the heart 
of all we do and that we deliver this in a sustainable and responsible way.

We put the 
client first

From the day-to-day exceptional 
client experience, to the constant 
improvement of our services, 
we use client feedback to shape 
future development.

We go the  
extra mile

For our clients and for each other. 
We focus on driving positive 
outcomes, taking every opportunity 
to delight, inspire and reassure.

1
2

3
4

We do the 
right thing

We always aim to do the best for 
our clients. We are fair, honest and 
focus on the long-term. It’s why our 
clients trust us, and how we earn 
their loyalty.

We make  
it easy

Savings and investments should 
be easy to access, understand and 
execute. We make things simple which 
gives our clients confidence to make 
important decisions at the right time.

5

We do  
it better

For over 40 years, HL has 
set the tone for the retail 
investment market. We are 
committed to energetically 
innovating and improving.

We want to drive  
the next evolution  
in client experience.

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

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GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationStrategic report 
CHAIR’S INTRODUCTION

TRANSFORMING THE SAVINGS  
AND INVESTMENT EXPERIENCE

Client focused strategy
During a challenging year of global economic, 
political and health adversity, HL has focused 
our time and attention on two key areas: helping 
clients today and building out tomorrow’s strategy 
for sustainable growth and a market-leading 
offering in an increasingly competitive market.

Clients have responded to better insights and 
even more relevant information and services 
through a strong client retention rate, improved 
NPS score and a record number of clients adding 
to their accounts at tax year end. Across the 
country, a vast majority of investors are 
challenged with how best to save and invest 
during these unprecedented times. As the market 
leader, a position we don’t take for granted, 
we are uniquely positioned to apply our insight, 
capabilities and resources to step up and 
transform today’s client experience into one 
where retail investors have greater access to 
products, services and assistance with better 
outcomes than are available in the market today. 

To achieve our purpose of empowering people 
to save and invest with confidence, we worked 
hard this year on a strategic plan and investment 
that focuses on greater efficiency, scale and 
accelerated growth through engaged and skilful 
leaders. Following months of detailed work by 
management and challenge from the Board, 
the executive team delivered its first Capital 
Markets Day (“CMD”) on 22 February 2022. 
The Board unanimously supports the £175 million 
of strategic investment spend outlined at the 
CMD as the right thing to do to drive the 
business forward. This view has been reinforced 
through conversations with stakeholders since 
that time. The Board also worked closely with 
the CEO over the past year to help him build an 
exceptional management team with significant 
digital and business transformation experience 
to ensure the strategy is effectively delivered. 
With a focused strategic direction and resources 
in place to deliver it, the Board has given strong 
attention to ensuring there are appropriate 
governance and controls in place to oversee 
the delivery of the strategy including metric 
dashboards, risk oversight and regular review 
of major milestones and timelines. To read more 
about the strategy, please see pages 12 to 17. 

Sustainable and responsible growth
ESG considerations have strengthened 
considerably at HL over the past year 
with progress in three key areas that align 
with our legal entities:

• HL’s actions as a responsible business (PLC)

• HL’s stewardship as a responsible fund 

manager (HLFM)

• HL’s offering as a responsible investment 

and savings provider (HLAM) 

Our vision for ESG at HL 
is to inspire confidence for 
a sustainable, resilient, and 
successful financial future.

Deanna Oppenheimer
Chair

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GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Strategic report 
CHAIR’S INTRODUCTION
TRANSFORMING THE SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT EXPERIENCE CONTINUED

Each of the management team has a specific 
responsibility for driving our ESG strategy across 
the company. Some notable achievements in the 
year include:

• The launch of the Savings and Resilience 
Barometer in conjunction with Oxford 
Economics to give a comprehensive view 
of the nation’s financial resilience. 

• Improvements in our female representation, 
gender pay gap, and early work on ethnic 
representation. 

• The first Sustainability Accounting Standards 
Board (SASB) report has been completed 
and published on our website.

• A new ESG investment policy has been 
approved, integrated, and published on 
our website. 

• The launch of the HL Growth workplace 
default fund with ESG integration and 
exclusions in place.

We are focused on ensuring that proper ESG 
integration will drive AUA, meet regulatory and 
other stakeholder requirements, deliver better 
client outcomes and enhance our reputation.

Board governance and changes
The Board is committed to delivering high 
standards of corporate governance and 
embedding the right culture and behaviour 
throughout the business whilst considering our 
stakeholder interests. To ensure we have the 
appropriate skills and expertise to guide and 
challenge the business through the next stage 
of growth, we have continued to strengthen 
the skill set of the Board throughout the year.

As previously announced in June 2021, with 
effect from 1 September 2021, Penny James 
was appointed as our new Senior Independent 
Director (SID). Penny brings exceptional skills 
with wide ranging financial services experience, 
particularly in leading digital innovation and 
transformation whilst strengthening our 
Board diversity.

The Board have overseen an orderly transition 
for the role of CFO. In December 2021, 
we announced the appointment of Amy Stirling 
as CFO with effect from 21 February 2022, taking 
over from Philip Johnson who stepped down 
from the Board on 31 January 2022. On behalf 
of the Board, we thank Philip for his work at HL 
during a strong period of growth. Amy brings 
over 20 years of strategic financial management, 
leadership and brand experience across a range 
of industry sectors both as an executive and 
non-executive. She is already bringing valuable 
insights, pace and results to the business.

In June 2022, we announced the appointment 
of Darren Pope to the Board as a Non-Executive 
Director with effect from 1 September 2022. 
Darren will bring strong skills with a broad range 
of financial services and regulatory experience 
and adds resiliency to the Audit Committee. 
More detail of all these appointments can be 
found on page 61.

Dividend
At our CMD we outlined that we would continue 
our progressive ordinary dividend policy, growing 
the ordinary dividend by 3% per annum for this 
year and next. As such, the Board recommends 
payment of a final ordinary dividend of 27.44p 
per share, subject to shareholder approval at 
the AGM. If approved, such dividend will be 
paid on 24 October 2022 to all shareholders 
on the register at the close of business on 
23 September 2022.

An interim dividend of 12.26p per share was 
paid on 1 April 2022. Taking this into account, 
the total ordinary dividend for the year will be 
39.7p per share (2021: 38.5p), an increase of 
3% on last year.

Looking forward
As we look ahead, there is much uncertainty 
driven by external conditions beyond our control 
that could impact our revenues and earnings. 
What we can control, however, is robust 
governance over the execution of our recently 
announced strategy and the efficient spending 
of that investment by our highly experienced 
management team. Whilst currently there are 
headwinds across our industry, we are 
committed to our purpose by driving efficiency, 
resiliency, and sustainable growth for the benefit 
of all stakeholders and the broader society.

As ever, on behalf of the Board, I would like to 
thank all our stakeholders including our clients 
who continue to save and invest with us, our 
colleagues who work tirelessly to deliver for our 
clients, and our shareholders for their continued 
investment and support.

Deanna Oppenheimer
Chair

4 August 2022

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GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Strategic report 
CEO REVIEW

EMPOWERING YOU TO SAVE  
AND INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE 

Transforming the saving 
and investing experience
This year has been a year of contrasting moods. 
It was welcome to see signs of recovery from the 
COVID-19 pandemic, but that sense of optimism 
has been replaced by new challenges including 
inflationary pressure, international conflict and a 
worsening cost of living crisis that is now having 
an impact on so many lives. The result is that 
investor confidence has fallen significantly.

At times like these it helps that we have a 
deep sense of history and draw on lessons 
from our over 40-year track record of supporting 
our clients through tough economic times. 
HL has managed through unpredictable market 
conditions throughout our history, including 
several previous financial crises, political 
instability and general elections, referendums 
and Brexit. Our approach has been consistent: 
we support our clients by providing relevant 
insight, information and knowledge that both 
builds confidence and ensures that investment 
decisions and execution are as easy as they 
can be in uncertain times. In 2022 we have had 
two clear priorities: being there for our clients 
throughout these turbulent market conditions 
to help them achieve their financial goals; 
and accelerating our ambition to transform the 
saving and investing experience, where we 
have set out a clear programme of strategic 
investment to improve how our clients can 
engage and manage their money whilst driving 
growth for our shareholders.

Given the economic pressures, it is evident 
that financial resilience is now a key priority 
in everyone’s lives. Our purpose – to empower 
people to save and invest with confidence – 
has never been more essential. Clients’ needs, 
which were already changing fast during the 
pandemic, have continued to evolve amid the 
new pressures from inflation, higher interest 
rates and geopolitical uncertainty. As their 
lifelong partner and with unparalleled 
understanding of their financial goals that 
sit alongside navigating all of the pressures 
in their lives, it is critical that we now execute 
our strategy to continue to drive leadership in 
our sector by building the digital wealth manager 
of the future. We will transform the experience 
that clients encounter when they manage their 
money, combining the best of human expertise 
from our colleagues and augmenting it with the 
supercharged use of data and technology to 
deliver a uniquely personalised service that 
will make managing wealth, financial health 
and resilience, easier and more intuitive, with 
relevant information that drives real outcomes.

This integrated way of servicing our clients, 
the depth of data we can draw on, the 
comprehensive and unrivalled range of products 
and services in one place all underpin how we 
create value for our clients. We are proud of 
our track record of high quality service that has 
enabled us to earn and retain the loyalty and 
trust of our clients. Their continued confidence 
in picking us as their financial partner is evident 

in our rating as the direct-to-consumer platform 
with the highest brand awareness (Platforum UK 
Consumer Insights Jan 2022). We beat the high 
street on a regular basis for accessing market-
leading rates on their cash – our Active Savings 
service has had market leading rates for over 
80% of this year. Alongside our cash offer, clients 
benefit from discounted prices for popular 
investment funds with an average saving of 20% 
across our Wealth Short List of funds stemming 
from us using our scale to deliver value for them. 
They are able to do all of this using digital tools 
and services that resulted in HL being rated #1 
for investor experience in October 2021 by 
Platforum. Our investment to evolve our strategy 
means that our clients will benefit from the 
creation of more value-added services, as we 
expand into a broader wealth management 
market, where incumbents have traditionally 
been too slow to adapt to ever-changing 
consumer needs. 

Given the economic pressures, 
it is evident that financial 
resilience is now the key 
priority in everyone’s lives.

Chris Hill
Chief Executive Officer

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CEO REVIEW
EMPOWERING YOU TO SAVE AND INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE CONTINUED

This market has reached an inflection point, 
with new technologies enabling us to service 
clients with personalisation through engaging 
tools, data analytics and timely relevant nudges 
in ways that were simply not possible before. 

By investing to scale and further broaden our 
proposition at HL, our aim is to capture a growing 
proportion of the £3 trillion addressable wealth 
and cash savings market in the UK and drive 
the next stage of our sustainable growth. 
The £175 million focused investment programme 
will deliver a significant shift, allowing us to scale 
in a more cost effective way, improve the client 
experience and proposition and drive efficiency 
through our client service. Myself, all of my 
colleagues and our Board are united behind 
the delivery of our strategy and confident 
in the value it will deliver for both clients 
and shareholders.

Performance in the year 
The difficult backdrop in 2022, driven by a 
combination of macroeconomic and geopolitical 
events has hit markets and dented investor 
confidence throughout the year. As we have 
seen across the industry, this has led not only to 
reduced asset values, but also to subdued flows 
for many direct-to-consumer services and lower 
activity across wealth management as a whole. 
Through the year we delivered £5.5 billion of net 
new business. I am particularly pleased that in 
spite of this tough backdrop, the quality of our 
service attracted a further 92,000 net new 
clients, taking our total client numbers to a 
record new high of 1.74 million. This compares 
to FY21 where positive influences like the 
COVID vaccine and subsequent recovery and 
the heightened savings environment during 
lockdowns led to a unique record year. As a 
result, we have seen an expected reduction 
in flows and client growth, which has impacted 
our results for the year, with profit before tax of 
£269.2 million.

590,000+ 

nudges to clients to raise 
awareness of key insights 
on investment basics 
such as levels of cash 
balance, compounding, 
diversification, risk 
and importance of 
regular saving.

92,000 

net new clients added in 
the year taking our total 
clients to 1.74 million.

61.5% 

of digitally active clients 
use our mobile app.

Encouraging engagement is a key success metric 
for us and our investment into digital tools and 
our app continues to pay off with 290 million 
digital visits in 2022 and an increase in mobile 
engagement with 61.5% of digitally active 
clients using the app (2021: 58.3%). This higher 
engagement was also reflected in our flows 
where a record 882,000 clients contributed to 
their ISAs and pensions this tax year and net new 
business per new client increased to £15,565 
(2021: £13,943).

In 2022 we continued our Better Investors 
programme which is aimed at building and 
improving our long-term relationship with clients, 
providing over 590,000 nudges to clients to raise 
awareness of key insights on investment basics 
such as levels of cash balance, compounding, 
levels of diversification and risk and the 
importance of regular investing. These nudges 
continue to help us maintain high levels of client 
retention at 92.1% (2021: 92.1%) whilst nudging 
up our asset retention rate to 91.8% (2021: 91.4%). 

In recent years we have seen clients diversifying 
their portfolios, increasing their weightings to the 
US, China and particularly technology stocks and 
the NASDAQ. Having reached a record AUA of 
£141.2 billion at 31 December 2021, the second 
half of our financial year to 30 June 2022 has 
seen significant market turbulence with the FTSE 
All Share down 6.3%, the S&P 500 down 20.6% 
and the NASDAQ down 29.5%. This negative 
impact has more than offset the net new 
business flows resulting in AUA at the end of the 
financial year at £123.8 billion (2021: £135.5bn). 
Despite this impact we delivered a robust 
revenue performance of £583.0 million (FY21: 
£631.0m), underpinned by our diversified revenue 
streams. Although asset related revenues and 
share dealing volumes have been impacted, 
the recent rises in interest rates to 1.25% at the 

year end have provided a positive tailwind for 
cash revenue, which will continue into FY23. 
The rising interest rate environment was also 
reflected in the enhanced performance of our 
Active Savings service, where assets hit a record 
£4.6 billion with over 114,000 client accounts.

Delivering our strategy and executing on our 
key initiatives will require £175 million of strategic 
spend between now and FY26. In the first year 
we have incurred £25.7 million of Investment 
Cost (including £4.6m of spend which has been 
capitalised) and £7.2 million of dual technology 
running costs resulting in £313.0 million of 
statutory operating cost and delivering a 
statutory profit before tax of £269.2 million 
(2021: £366.0m). We are committed to 
disciplined investment with a focus on cost 
control across the business. In the period, 
underlying operating costs were £284.71 million, 
up 7% vs prior year reflecting c3% of wage 
inflation and the annualisation of growth in 
people and capability to support and develop 
the 92,000 new clients added. This has resulted 
in underlying profit before tax of £297.51 million 
(2021: £366.0m). 

1  Underlying operating costs and underlying profit before 
tax are new alternative financial performance measures 
and are defined on page 168.

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CEO REVIEW
EMPOWERING YOU TO SAVE AND INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE CONTINUED

In January this year, in 
partnership with Oxford 
Economics, we launched 
the first edition of the Savings 
and Resilience Barometer, 
a tool designed to provide 
a holistic view of the state  
of the nation’s finances.

Our strategy
We announced the evolution of our strategy in 
February at our Capital Markets Day as we invest 
to transform, combine and deliver the next phase 
of wealth management. Over the past year, 
I have built a highly experienced and capable 
Executive team that understand what it takes to 
deliver a digital transformation at scale and the 
transition that HL must undertake to become the 
digital wealth management service of the future 
and change how people manage their money.

The execution of this strategy is underway 
and being delivered through five key pillars:

• Accelerate Growth via our Integrated 

Proposition

• Create a step-change in Client Service 

and Efficiency

• Develop our Digital Backbone

• Enable our People, Strengthening our Culture

• Scale the Foundations 

We are focused on delivery and driving success 
through disciplined investment that drives clear 
benefits for clients and shareholders and have 
made a great start against each of these pillars 
in 2022. 

Accelerate Growth via 
our Integrated Proposition 
As client needs continue to evolve, we must 
continue to update our own proposition hand 
in hand to unlock the next stage of our growth. 

At our Capital Markets Day, we outlined plans to 
expand our investment solutions, improving the 
range of investment options we provide to clients 
at all stages of their investment journey from 
beginners to highly experienced investors. 
Through launching a combination of new funds 
and investment solutions, HL will have the 
investment choices to address a broad range 
of client needs. 

It is also clear that increasing interest rates 
and volatile markets highlight the importance of 
diversified portfolios and accelerate the growth 
of Active Savings, which allows us to help clients 
in a more effective and time efficient way. 

Finally, as a direct-to-consumer service, we know 
that we must offer clients the tools they need to 
manage their own investments, but we also know 
that, at important stages and at moments that 
matter, focused guidance and advice can be key 
to building confidence and delivering the right 
outcomes. Therefore, we are going to launch a 
new digital, human and advice service that will 
complement the significant support and 
engagement we already offer our clients.

• Investment solutions – We launched the HL 

Growth Fund as the default multi-asset fund for 
the SIPP in December 2021, integrating into key 
Workplace journeys from April. We have seen 
encouraging levels of engagement from clients 
with £102 million assets under management 
by the end of the financial year and high levels 
of opt-in. We have continued to expand our 
capabilities and have made new hires into the 
fund management team. 

 We expanded our research coverage to 
Exchange Traded Funds, providing regular 
updates on client’s most popular investment 
trust holdings, and appointed a dedicated 
ESG team providing increased education and 
analysis with 60% more articles, increased 
engagement and an increase in the number 
of responsible funds on the Wealth Shortlist. 
ESG is now a separate and distinct feature 
of all research that we produce. 

41% 

of households are dipping 
into reserves or debt to 
tread water. Source: HL’s 
Savings and Resilience 
Barometer Report for 
Great Britain, July 2022.

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35.9% 

of households have more 
than 6 months’ worth 
of essential expenditure, 
of which half have gone 
on to invest to make 
more of their money. 
Source HL’s Savings and 
Resilience Barometer 
Report for Great Britain, 
July 2022. 

CEO REVIEW
EMPOWERING YOU TO SAVE AND INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE CONTINUED

• Active Savings – We added two new partner 

banks, including Santander International, taking 
the number of partner banks to 15. Across the 
year we have seen £1.5 billion of net inflows 
with AUA now at £4.6 billion and 114,000 
client accounts. The increases in interest rates 
through the second half of the year along with 
strategic marketing spend, however, has seen 
a step up in net flows with £0.7 billion added 
in the last quarter. This diversified proposition 
not only drives client and asset retention, 
but importantly in a rising rates environment 
has also been a driver of new client wins. 

Create a step change in  
Client Service & Efficiency
HL has always been known for its high quality 
client service. Maintaining and evolving this 
to deliver a future proofed client experience 
underpinned by scalable and cost-efficient 
processes is fundamental to our strategy 
and critical to our future success. In 2022 
we continued to evolve our service, driving 
improvements to the client experience, 
highlighted by our Trust Pilot score which 
is now rated ‘excellent’. We continue to strive 
for further progress and have focused on:

• Augmented Advice – Over the year we have 

• Enhancing the quality of engagement – 

made significant progress with our Augmented 
Advice offering, scoping, designing and building 
key features, informed by significant client 
testing. Our Augmented Advice proposition will 
establish a brand new experience for clients, 
incorporating insightful tools like financial 
wellbeing dashboards and calculators with 
nudges and coaching to provide an enhanced 
level of insight that supports them in hitting 
their financial goals. We have made an 
experienced hire to lead both this initiative 
and our face to face advice business. 

As we look ahead to 2023, our focus will be 
on key deliverables across the three streams: 
we will be launching new funds and developing 
investment solutions, starting with a US fund 
launch in Q2 of our financial year (subject 
to regulatory approval); we will build on the 
momentum that we have seen in Active Savings 
with a continued focus on that product; and 
we will launch a pilot for our augmented advice 
service at the end of H1. 

By ensuring our service becomes ever more 
personalised, we believe we will continue to 
improve client engagement. In July we started 
the roll-out of a Cloud Contact Centre platform 
through our partner Amazon Connect. This 
offers a simple to use platform for our client 
service teams to improve the way they serve 
our clients and reduce time taken to answer 
queries. Connect allows us to simplify our 
operating model, evolving client servicing so 
we can use our talented colleagues to focus 
on delivering an experience that adds value to 
the client, one that is actioned by data insight 
and through automating experiences that our 
clients expect to be self-serve. It is the first 
step in delivering a more personalised client 
experience in a more efficient way and will 
ensure improved levels of Client Satisfaction 
and NPS and also reduced cost to service. 
The platform will continue to be enhanced 
through 2023, delivering cost savings and 
service improvements by the second half 
of the year. 

• Building simplicity & resilience – We want to 
offer a simpler and more consistent service 
underpinned by technology solutions that make 
it easy for us and clients. In 2022 we partnered 
with Ecospend to provide ‘Pay by Bank’ 
services, utilising the latest technology in Open 
Banking to create a more efficient and effective 
payment journey option for our clients. This will 
create greater resilience in our service and 
deliver significant cost saving over 2023 
as we roll it out across our client journeys 
and applications. 

 We have also undertaken a project to digitise 
our inbound mail processes. Using third-party 
providers we have completed the first two 
phases of this work, focusing on new business 
applications and workflow. This work will lead 
to a reduction in cost to serve, allowing us 
to service more clients without extra costs, 
and strengthening our ability to scale whilst 
maintaining resilience. It will also act as a key 
strategic enabler for workflow automation 
and the delivery of our wider service strategy.

• Driving innovation – HL has a long history of 
innovating: we lead the market in delivering 
new solutions to enhance the saving and 
investing experience for clients and 2022 has 
continued this trend. In May we launched REX, 
a new Retail Offer Service with Peel Hunt, 
enabling retail investors to access IPOs and 
secondary fundraising, a key area where 
retail investors previously lacked the tools 
to engage. The first corporate action was for 
an infrastructure investment trust and 25% of 
the shareholders participated. This continues 
to broaden the service we offer our clients, 
providing greater functionality and increasing 
client satisfaction. 

Our key focus for 2023 in service and efficiency 
will be on delivering across each of these areas 
to enhance the quality of our client engagement 
and deliver on cost savings outlined at our 
Capital Markets Day. 

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CEO REVIEW
EMPOWERING YOU TO SAVE AND INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE CONTINUED

HL has a long history of 
innovating; we lead the market 
– driving new solutions to 
enhance the client experience.

Develop our Digital Backbone
We have set out the ambition to be the leading 
digital wealth management service and transform 
how people manage their money. By investing 
in more digital capabilities – from data analytics, 
using cloud for scale and innovation, and better 
managing end-to-end client journeys – we will be 
able to continue to take advantage of our growth 
and the scale of our platform reducing cost to 
serve and creating operating leverage, using the 
infinite scalability of the cloud. 

Enhancing our digital capability underpins all of 
our success and drives the execution of all of our 
strategic pillars. In 2022 we have delivered on 
some key foundational outcomes that underpin 
our digital backbone:

• Cloud & Platform – We need to leverage a 
cloud-based flexible infrastructure to build 
systems that auto-scale and increase our 
ability to innovate enabling us to partner 
with companies that are pioneering the 
latest technology. In 2022 we have set out 
foundations for our cloud migration, signing 
contracts with industry leaders ForgeRock and 
Kong to support our development of enhanced 
identity and authentication solutions and 
building our ability to scale. We have also 
begun to apply cloud-based solutions through 
partnerships including Amazon Web Services, 
who are supporting the delivery of our new 
cloud and data platforms, building increased 
personalisation and efficiency into our service. 

• Data – We have an unparalleled insight into 
client behaviour and needs built up over 40 
years of lifelong relationships. We must be 
able to use this data to provide the highest 
quality of client service and personalise the 
experience for both clients and colleagues. 
We are focused on data enrichment to build 
the foundations that enable a smoother 
transition to the cloud and to power augmented 
solutions. This year we have partnered with 
Precisely, to prepare our data for the future 
and enable us to manage and govern across 
its life cycle, identifying and cataloguing 
data assets as well as improving data quality 
through rules and workflows that then power 
AI driven guidance.

• Digital Foundations –These enable us to 

deliver an end-to-end digital client experience 
at pace, and key to this is ensuring that HL’s 
transformation is client-product and client-
journey led. In 2022 we have realigned our 
digital teams in a single organisation under 
our Chief Digital and Information Officer and 
created a stream-lined product led organisation 
under our Chief Technology Officer. One key 
element of the product led approach is to 
ensure consistency between online and mobile 
journeys – in 2022 we have focused on this, 
including adding previously non-mobile 
functionality such as fund switching so it is 
available across all devices and improving our 
mobile app to increase accessibility. We have 
also utilised product led teams to deliver 
improvements across other strategic pillars, 
including the digitisation of our mail room 
and the launch of the Retail Exchange service. 
The launch of a new design system has 
increased the pace of our developers through 
an ability to create consistent user experience. 
Across each of these initiatives we are seeing 
delivery at pace and achieving outcomes 
that significantly enhance the client and 
colleague experience. 

Our Digital Transformation is focused on delivery 
and our execution plan is broken into clearly 
identified and achievable projects, where we 
can deliver at pace and see tangible cumulative 
benefit. Our focus in 2023 will be on utilising the 
ForgeRock and Kong partnerships to centralise 
digital identity to create a market leading 
experience; and we will increase our ability to 
execute multivariant releases. These are key 
elements that complement and support a data 
driven, product led way of working. Alongside 
this we will also continue our cloud journey, 
delivering significant internal and external tools 
through our partnership with AWS. 

Enable our People, 
Strengthening our Culture 
The delivery of a strategy is only possible 
with the right people, capabilities and culture 
underpinning it. HL’s success is due to our 
brilliant colleagues and their continued efforts to 
go the extra mile, innovate and deliver for clients. 
The execution of our strategy will be reliant on 
introducing key new capabilities in some areas 
and so we are focused on building the right 
environment to develop and enhance colleague 
performance, retain and attract the right talent 
and make HL a great place to work. In 2022 we 
have adapted to the post-pandemic environment 
by building a hybrid working pattern that is 
colleague led and enabling our offices for new 
working patterns. We have also been focused on 
supporting colleagues through the challenging 
conditions impacting all of us and in May 
provided a ‘breathing space’ payment for 
colleagues to aid with their cost of living needs. 
We continue to look at solutions to provide 
colleagues with support during this time.

Looking ahead to 2023 we continue to onboard 
the new capability to support our strategy 
whilst also focusing on developing and enabling 
colleagues to adopt agile and product led ways 
of working, supporting HL’s ability to deliver client 
outcomes and change at pace. 

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CEO REVIEW
EMPOWERING YOU TO SAVE AND INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE CONTINUED

HL’s success is due to our 
brilliant colleagues and their 
continued efforts to go the 
extra mile.

Scale the Foundations
A critical element of any successful business 
is the enabling functions that support the 
delivery and execution of the strategy. To drive 
sustainable returns over the long-term we must 
ensure we strengthen our foundations to ensure 
both resilient client journeys and support growth 
and new ways of working. In 2022 we have done 
this through welcoming new capability across 
key teams including a significant increase in 
Risk and Compliance. We have also delivered 
key resilience and scalability improvements to 
key systems including our Drawdown payments 
and commercial banking systems. In 2023 we 
will continue to prioritise this enhancement of 
foundations in parallel to our work to build new 
functionality, ensuring that we have the systems 
and people to deliver our strategy. We must also 
meet regulatory expectations including delivering 
in line with the new Consumer Duty to help 
ensure the right outcomes for clients.

It is clear that HL is in execution mode. In 2022 
we have set the foundations for the successful 
delivery of our strategy. We are confident that 
we have the right strategy and the right team to 
deliver and now we are seeing the results. I look 
forward to sharing more of these as we transform 
our business over the coming years. 

FY23 Guidance and medium-term outlook
We are currently seeing, and for the period 
ahead expect to see continued, economic 
and geopolitical turbulence. This will continue 
to impact key drivers of our business including 
asset levels and investor confidence. We have 
supported clients through such events and 
period for many years and each time we have 
come through stronger. This time will be 
no different. 

The strategy we outlined in February 2022 will 
deliver outstanding client service, strong growth 
and returns and continued market leadership for 
HL. We are therefore confident that execution of 
this strategy by the highly experienced team we 
have assembled will deliver the metrics and 
targets we set out at our investor day. 

Our visibility on whether the timing of delivery 
of our targets has been impacted will be 
influenced by when we have greater visibility 
on normalisation in markets and related investor 
confidence as we outlined at the time of the 
CMD. We will keep you updated as we execute.

In the meantime, to position ourselves to benefit 
as markets do normalise, we are focusing on 
factors we can control including the execution 
of the strategy. In this context we have set out 
expectations for FY23 as follows:

• Revenue margin of between 44 and 47 basis 
points primarily reflecting the higher revenue 
margin on cash resulting from higher 
interest rates.

• Underlying cost growth of between 9.5% and 

11.5%. This is on the back of lower than guided 
cost growth in 2022 and will, in absolute terms, 
still be lower than costs guided to at the time 
of the Capital Markets Day. It also reflects 
c£15 million of cost savings.

• £65-75 million of strategic spend with no 

change to our overall strategic spend to the end 
of 2026 of £175 million and £20 million of dual 
tech running costs as previously guided to at 
the Capital Markets Day. This investment will be 
funded through £55 million of annual recurring 
cost savings delivered over the period.

• 3% Ordinary dividend growth.

Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues once 
again for their hard work and energy through yet 
another difficult period where they have ensured 
that we have provided a market leading service 
to an ever-growing number of clients. I also 
want to thank our clients for their continued 
engagement and enthusiasm as we develop our 
proposition and service through such difficult 
times. Our goal is to continue to enhance their 
financial resilience and transform how they 
manage their money.

Chris Hill
Chief Executive Officer

4 August 2022

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STRATEGY & KPIS

DELIVERING  
OUR STRATEGIC  
PRIORITIES

Our client focused strategy and 
culture enables us to build long-term 
relationships and address the structural 
growth opportunities that exist. 

We are investing across the 5 pillars of our 
strategy to deliver the next generation of wealth 
management, driving sustainable returns and 
a high quality client experience. 

We are committed to ensuring our investment 
drives significant returns. Therefore to monitor 
delivery across each of our strategic building 
blocks we have allocated relevant key 
performance indicators. We have established 
regular monitoring of these metrics across 
committees and our plc Board to ensure progress 
is made effectively.

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

1

2

Create a step change in  
Client Service & Efficiency

Accelerate Growth via  
our Integrated Proposition

We are using digital technology and data to 
deliver tailored, seamless client journeys to 
improve client experience and enhance client 
outcomes, whilst delivering scalability and 
cost-efficiency.

We are strengthening our core proposition 
by investing in our Investment Solutions, 
accelerating our Active Savings service and 
launching our new Augmented Advice and 
Guidance capabilities. These will all help to drive 
client acquisition, increase ongoing engagement 
and improve retention rates.

3

4

Develop our  
Digital Backbone

Enable our People, 
Strengthening our Culture

By investing in our digital capabilities – 
from data analytics, to transferring data to the 
cloud, and better managing basic end-to-end 
client journeys – we will be able to continue 
to take advantage of growth and scale 
our platform in a more cost-efficient way, 
reducing our cost to serve and creating 
operating leverage.

We are simplifying the organisation to drive faster 
decision making and clear accountability. Focusing 
on enhancing our colleague value proposition and 
strengthening our ways of working and culture.

5

Scale the  
Foundations

Strengthening operational resilience and risk 
management to ensure resilient client journeys 
whilst further developing our enabling functions 
to support growth and new ways of working.

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STRATEGY & KPIS
DELIVERING OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

1

Create a step change  
in Client Service  
& Efficiency

We have always been 
recognised for our  
high-quality client service 
and experience – helping and 
supporting clients to save 
and invest with confidence. 

We have a clear strategy for how we will 
continue to evolve our service moving forward, 
using digital technology and data to deliver 
tailored, seamless client journeys to improve 
client experience and enhance client outcomes, 
whilst delivering scalability and cost-efficiency. 
We want to make it easy for clients to manage 
their investments and to provide a service that 
enables them to do it better and deliver their 
financial goals. 

Progress in 2022
In 2022 we have continued to drive 
improvements across our service and in line 
with this clear strategy: 

• We have partnered with Amazon Web 

Services to roll out a Cloud Contact Centre, 
making it easier for clients to use our 
service and colleagues to provide a 
personalised experience.

• We have significantly improved our 

transfer performance and associated client 
experience – driving average pension transfer 
times from 43.3 days in 2021 to 21.2 days 
in 2022 and driving improvement in the 
experience and efficiency across all products.

• We have reached a record TrustPilot score, 
hitting an ‘Excellent’ rating score at 4.3, a 
significant increase over the year (2021: 3.7).

• We have partnered with EcoSpend to provide 
‘Pay by Bank’ services, leveraging the latest 
open banking technology to offer a direct 
and efficient way to pay directly on to your 
HL account from your bank.

Focus for 2023
• Launch our new Cloud Contact Centre, 

KPI: Client Satisfaction
Based on the average results of client feedback 
in the quarterly client satisfaction surveys 
in 2022. 

Why
This provides a measure of our clients overall 
satisfaction with our service performance. 
A high score will have a positive effect, 
reinforcing the long-term relationships 
we build with our clients. 

Progress for the year
• Over the year we have delivered significant 

improvement across service measures 
including improved transfer times and 
reduced complaints.

improving the client experience and the value 
that our knowledgeable colleagues can add 
to every interaction.

• Over the year our Helpdesk have taken 

1.269 million calls (2021: 1.341 million) and 
416,000 emails (2021: 489,000).

• Launch open banking payments across key 

journeys and applications.

• Deliver cost savings and increased efficiency 

as outlined at our Capital Markets Day.

• We won the award for Boring Money Best 

Customer Service 2022 and were rated Gold 
for our Customer Service by The Times 
Money Mentor.

Result

80.7 (2021: 79.3)

Principal Risk 
Strategic and operational

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STRATEGY & KPIS
DELIVERING OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

2

Accelerate Growth  
via our Integrated  
Proposition

We have a broad and 
extensive proposition of 
investment and savings 
products to support our 
clients throughout their 
financial lives. 

Through our focused investment we will 
strengthen our core proposition by expanding 
our Investment Solutions, accelerating our 
Active Savings service and launching our new 
Augmented Advice & Guidance capabilities. 
These will help drive client acquisition, increase 
ongoing engagement, improve retention rates 
and deliver greater net new business.

Progress in 2022
• HL Funds – In January we launched the first 
of the new HL funds we plan to deliver. This 
HL Growth Fund acts as the default fund for 
clients of our Workplace Solutions SIPP and 
by June had grown to £102 million. The new 
HL Fund capabilities and suite of solutions 
will provide a wide range of cost competitive 
choices, tailored for investor experience and 
investment objectives. 

• Advice – At our Capital Markets Day we 
announced our plans to launch a new 
omni-channel advice proposition that 
combines the best of human interaction 
and our 40 years of insight into clients’ 
needs, augmented by better data analytics 
and digital capabilities to provide a 
game-changing proposition. We have 
designed and built the key features of this 
product, with technical delivery on track for 
pilot launch at the end of calendar year 2022.

• Our Active Savings service is a critical part 
of our diversified proposition. As interest 
rates have risen in 2022 we have seen this 
proposition continue to grow – hitting 
£4.6 billion assets and 114,000 client 
accounts. Over the year we have had at least 
one market leading rate on platform for 86% 
of the time and welcomed new banks such 
as Santander International and Allica. 

Focus for 2023
• Launch the pilot for our augmented advice 
service at the end of H1, providing clients 
with the next level of support with their 
investment journey.

• Continue to build momentum in Active 

Savings given the favourable interest rate 
environment.

• Launch next tranche of HL Funds, starting 

with the US fund – due in the second 
quarter of our financial year (subject to 
regulatory approval).

KPI: Net New Business
Represents subscriptions, cash receipts, 
cash and stock transfers in, less withdrawals 
and assets transferred out.

Why
NNB is an indicator of the trust and security 
clients place in Hargreaves Lansdown along 
with the perceived value of the client offering. 
The greater the assets gathered, the greater 
the revenue.

Progress for the year
• Challenging external conditions have 

impacted investor confidence and led to 
subdued net new business performance 
in 2022.

• Despite this our strong proposition continues 
to be recognised with HL winning Best ISA, 
Best Buy LISA and Best Buy Pension at the 
2022 Boring Money Awards.

• We continue to see many clients establish 
regular savings into their HL accounts with 
292,000 unique regular savers in FY22 
(2021: 283,000).

KPI: Total Clients
Represents the total number of active clients 
that are using our service by the end of the 
year (unique number of clients holding at least 
one account with a value over £100 at the 
year end).

Why
As we attract, engage and retain a higher 
volume of clients we build increased potential 
for growing future AUA.

Progress for the year
• Challenging conditions impacted new client 
acquisition but we still attracted 92,000 net 
new clients over the period. 

• Significant marketing and advertising in the 
second half of the year including our third 
brand awareness campaign building on the 
success of previous years and underpinning 
our position as the most recognised 
D2C brand.

• New clients added across our range of 
accounts and across all demographic 
segments.

Result

£5.5BN (2021: £8.7bn)

Principal Risk 
Strategic and operational

Result

1.74M (2021: 1.65m)

Principal Risk 
Strategic and operational

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STRATEGY & KPIS
DELIVERING OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

3

Develop  
our Digital  
Backbone

As a leading digital wealth 
management service our 
technology and the client 
experience we deliver is 
critical. We are committed 
to improving our digital 
capability to optimise our 
service, enhance our 
proposition and improve  
our efficiency. 

By investing in more digital capabilities – 
from data analytics, to transferring data to the 
cloud, and better managing end-to-end client 
journeys – we will be able to continue to take 
advantage of our growth and further scale our 
platform, reducing cost to serve and creating 
operating leverage.

Progress in 2022
• We have set out foundations for our cloud 
migration, signing contracts with industry 
leaders ForgeRock and Kong to support 
our development of enhanced identity and 
authentication solutions and our ability 
to scale.

• We are focused on data enrichment to build the 
foundations to enable a smoother transition to 
the cloud and to power augmented solutions. 
We have partnered with Precisely in 2022 
to deliver a data governance tool which will 
support us in achieving this.

KPI: Strategic Delivery
Represents the progress we have made 
with our strategic goals.

Why
Delivery of our strategy is critical to ensure 
we continue to deliver sustainable growth 
into the future. 

Progress for the year
• We successfully delivered our 2022 Capital 

Markets Day outlining our plans and focused 
investment to the market, gaining supportive 
feedback from major investors.

• Execution underway with transformation 

office and processes established, plans for 
change to product led organisation outlined 
and target operating model in development. 

• Executive team in place and aligned behind 

this plan. 

Principal Risk 
Strategic and operational

• Launched a new Flare design system 

which will support us in quicker product 
development through offering a design tool 
which enables consistent user experiences.

• We added features to our Mobile App 

including offering functionality that was 
previously only available via our website, 
like fund switching. We have also increased 
accessibility to the app, both by improving 
our log-in process for those that require 
two factor authentication and improving 
integration with 3rd party support tools 
like screen readers.

Focus for 2023
• Digital identity to move to the ForgeRock 

cloud, enabling the modernisation of 
on-boarding and critical data management 
around identity. This will allow us to 
personalise for our clients, offer them new 
products and help power augmented advice.

• The ability to provide multivariant releases 
to offer products much faster and based 
on user behaviour in a safe and secure way.

• Our partnership with Amazon Web Services 

will see major releases of internal and 
external tools, providing us with greater 
resilience and scalability and allowing all 
of our teams to move faster to solve client 
and colleague needs.

KPI: Client Retention
Based on the monthly retained number of 
clients, as a percentage of the opening months’ 
clients and averaging for the year. A lost client 
is deemed as one who falls below a holding 
of £100.

Why
A high client retention rate is a sign that clients 
are happy with the service we provide and that 
it fulfils their investment needs. The longer a 
client is with Hargreaves Lansdown, the more 
assets they are likely to accumulate. 

Progress for the year
• This year we have maintained our retention 
rate as clients continue to see HL as their 
lifelong partner and consolidate their assets 
with our service.

• We have also enhanced our support and 
guidance, launching the new HL Podcast 
and continuing our Better Investors 
campaign where we have used data to 
identify clients who may need more help 
with investment basics like diversification 
and risk management. 

• HL won the award for UK D2C Best Investor 
Experience from Platforum, with our strong 
experience continuing to encourage clients 
to use our digital channels.

Result

92.1% (2021: 92.1%)

Principal Risk
Operational and financial

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STRATEGY & KPIS
DELIVERING OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

4

Enable our People  
Strengthening  
our Culture

• We have focused on supporting colleagues 
through the challenging external conditions 
faced in 2022 with a ‘breathing space’ 
payment paid to help colleagues manage 
the increasing cost of living. 

• Delivered key hires to increase our capability 
across key areas of our strategy including 
Advice, Investment and Risk Management. 

Focus for 2023
• To improve delivery and efficiency across 

the business we will adopt product led ways 
of working and update our target operating 
model to reflect this. 

• We will encourage a colleague led 

continuous personal improvement approach 
to development. 

• We will continue to find and on-board new 

capability in key areas to support the delivery 
of our strategy. 

Our people are our biggest 
asset and are fundamental 
to delivering our vision, our 
strategy and the sustainable 
growth of our business. 

As part of our strategy we have clearly defined 
how we need to evolve to better enable our 
people and strengthen our culture. We will 
simplify the organisation to drive faster decision 
making and clear accountability, focusing on 
enhancing our colleague value proposition and 
strengthening our ways of working and culture.

Progress in 2022
• We have undertaken the transition of 

colleagues from pandemic ways of working, 
taking the best of the flexible working 
practices welcomed during COVID-19 and 
optimising our offices to welcome colleagues 
back to regular in-person working.

• We have increased resources that support 
the HL Way. The HL Way makes clear what 
we represent, acting as both an internal 
commitment to a standard of behaviour, 
but also a public declaration of our values, 
principles and beliefs.

KPI: Colleague Engagement 
Our annual colleague survey provides visibility 
on colleague views and sentiment on our 
business. Colleague engagement is a key score 
based on four core metrics assessing colleague 
pride, advocacy, motivation to go the extra mile 
and intent to remain at HL.

Why
We believe it is important to listen to and 
understand our colleagues’ views and 
motivation; their honest feedback is crucial 
in evolving our colleague engagement 
programme and colleague value proposition. 

Progress for the year
• Our colleague survey saw a strong response 

rate at 73% (2021: 70%).

• Over the year we used colleague feedback 
and engagement insight to inform decision 
making around a number of projects. 

• Examples include our return to office and 

future of work where colleague insight helped 
us enable our flexible working practices. 
As well as our strategy communications, 
where we have used feedback to understand 
what colleagues want to learn more about. 

Result

64% (2021: 66%)

Principal Risk 
Strategic, operational

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STRATEGY & KPIS
DELIVERING OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES CONTINUED

5

Scale the  
Foundations

A critical element of any 
successful business is the 
enabling functions that 
support the delivery and 
execution of the strategy. 

Focus for 2023
• We will execute key regulatory change 

including Consumer Duty. 

• We will continue to update key systems 
to enhance our operational resilience 
and scalability. 

• We will further develop our enabling functions 
to support growth and new ways of working.

To drive sustainable returns over the long-term 
we must ensure we strengthen operational 
resilience and risk management to ensure 
resilient client journeys whilst further 
developing our enabling functions to support 
growth and new ways of working.

Progress in 2022
Over 2022 we have been focused on 
strengthening our capability across our 
enabling functions to ensure we are best 
placed to deliver our strategy, this included:

• Enhancing our Risk and Compliance teams 
to ensure we have the right structure and 
team to provide strong and scalable 2nd line 
expertise and insight.

• Driving operational resilience improvements 
across business critical systems in line with 
regulatory time frame. 

• Implementing the Business Priorities 

Committee to ensure effective prioritisation 
of risk focused initiatives and the 
strengthening of our control environment.

KPI: Statutory Profit Before Tax
Profit generated by the business over 
the period. In light of our strategic spend 
announced in 2022 we are now reporting 
Profit Before Tax in two ways; underlying 
– measuring the underlying performance 
of the business excluding strategic spend, 
statutory – measuring the overall business 
performance including strategic spending. 
Underlying PBT is defined in the Glossary of 
Alternative Financial Performance Measures 
on page 168.

Why
A scalable platform with strong operational 
resilience, risk management and enabling 
functions helps to gather and retain assets 
and clients which drives revenues and profits.

Progress for the year
• PBT on an underlying basis reduced 19% 
to £297.5 million in the period, driven by 
reduced revenue given the supranormal 
pandemic driven activity and flows in 2021 
and the challenging conditions faced in 2022.

• PBT on a statutory basis reduced 26% to 
£269.2 million. As outlined at our Capital 
Markets Day we intend to invest £175 million 
by 2026. This expenditure will generate 
significant growth over the medium term 
but has impacted PBT in 2022.

Result

£269.2M (2021: £366.0m)

Principal Risk 
Strategic, operational and financial

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MARKET OVERVIEW

AN ATTRACTIVE MARKET  
AT AN INFLECTION POINT

Wealth management is 
experiencing structural growth 
and has reached an inflection 
point. Our market leading 
proposition and service means  
we are well placed to disrupt. 

An attractive market
The UK savings and investment market has 
seen significant growth in recent years and our 
addressable market is estimated at £3 trillion. 
Within this we operate as the leading direct-to-
consumer (D2C) UK platform with a 41.7% share 
of a market worth £289 billion. Despite current 
challenges, the structural factors at play along 
with an acceleration of existing trends resulting 
from COVID-19, look set to provide growth for 
many years to come and as the UK’s leading 
digital wealth manager we have a great 
opportunity to win in this growing market.

Our addressable market today is made up of 
an estimated £1.4 trillion of private wealth plus 
£1.6 trillion of cash savings giving an implied 
market share for Hargreaves Lansdown of 
c4.1%. Outside the D2C space, the bulk of this 
addressable market is held through independent 
financial advisers, independent wealth managers 
and vertically integrated firms. A significant 
amount of this investment pool will have been 
initially advised upon, maybe many years ago, but 
now receives no ongoing advice and little support. 
This provides a deep source of potential transfers 
to Hargreaves Lansdown as clients look to 
consolidate their investments onto our platform.

£4.0tn

Addressable  
market in 2026

£3.0tn

Addressable  
market today

£123bn

Market addressed  
by HL today

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

This £1.4 trillion is concentrated across around 
7 million people with £100,000 or more of 
investments (source: ONS). However, more 
and more people are beginning to invest thanks 
to the various structural drivers, with COVID-19 
accelerating this trend. In addition, pension 
auto-enrolment in the UK has revolutionised 
saving, with over 1.6 million employers and 
more than 10 million employees now participating 
in the programme.

The size of the market opportunity has never 
been this significant. The impact of the structural 
and secular shifts will drive the market from 
the £3 trillion seen today to £4 trillion by 2026. 
As the market leading digital wealth management 
service HL is well placed to drive significant 
growth from this evolution. 

Structural growth drivers and 
secular shifts will significantly 
grow our addressable market 
in the coming years.

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MARKET OVERVIEW
AN ATTRACTIVE MARKET AT AN INFLECTION POINT CONTINUED

Secular shifts
People need help understand their finances,  
manage them in the right ways for them and to  
do so simply and increasingly through digital means.

People are  
living longer
There is an estimated 
£314 billion gap between 
retirement expectations and 
the cost of funding such 
expectations – ‘The Savings 
Gap’. The level of funding 
necessary to provide retirement 
income is increasing, driven by 
longer life expectancies, less 
generous company pensions 
and ambitious retirement 
expectations.

Ongoing low  
asset yields
Since the financial crisis the 
interest rate environment in the 
UK has been low, driving down 
yields on cash based products 
and increasing the demand for 
investing as individuals look 
for an opportunity to capture 
increased returns.

Political & market 
uncertainty
Political and market uncertainty 
reinforces the importance of 
saving and investing and the 
need for individuals and families 
to be financially resilient. 
This drives engagement 
as individuals realise the 
importance of being financially 
prepared for the future.

Complex savings 
environment
Successive UK governments 
implementing further changes 
to pension savings, the 
introduction of various ISA 
products, the growing 
awareness of responsible 
investing, historically low 
but rising interest rates and 
significant cost inflation have 
made finding the right solution 
for individuals’ investment 
needs ever more complex.

Individual 
responsibility
The burden of responsibility 
for retirement is shifting from 
government and corporates 
to the individual. This gap 
cannot be closed without 
individuals taking ownership for 
self-provision and without the 
use of long-term investments 
alongside cash savings. 
Hargreaves Lansdown and the 
rest of the UK Savings industry 
needs to help bridge this gap.

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GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Strategic report 
MARKET OVERVIEW
AN ATTRACTIVE MARKET AT AN INFLECTION POINT CONTINUED

The Wealth Management Market has hit an Inflection point

Incumbent Players
We believe the existing incumbents in the 
wealth management market are not always 
meeting clients’ evolved needs. Expensive 
adviser fees and confusing, time consuming 
and jargon heavy investment providers 
and services are not meeting clients’ 
changed expectations. Our digital insight  
is unmatched in the direct-to-consumer 
space – we understand what clients want 
from their wealth management service 
and the tools they need.

Clients
Client expectations of how they manage 
and interact with their savings and investments 
are changing and have been accelerated by 
COVID-19. They no longer compare just to 
other wealth managers or financial services 
companies, but to the client experience offered 
by the likes of Amazon. Hargreaves Lansdown 
has been using its insight and innovating to 
meet client needs for many years and will invest 
in these digital, personalised and on-demand 
technologies to retain its leadership in client 
service and experience. 

Regulation
The regulator has a clear focus on client 
outcomes and the value of long-term investing: 
its recent consumer strategy recognises 
the need for people to participate in markets 
with a specific target of a '20% reduction in 
the number of consumers with higher risk 
tolerance holding over £10k in cash by 2025'. 
This is equivalent to 1.7 million people. A focus 
on outcomes and long term investing have long 
been key principles for Hargreaves Lansdown 
with our clear purpose to empower clients to 
save and invest with confidence.

Technology
Technological capability has moved forward 
– from cloud computing to the power of 
Artificial Intelligence and the increase in hybrid 
tools – what the wealth management industry 
needs to move forward is available and ready 
to be harnessed to drive the next level in 
client experience. 

Inflection Point
It is through our market leading position and 
deep understanding of clients and their needs, 
that we recognise the wealth management 
market has hit an inflection point. It is clear 
that there is a strong opportunity to disrupt 
the existing, fast growing market and drive 
the next generation of wealth management, 
and that HL is well placed to execute on this. 

Over our 40 years of experience we have 
built innovative investment tools, pioneering 
new products and services like Active Savings 
and the Stocks & Shares Lifetime ISA and 
introduced high quality digital experiences 
through our award winning mobile app. 
This ongoing innovation and development 
has driven breadth of offering and an evolving 
range of products for our clients. This strong 
track record underpins our confidence in our 
ability to capture the market opportunity.

Our Proposition 
Our proposition and service is designed to 
help clients of all ages from seasoned investors 
to those starting out. 

ISAs
We have developed a suite of ISA products 
to support clients through a variety of savings 
goals. The current ISA allowance of £20,000 
provides great scope for tax efficient investing. 
The Stocks & Shares ISA is increasingly becoming 
a long-term investment plan for many and hence 
provides a significant opportunity for new 
business flows. 

The Lifetime ISA (LISA), launched in April 2017, 
is open to those aged 18 to 40 and can be used 
towards a deposit on a first home or towards 
saving for retirement. As at 30 June 2022, 
we have over 108,000 accounts with £1 billion 
of invested assets, which probably makes us 
the largest provider of LISAs. This is also the 
case with the Junior ISA (JISA), which since 

20

GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Strategic report 
 
MARKET OVERVIEW
AN ATTRACTIVE MARKET AT AN INFLECTION POINT CONTINUED

Lifetime ISA accounts

108,000+ 

with £1.0bn+ AUA

Junior ISA accounts

160,000+ 

with £1.4bn+ AUA

SIPP drawdown 
accounts

59,000+ 

with £9.4bn+ AUA

introduction in June 2011, has proved popular 
with Hargreaves Lansdown clients. Many of 
our LISA and JISA clients are new to Hargreaves 
Lansdown highlighting how it serves as a 
way of attracting a younger demographic 
to our platform.

through this service. Clients holding risk based 
investments often have cash held elsewhere 
so utilising Active Savings becomes a natural 
extension of their interaction with us and 
enables us to become ever more part of their 
financial lives. 

Pensions
Pension auto-enrolment in the UK has 
revolutionised saving, with over 1.6 million 
employers and more than 10 million employees 
now participating in the programme.

The workplace will continue to play a pivotal role 
in retirement saving and Hargreaves Lansdown 
Workplace Solutions, which already provides 
pension, investment and annuity services for 
over 590 employers, can really make a difference 
by improving employee engagement with saving 
through a range of high quality services. 

Better investor engagement with retirement 
savings and the decisions people can take to 
improve their financial futures is a high priority. 
Hargreaves Lansdown is committed to being 
at the forefront in helping people meet this 
challenge. Through our varied retirement 
proposition featuring Self Invested Personal 
Pensions (SIPP), Drawdown and Annuities, as 
well as a number of retirement planning tools, 
we offer many options for clients to manage their 
own retirement savings and the education and 
support to build their confidence in doing so.

Cash Savings
Alongside our investment products, in the growing 
interest rate environment we also offer market 
leading cash savings rates through our cash 
savings service. ‘Active Savings’, our digital 
deposit service provides a simple digital solution 
for managing cash savings across multiple 
providers. Since its launch we have continued 
to refine the proposition now offering Fixed term, 
Easy Access and Cash ISA products. As at 
30 June 2022, we had over 114,000 client 
accounts with over £4.6 billion AUA, and are 
seeing clients joining HL for the first time 

Our Investment 
At our 2022 Capital Markets Day we outlined 
our strategic priorities, and the £175 million 
investment programme required to deliver 
against the strategy. This investment will drive 
significant change within the business, helping 
us to better utilise our unmatched client insight 
and data to deliver the client experience of 
the future.

• We will expand our investment offering, 
launching new funds through HL Fund 
Management. These will be across different 
sectors, incorporate ESG considerations 
and have low cost options. The development 
of these funds will drive significant increases 
in the proportion of our clients’ assets that 
are held in HL Funds over time and support 
enhanced net new business as new clients 
bring money onto our platform. 

• We will accelerate our Active Savings service. 

We will grow the assets held with strong 
new bank partnerships, better functionality, 
increased marketing to existing HL clients 
and the general public and a clearer transition 
to our Savings service, so we have the best 
and most complete offer available.

• We will launch a new omni-channel advice 

proposition that will aim to bridge the gap from 
D2C to Advice and offer an integrated service 
with a platform that helps our clients manage 
key life events and adapts to their current 
needs. This expansion will lead to a higher 
share of wallet as clients consolidate their 
savings and investments with us and increase 
retention as more choose to build lifelong 
relationships because we can help at all the 
key financial moments that matter.

Each of these propositions will be a key focus  
for our investment over the next few years and 
offer clear reasoning for how we will capture  
the market opportunity.

The investment programme will also deliver 
improved operational efficiency, which will 
deliver sustainable annualised cost savings of 
c£55 million by FY26. This not only helps fund 
our investment spend but will also provide us 
with a more scalable and efficient technology 
platform and business, where we can continue 
to innovate and develop at a faster rate.

Our Competition 
We operate in an increasingly competitive 
landscape and new competitors continue 
to enter the digital wealth market with 
innovative technology and new solutions. 
We are never complacent and continue to 
watch the competitive landscape closely. 
Where competition raises the awareness of 
saving and investing we see this as a good thing. 
Financial education and awareness in the UK 
is relatively low and hence high quality, client 
focused companies like ours have a key role in 
addressing these issues. Healthy competition 
ultimately delivers better outcomes for investors.

Achieving scale is key to becoming successful. 
Once scale is achieved, sustainable profits rely 
on continued investment. The updated strategy 
we outlined in 2022 highlights where we see 
the opportunity for HL to continue our growth 
trajectory and the investment we will make to 
deliver this – offering the next generation of 
wealth management for our clients.

Hargreaves Lansdown never stands still. 
We have always led the way in the direct-to- 
consumer investment market and continue to 
look to improve the experience for our clients, 
ensuring value for money is delivered.

21

GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Strategic report 
BUSINESS MODEL

OUR 
RESILIENT 
GROWTH 
CYCLE

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c

i

r
e
p
o
r
t

POWERFUL  
DISTRIBUTION  
ENGINE 

Our client focused culture 
enables us to build long-term 
relationships and generate  
a deep understanding of 
their needs. 

This informs our decision making,  
underpinning our strategy to transform 
the savings and investment experience, 
combine the best of human expertise 
augmented by digital capability and deliver 
a uniquely personalised service to simply 
manage your financial health and wealth.

Through our strategic investment we  
fuel our business, creating a powerful 
distribution engine that drives long-term 
sustainable growth.

We attract clients with our high quality service 
and offering, we engage them with our expert-led 
content and easy to use functionality and we 
retain them for the long-term by supporting them 
in driving towards their financial goals. 

Attract
Our market leading proposition and service 
enables us to attract and build lifelong 
relationships with clients. We provide the 
broadest offering of savings and investment 
solutions in the retail market. 

With over 40 years of experience, we have 
built a trusted brand with our clients, ranking 
#1 for brand awareness in direct to consumer 
investment firms. We continuously evolve our 
approach to client acquisition, investing in our 
marketing, service and proposition to ensure 
we maintain and improve our high quality 
offering and empower clients to save and 
invest with confidence.

Engage
Client experience is our obsession. Through our 
high quality client experience underpinned by our 
expertise and technology we engage clients as 
they build wealth, becoming their trusted partner 
and reinforcing our relationship with them.

Our strategy is focused on enhancing our 
technology, service and insights to ensure we 
have a continuously improving and increasingly 
personalised client experience. 

The happier and more engaged clients we have, 
the greater is the flywheel effect for increased 
new business flows through transfers of 
investments held elsewhere onto our platform, 
new lump sum contributions and regular savings, 
particularly with regards to the tax allowances 
within a SIPP and an ISA.

Retain
Retention is key to our ongoing revenue 
generation, as clients consolidate their wealth with 
our service and build their assets through time. 

Our broad proposition enables us to provide 
a service that can support clients throughout 
their lifetime and changing goals. Our deep 
understanding of client needs combined with 
our expertise on the wealth management market 
enables us to focus our reinvestment and the 
allocation of resources to improve existing and 
develop new services, which makes us an ever 
more integral part of clients’ daily financial lives.

22

GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022 
 
BUSINESS MODEL 
OUR RESILIENT GROWTH CYCLE CONTINUED

FIND OUT MORE

Pg 12: Our strategy and KPIs
Measuring our strategic progress.

Pg 45 Our financial performance
The results we’ve achieved this year.

Pg 31: Responsible business

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c

i

r
e
p
o
r
t

DRIVING STRONG GROWTH 

SUSTAINABLE RETURNS

VALUE CREATION

The evolution of our strategy will underpin and 
accelerate this value generating cycle of attracting, 
engaging and retaining over the long-term.

Total AUA
£ billion

2022

2021

2020

Total clients
’000

2022

2021

2020

Net new business
£ billion

123.8

2022

5.5

135.5

2021

104.0

2020

8.7

7.7

Clients with monthly savings
’000

1,737

2022

1,645

2021

292

283

1,412

2020

229

Revenue
We generate revenues based on the value of assets 
administered on our platform, activity levels of our 
clients and a net interest margin on uninvested 
cash and advice given to clients. Of these 
revenues, 71% are ongoing in nature, providing 
a high degree of profit resilience. By providing 
an excellent service we attract new clients and 
new assets, ensuring we are well positioned to 
grow revenues across the market cycle.

Costs
From our revenues, we fund the administration 
of the platform, our proposition and the business 
as a whole. Key to our strategy is reinvestment 
back into people, technology and marketing, 
ensuring that we are always improving and 
evolving our service and maintaining our 
competitive advantage.

Profits and dividends
Our diversified revenue streams and scalability 
deliver profits which quickly convert into cash. 
After ensuring we maintain a surplus of capital 
over and above our regulatory requirement, 
we can then pay dividends to our shareholders. 
Through placing clients at the heart of all we do, 
we have already achieved significant scale and 
the focused investment we have planned and 
adherence to our core values will enable further 
growth. This will deliver long-term value creation 
across a range of stakeholders including:

Clients
We listen to clients and have built a strategy 
based on our deep understanding of their needs. 
Investing and championing their cause to help 
them secure better financial futures and to make 
their financial lives easier.

Employees
We continue to increase the diversity and 
inclusiveness of our workforce and engage, 
motivate and inspire them to deliver excellent 
client service. People and Culture is one of the 
five key pillars of our strategy and rewarding 
careers are delivered through investment in 
professional and personal development and 
a focus on well-being and mental health.

Investors
We deliver long-term sustainable returns through 
[share price appreciation] and a progressive 
dividend policy.

Society
We are a responsible corporate citizen, playing 
a positive, supportive and leading role in both 
our local community and wider society.

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

23

GovernanceFinancial statementsOther information 
 
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

STAKEHOLDERS ARE  
AT THE HEART OF  
OUR STRATEGY

The evolution of our strategy has been directly 
informed by our stakeholders. Engaging with 
them helps us to understand their evolving 
needs and is critical for our decision making 
and ongoing success. 

We have invested in the development of our 
stakeholder communities and continue to focus 
on enhancing our relationships with them as 
we believe it is the right thing to do. 

Section 172 Statement
You can read about how the Board considers the 
interests of our stakeholders when complying 
with its obligations under Section 172 
Companies Act 2006 on page 118

FIND OUT MORE

Pg 12: Strategy and KPIs

Clients
Our strategy is built around our clients and 
understanding their evolving needs is critical 
to our long-term success.

Employees

Shareholders

Society

HL would not be the business it is without our dedicated 

As owners of our company and providers  

and talented employees, always striving to deliver a 

high quality service and act in line with our values.

of capital, supportive shareholders are  

instrumental to our growth.

Responsible businesses that support their local 

communities and wider society will be those that  

thrive in future.

How did we 
engage with 
them?

• Targeted group surveys 
and website surveys

• Regular updates and insight from 
our investment and saving experts

• Monitoring of client behaviours 

• Feedback received from the 1.269 

across our digital platforms

• User testing as we evolve 
our proposition and service

million client calls received by 
our Helpdesk

What were  
the key topics 
raised?

How did  
we respond

Clients told us that they wanted:

• Practical help on how to achieve 
their financial goals, and invest 
in line with ‘responsible’ or 
ESG values

• Help to navigate challenging 
times: inflation, cost of living 
crisis etc.

• We built our strategy around our 
understanding of clients – aiming 
to enhance our high quality 
service in line with their needs

• We launched a responsible 

investment hub on our website 
and announced plans to ensure 
our new fund launches reflect 
ESG considerations

• We enhanced our transfer 

service, improving the speed 
and ease of use for clients

• Great value and support across 
all stages of their savings and 
investments life

• Frameworks and guidance to 
help make the best financial 
decisions and ultimately achieve 
good outcomes

• We launched more services 

on our mobile app including the 
ability to fund switch and easier 
log-in options for those needing 
two factor authentication

• We continued our better 

investors campaign, using data 
to help provide education and 
insight to clients who need help 
with investment basics like 
diversification and risk

24

• Colleague Forums, biannual 

colleague engagement surveys, 

regular pulse surveys, and other 

• Peer recognition scheme 

to identify colleagues who 

demonstrated outstanding 

behaviours and conduct aligned 

to our values and the HL Way

ad hoc focus groups

• Online communications portal 

to share key activity and updates

• Regular internal communications 

and briefing sessions from senior 

leaders and executives

• Our strategy and how the 

• The importance of inclusion, 

evolution will drive development 

for colleagues and the next 

diversity and continued 

development to succeed 

stage of growth for the business

for the future

• The cost-of-living crisis and 

how this impacts individuals

• Our senior management team 

met with shareholders and 

potential investors across 

the year via a programme of 

results presentations, individual 

and group meetings and 

attendance at in-person and 

UK and US virtual conferences

• Our AGM, which provides an 

opportunity for shareholders 

to ask questions and vote 

on resolutions

• Our corporate brokers and 

feedback and market insight

sell-side analysts provide valuable 

• We have established a Savings 

• Active engagement with 

policymakers to ensure the 

position of retail investors in 

   HM Treasury, the Department 

for Work and Pensions, FCA, 

Money and Pensions Service and 

the UK is understood and policies 

other businesses and charities

are designed to help investors

and Resilience Sounding Board 

to explore options for supporting 

clients with financial resilience, 

with representation from 

• We have explored citizenship 

and sustainability agendas 

through various relationships with 

community partners, charities and 

Bristol One City Plan. We listened 

to issues raised at our AGM

• How will the business return 

to operating margin growth?

• What is the level of 

investment needed to 

deliver sustainable growth?

• The increasing threat of 

competition and pricing pressure

• Quality and behaviours 

• Savings and Resilience of the 

• Retail access to IPOs

of new clients

• How we are dealing with 

aspects of ESG as a business, 

a platform and a Fund Manager

nation in the aftermath of the 

COVID-19 pandemic and given 

the cost of living crisis

• The Guidance-Advice boundary 

and how clients may benefit 

from greater support with 

their investments

• Supporting the communities 

in which we operate to thrive

• To consider our climate strategy 

and the environmental impact 

of our operations

• Continued to execute our I&D 

• We held a Capital Markets Day 

strategy, improving diverse 

representation in leadership 

and launching the Strive 

internship programme

to outline our strategy and 

address specific topics raised 

• Key topics were incorporated 

into presentations and results 

• Regular reports and feedback 

to the executive team and the 

Board on key market issues 

and concerns

• We have considered climate 

• Provided a one-off payment for 

announcements across the year 

change impacts on our business 

colleagues most impacted by the 

and for separate governance and 

and issued our TCFD report 

• We have launched the Savings 

• We have undertaken fundraising 

& Resilience Barometer in 

partnership with Oxford 

Economics. A tool that will 

support clients and policy 

makers with better understanding 

financial resilience issues

initiatives and events to support 

our local HL Foundation Charities 

of the year, 1625 Independent 

People and Bristol Mind 

• We have launched a new 

‘Switch your Money On’ offering 

ESG meetings held by the Chair

and our first SASB assessment

• We have campaigned to increase 

free insight and education on 

access to retail IPOs and increase 

key investment topics from HL 

investor access to guidance

and industry experts

cost of living crisis, designed to 

give colleagues some breathing 

space as they faced rising costs

• What the future of work looks 

like for HL, building on the 

positive lessons learnt from 

the COVID-19 pandemic

• Enhanced the office 

environment to support new 

flexible working practices

• Launched a ‘Future of Work’ task 

force looking at the best future 

ways of working that support 

our culture and delivery but 

also enhance the colleague 

value proposition

• Involved all leaders and teams 

in the cascade of our strategy, 

focusing on developing our 

people and enabling our culture

GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Strategic report 
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
CONTINUED

Clients

Our strategy is built around our clients and 

understanding their evolving needs is critical 

to our long-term success.

Employees
HL would not be the business it is without our dedicated 
and talented employees, always striving to deliver a 
high quality service and act in line with our values.

Shareholders
As owners of our company and providers  
of capital, supportive shareholders are  
instrumental to our growth.

Society
Responsible businesses that support their local 
communities and wider society will be those that  
thrive in future.

How did we 

engage with 

them?

• Targeted group surveys 

and website surveys

• Regular updates and insight from 

our investment and saving experts

• Monitoring of client behaviours 

• Feedback received from the 1.269 

across our digital platforms

million client calls received by 

• User testing as we evolve 

our proposition and service

our Helpdesk

• Colleague Forums, biannual 

• Peer recognition scheme 

colleague engagement surveys, 
regular pulse surveys, and other 
ad hoc focus groups

• Online communications portal 

to share key activity and updates

• Regular internal communications 
and briefing sessions from senior 
leaders and executives

to identify colleagues who 
demonstrated outstanding 
behaviours and conduct aligned 
to our values and the HL Way

• Our senior management team 
met with shareholders and 
potential investors across 
the year via a programme of 
results presentations, individual 
and group meetings and 
attendance at in-person and 
UK and US virtual conferences

• Our AGM, which provides an 
opportunity for shareholders 
to ask questions and vote 
on resolutions

• Our corporate brokers and 

sell-side analysts provide valuable 
feedback and market insight

• Active engagement with 

policymakers to ensure the 
position of retail investors in 
the UK is understood and policies 
are designed to help investors

• We have established a Savings 
and Resilience Sounding Board 
to explore options for supporting 
clients with financial resilience, 
with representation from 

   HM Treasury, the Department 
for Work and Pensions, FCA, 
Money and Pensions Service and 
other businesses and charities

• We have explored citizenship 
and sustainability agendas 
through various relationships with 
community partners, charities and 
Bristol One City Plan. We listened 
to issues raised at our AGM

What were  

the key topics 

raised?

How did  

we respond

Clients told us that they wanted:

• Great value and support across 

• Our strategy and how the 

• The importance of inclusion, 

• Practical help on how to achieve 

their financial goals, and invest 

in line with ‘responsible’ or 

ESG values

• Help to navigate challenging 

times: inflation, cost of living 

crisis etc.

all stages of their savings and 

investments life

• Frameworks and guidance to 

help make the best financial 

decisions and ultimately achieve 

good outcomes

• We built our strategy around our 

• We launched more services 

understanding of clients – aiming 

to enhance our high quality 

service in line with their needs

• We launched a responsible 

investment hub on our website 

and announced plans to ensure 

our new fund launches reflect 

ESG considerations

• We enhanced our transfer 

service, improving the speed 

and ease of use for clients

on our mobile app including the 

ability to fund switch and easier 

log-in options for those needing 

two factor authentication

• We continued our better 

investors campaign, using data 

to help provide education and 

insight to clients who need help 

with investment basics like 

diversification and risk

evolution will drive development 
for colleagues and the next 
stage of growth for the business

diversity and continued 
development to succeed 
for the future

• What the future of work looks 
like for HL, building on the 
positive lessons learnt from 
the COVID-19 pandemic

• Enhanced the office 

environment to support new 
flexible working practices

• Launched a ‘Future of Work’ task 
force looking at the best future 
ways of working that support 
our culture and delivery but 
also enhance the colleague 
value proposition

• Involved all leaders and teams 
in the cascade of our strategy, 
focusing on developing our 
people and enabling our culture

• The cost-of-living crisis and 
how this impacts individuals

• Continued to execute our I&D 
strategy, improving diverse 
representation in leadership 
and launching the Strive 
internship programme

• Provided a one-off payment for 

colleagues most impacted by the 
cost of living crisis, designed to 
give colleagues some breathing 
space as they faced rising costs

• How will the business return 
to operating margin growth?

• Quality and behaviours 

of new clients

• What is the level of 

investment needed to 
deliver sustainable growth?

• How we are dealing with 

aspects of ESG as a business, 
a platform and a Fund Manager

• The increasing threat of 

competition and pricing pressure

• Savings and Resilience of the 
nation in the aftermath of the 
COVID-19 pandemic and given 
the cost of living crisis

• The Guidance-Advice boundary 
and how clients may benefit 
from greater support with 
their investments

• Retail access to IPOs

• Supporting the communities 
in which we operate to thrive

• To consider our climate strategy 
and the environmental impact 
of our operations

• We held a Capital Markets Day 

to outline our strategy and 
address specific topics raised 

• Key topics were incorporated 
into presentations and results 
announcements across the year 
and for separate governance and 
ESG meetings held by the Chair

• Regular reports and feedback 
to the executive team and the 
Board on key market issues 
and concerns

• We have considered climate 

change impacts on our business 
and issued our TCFD report 
and our first SASB assessment

• We have launched the Savings 

& Resilience Barometer in 
partnership with Oxford 
Economics. A tool that will 
support clients and policy 
makers with better understanding 
financial resilience issues

• We have campaigned to increase 
access to retail IPOs and increase 
investor access to guidance

• We have undertaken fundraising 
initiatives and events to support 
our local HL Foundation Charities 
of the year, 1625 Independent 
People and Bristol Mind 

• We have launched a new 

‘Switch your Money On’ offering 
free insight and education on 
key investment topics from HL 
and industry experts

25

GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Strategic report 
PEOPLE

ENABLE OUR PEOPLE,
STRENGTHENING  
OUR CULTURE

Our colleagues are our biggest asset and are 
fundamental to delivering our vision, our strategy, 
and the sustainable growth of our business. 

We want our colleagues to have meaningful 
and rewarding careers and make HL a great 
place to work, develop and fulfil career potential. 

Unprecedented times
The past year has continued to be difficult for all 
of us. Whether it concerns the global pandemic, 
war in Ukraine, cost of living crisis or the volatile 
stock market – the wider environment has had 
a significant impact on all our colleagues. 

Responding to these challenges and supporting 
our colleagues through them has been a critical 
focus. At the end of August 2021, we rewarded 
all colleagues at certain role levels with a 
one-off special award to thank them for working 
together and supporting our clients through the 
challenging pandemic period. Subsequently 
in May this year, in recognition of the fact that 
rising living costs were impacting the finances 
of colleagues, we provided a one-off payment 
to those we believed would be most adversely 
impacted, based on their current basic salary. 
This payment was designed to give colleagues 
some breathing space as they faced rising costs. 

Alongside this payment, we also made some 
immediate changes to the pay levels of our 
entry level roles in Service and Facilities and 
continue to invest in our colleagues as part of 
our year-end review through salary increases 
and our bonus scheme.

The aftermath of the pandemic has presented 
new opportunities to improve how we work 
together, and we are actively involving our 
colleagues in how we develop this. As our 
colleagues have been able to return to the 
office, we have been continuing to support them 
in a new flexible way of working. We have been 
listening and responding to colleagues needs 
to ensure they are motivated and enabled to 
perform at their best. This includes improving 
our office environment to make this an inclusive 
and collaborative space for colleagues. 

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

26

GovernanceFinancial statementsOther informationStrategic report 
PEOPLE
ENABLE OUR PEOPLE, STRENGTHENING OUR CULTURE CONTINUED

Our culture and the HL Way
Over the past year we’ve placed a big focus 
on developing our culture as this underpins 
the delivery of our strategy. 

Our client focused mind-set has helped us 
become the successful HL we are today and 
has made us an industry leader. As we continue 
to develop and grow, the way we conduct 
ourselves is critical for us to thrive at scale. 

Last year, we launched ‘The HL Way’ to help 
colleagues make the right choices for our clients, 
and each other. The HL Way is how we work, 
providing tool sets for good decision making, 
with guides and examples of good practice. 
It brings our values and the Conduct Rules to 
life, building on our aim – to help our clients 
to save and invest with confidence – using our 
knowledge, our expertise, and remembering 
our regulatory responsibilities.

This year, we have evolved the HL Way to help 
colleagues understand how best to fulfil their 
personal responsibilities, making clear what 
we stand for, the principles to follow and why 
it’s important. Providing clear guidance helps 
colleagues live by our values, make effective 
decisions, and tells them where to go for help 
when things don’t feel right. 

Each of our colleagues play an 
important role in the team at HL. 
The HL Way will help colleagues 
make the right choices for our 
clients, and each other.

Chris Hill
Chief Executive Officer

Strengthening our culture is a key priority as 
this is essential to delivering our strategy and 
providing great service for our clients. Over the 
past year we’ve delivered a range of activities 
focused on colleague engagement. This has 
ranged from company-wide hybrid town hall 
events, expert webinars and focus groups to 
prepare and engage colleagues with our new 
strategy and transformation programme, ‘act of 
kindness’ gifts, and social events to foster our 
sense of community and collaboration. 

This year we hosted our first in-person HL 
Heroes recognition awards where we asked 
colleagues to nominate colleagues who have 
demonstrated outstanding behaviours and 
conduct aligned to each of our values, and how 
this has positively impacted clients, colleagues, 
our community, stakeholders and the business 
as a result. Overall, we received 218 high calibre 
nominations to acknowledge those colleagues 
who have gone above and beyond.

Outstanding and diverse talent
Our focus on building a diverse and inclusive 
culture is not simply because it is the right thing 
to do. We believe it will lead to better outcomes 
for clients, colleagues, our community and 
our business. Diversity in its broadest sense, 
including race, age, gender, and religion, 
supports us to make better business decisions, 
manage risk more effectively and drive 
innovation. We believe inclusion and diversity 
is everyone’s responsibility, so every colleague 
has this in their objectives, ensuring we all 
play our part.

Our inclusion and diversity strategy has three 
priority areas and an aligned action plan to drive 
progress. This strategy will enable us to continue 
to build our inclusive culture and brand where 
colleagues feel engaged whilst attracting a broad 
pool of talent.

More information about our Inclusion 
and Diversity approach and initiatives 
can be found at: www.hl.co.uk/
corporate-social-responsibility/diversity 

Female and ethnic minority representation
Two of our priority areas relate to the progression 
and retention of female and ethnic minority 
talent at HL. We know that tone from the top 
and executive buy-in and accountability continue 
to be crucial to achieving sustainable change. 
We have further strengthened commitment to 
progress this year by introducing specific gender 
and ethnicity performance targets for all 
executive members. 

It was just really nice to 
have the HL Heroes in person 
and meet colleagues for the 
first time, whilst in a positive 
environment. I felt really 
honoured to be there and 
I hope it continues each year 
to inject such positivity into 
the workplace.

HL Colleague

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PEOPLE
ENABLE OUR PEOPLE, STRENGTHENING OUR CULTURE CONTINUED

This year, the 2021 gender pay gap figures show 
that we have reduced our Mean Gender Pay Gap, 
Median Gender Pay Gap and Median Bonus Gap 
since the last submission. Our Median GPG 
continues to improve year-on-year, from 19.1% to 
14.5%, with continued positive movement since 
the figures from 2018. The Mean Bonus Gap has 
widened slightly, by 1.2% in the last year.

These figures reflect the increases in female 
representation at Board and Director level 
because of our strategic focus on hiring and 
promoting more, and losing fewer, senior women. 
However, we know to continue to ensure success 
this needs to filter down into the organisation 
to drive long-term change.

Full details of our Gender Pay Gap report 
can be found at www.hl.co.uk/corporate-
social-responsibility/gender-pay-gap

Ethnic minority representation
Since the launch of our Inclusion and Diversity 
strategy in 2020, we have focused on increasing 
the ethnic diversity of our workforce and 
supporting the progression and development 
of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic colleagues. 
Progress this year includes: 

• Winning a Stepping Up award acknowledging 
the leadership and support HL is providing to 
changing diversity and inclusion across the city 
of Bristol. 

• Launching the Strive internship scheme, aimed 
at providing paid work experience opportunities 
to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Students 
across the region. The scheme has won an 
Institute of Student Employers award for our 
outstanding partnership with the University 
of the West of England. 

• Introducing representation targets for female, 
ethnic minority, and black representation at 
senior and mid-career levels. 

• The Board meeting the Parker Review 

recommendation to have at least one Director 
from an ethnic minority background by 2021. 

Female representation
We have made strong progress in increasing 
the proportion of women and creating a diverse 
workforce at HL and we continue to seek 
to improve: 

• We are signatories of the Women in Finance 
Charter and are proud to have exceeded our 
target range (25-30% by 2021) , with 31.5% 
of senior management roles held by women. 

• We have exceeded the FTSE Women Leaders 

target of 40% women on Boards and are 
proud to have a female Chair, Chief Financial 
Officer, Senior Independent Director and 
majority of female Board Committee Chairs. 

• We have launched a new partnership with 

Women on Boards. 

• HL was featured as a case study in the Fawcett 
Society’s ‘Menopause in the Workplace: Impact 
on Women in Financial Services’ report. 

• As of 30 June 2022, women made up 33% of 

the Executive Committee and its direct reports.

• We continue to participate in the 30% Club’s 

‘Women Ahead’ mentoring scheme. 

Our workforce

Total workforce 2022: 2,042 
Total workforce 2021: 1,842

41% 
Female

36% 
Female

64% 
Male

59% 
Male

As at 30 June 2022

As at 30 June 2021

Board of  
Directors

Other senior  
management1

Total 
employees 
(FTE)

Board of  
Directors

Other senior  
management1

Total 
employees 
(FTE)

Female

5 (50%)

13 (28%)

839 (41%)

3 (33%)

10 (26%)

670 (36%)

Male

5 (50%)

34 (72%)

1,203 (59%) 6 (67%)

29 (74%)

1,172 (64%)

1   Other senior management is defined as an employee who has responsibility for planning, direction or 

controlling the activities of the Group, or a strategically significant part of the Group, other than the Board 
of Directors.

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PEOPLE
ENABLE OUR PEOPLE, STRENGTHENING OUR CULTURE CONTINUED

Inclusive culture and our colleague networks
Alongside our focus on diversity, we have 
committed to creating an inclusive culture at HL. 
Our award-winning HL colleague networks play 
a critical role in fostering inclusion and belonging, 
and each one is supported by an Executive 
sponsor to ensure their activities get the 
visibility and support they need to have the 
greatest impact.

These networks continue to grow their 
membership, activities and influence and include:

• Gender diversity group

• Cultural diversity group

• Kaleidoscope (LGBT+)

• Wellbeing groups including mental, 
physical fitness and social activities

• Sustainability Group

• Financial Inclusion

• Chronic Conditions and Disability Group 

Over the year, the groups have been active 
in promoting the importance of inclusion and 
diversity as well as engaging colleagues. Over 
300 colleagues are members of one or more of 
the networks, and the networks have delivered 
events across the year, marking key dates and 
campaigns, with both external speakers and 
internal panels. 

We are an equal opportunities employer and give 
full consideration to all applications. When a 
disabled colleague commences employment or 
becomes disabled during employment we will, 
in consultation with the colleague, ensure that 
such reasonable adjustments are made as 
required to enable them to work safely and 
effectively. We recognise that all colleagues have 
equal rights to career development and training 
based on their abilities and therefore this will 
be made accessible to them, with reasonable 
adjustment considered as required. 

Whilst we know there is always more we can do, 
we feel proud that our 2022 Colleague Survey 
results showed that 83% of colleagues feel 
positive that HL values and promotes employee 
diversity (with 4% responding negatively and 
the remainder neutral).

Other progress this year in supporting inclusion 
at HL includes:

• Issued a new Trans and Non-binary Equality 
policy and introduced gender-neutral toilets 

• Launched a mandatory inclusion and diversity 
e-learning for all colleagues to support us in 
building an inclusive and psychologically safe 
environment at HL 

• Rolled out Empowered and Inclusive Team 

Working Masterclasses for leaders

• Launched ‘ExCo listening sessions’ supporting 
Executive Committee members to gain greater 
insights into the lived experiences of different 
colleague groups

Reward
Key to attracting and retaining the best people 
is our approach to reward. We use independently 
benchmarked pay and benefits data to ensure 
we pay our colleagues fairly for the work they do.

We believe in clear, fair, and transparent pay 
and reward. Our salaries go beyond our legal 
obligations, the National Living Wage (and 
national minimum wage for those on internships, 
placements, or apprenticeships) and we 
are proud to say that we are Living Wage 
Foundation Accredited. 

We do, however, know we can do more. Building 
and maintaining a strong colleague proposition 
that ensures colleagues are rewarded fairly 
and that we are competitive in the market is 
fundamental to ensuring the success of HL. 
As such we’re working on developing and 
improving our colleague value proposition. 

Given the challenging external conditions faced 
in the year from the increased cost of living, we 
have supported our colleagues with a one-off 
‘breathing space’ cash payment in addition to 
their pay. 

To complement our pay, we include most of 
our colleagues in a bonus scheme linked to 
the success of HL and individual performance. 
The ‘how’ is just as important to us as the ‘what’ 
and colleagues are assessed on the delivery 
of their objectives, the behaviours they display 
and how they’ve demonstrated our values. 
We believe that our colleagues should be 
able to share in the success of our business 
and all colleagues are eligible to sign up to 
our Save as You Earn (SAYE) scheme. As at 
30 June 2022, c45% of eligible colleagues are 
currently participating in one of our existing 
Share Save Schemes.

To complement our direct financial rewards, 
we provide Company matched pension 
contributions (which includes a double matching 
scheme to encourage our colleagues to save 
for their retirement) and extended life insurance 
protection. HL Rewards, our flexible benefits 
scheme, offers a comprehensive range of 
protection, health, financial and lifestyle benefits 
to ensure we provide a benefits package that our 
colleagues value. This includes double matching 
of any payroll giving that colleagues make to 
the HL Foundation.

Learning and development
Learning and development is a key component 
of our People Strategy and aligns to our overall 
strategy and approach. We want everyone to 
have the opportunity to develop as far as their 
effort and capability will take them.

We recognise the importance of building a 
pipeline of skilled and motivated talent for future 
leadership and expert roles and have developed 
several interventions to ensure we deliver this 

We respect, value and embrace 
diversity and ensure everyone 
is recognised and respected 
for the different perspectives 
they bring.

Chris Hill
Chief Executive Officer

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PEOPLE
ENABLE OUR PEOPLE, STRENGTHENING OUR CULTURE CONTINUED

83%

of colleagues feel 
positive that HL values 
and promotes employee 
diversity (2021: 72%)

Response rate to the 
annual colleague 
engagement survey

   Response 73%  
(2021: 70%)

   No response 27% 

pipeline to meet the business needs. Our fully 
blended learning provision offers a bespoke 
service with the use of technology providing 
bite-sized, digital learning to support the ongoing 
engagement and development of colleagues 
when they need it.

We are committed to supporting the next 
generation and offer people the opportunity to 
start their career or gain work experience with 
us. This year we have introduced a new Service 
Graduate Scheme alongside our existing 
rotational scheme, a range of apprenticeships 
for school/college leavers and career changers. 
We also offer 12-month industrial placements 
for undergraduates, internships, and 
work experience.

Colleague engagement and listening 
It is widely recognised that an organisation 
whose colleagues understand how their work 
adds value is critical to strategic delivery. 

We believe it is important to listen to and 
understand our colleagues’ views and motivation; 
their honest feedback is crucial in evolving our 
colleague engagement programme. Our most 
recent annual colleague engagement survey 
received a strong response rate of 73% (2021: 
70%). Over the past few years, we’ve seen our 
key metrics fluctuate around a stable average. 
Our engagement score in our most recent survey 
was 64% (2021: 66%). 

In addition to our twice-yearly engagement 
survey, we have run regular pulse surveys so that 
we can quickly respond to colleague sentiment. 
We’ve also run additional surveys and focus 
groups to obtain colleague insight into topics 
such as communication, whistleblowing, and 
our future workplace. We are always listening, 
so this year, we launched colleague listening 
sessions where members of the Management 
Team listened to what colleagues had to say on 
topics around pay, progression and culture at HL.

The Colleague Forum was set up in January 2019 
in line with the UK Corporate Governance Code 
to make sure that the ‘voice of the workforce’ 
is considered in the decision making process 
of the Board. It meets periodically throughout 
the year and is an important forum for obtaining 
and discussing colleagues’ views on key matters 
affecting the Group. Key topics discussed in 
the period under review have included Executive 
Director and senior management pay, and the 
Group’s culture and strategy. 

Human rights
We continue to embed respect for human rights 
and aim to ensure that our business operations 
and supply chain are free from modern slavery, 
exploitation, and discrimination. There have 
been no recorded incidences of modern slavery 
in our supply chain, but we are not complacent. 
We continue to monitor risks closely and want 
to drive up opportunities for colleagues to raise 
the flag and seek help when needed. We are 
committed to acting ethically and with integrity 
in all our business dealings and relationships and 
to implementing and enforcing effective systems 
and controls to ensure slavery is not taking place 
anywhere in our business, or in any of our supply 
chains. We recognise this is a serious global 
issue and are committed to improving our 
practices and playing our part in combatting 
slavery and human trafficking.

We adhere to our Human Rights policy at all 
times, and we are fully compliant with our 
obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. 

One of our core values is to do the right thing, 
which includes treating people fairly whether 
they are our clients, colleagues, contractors 
or people working in our supply chain. Our 
Human Rights Policy reflects key developments 
in the human rights agenda and defines our 
commitment to human rights including, but not 
limited to, the prevention of modern slavery and 

the provision of remediation when necessary, in 
our operations and supply chains. This includes 
the colleagues we employ and their right to be 
treated equally and their freedom of association. 
We all have a responsibility to be alert to the risks 
of modern slavery. We continue to take further 
steps to ensure we have the right training and 
controls in place to combat slavery and human 
trafficking, and in our statement, we explain how 
we are doing this.

Please visit our website –  
www.hl.co.uk/__data/ assets/pdf_file/ 
0009/11399832/Modern-Slavery-Act.pdf

Anti-bribery and corruption
Hargreaves Lansdown maintains a full suite of 
policies and procedures to guard against bribery 
and corruption. This includes an Anti-Bribery 
Policy, outlining the offences, responsibilities 
of all colleagues and clear reporting procedures; 
a Whistleblowing policy and process; Anti-Money 
Laundering and Market Abuse policies and 
procedures for dealing with making and 
accepting gifts and hospitality. 

All colleagues undertake bespoke training 
programmes, at least annually, for all these areas, 
in addition to having access to online guidance 
and procedures aiding awareness. Colleagues 
can access policy and guidance statements via 
the company-wide Sharepoint page and these 
procedures are reviewed and updated on a 
periodic basis by the Senior Managers 
responsible for them.

Please visit our website – www.hl.co.uk/ 
corporate-social-responsibility/
our-policies 

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

BUILDING OUR POSITION  
AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

Our vision for ESG at HL is to inspire confidence for  
a sustainable, resilient and successful financial future.

OUR VISION, 
STRATEGY,  
CULTURE 
AND VALUES…

…DRIVE OUR 
COMMITMENT 
TO CORPORATE 
CITIZENSHIP

Community
Play a positive, supportive and  
leading role in our local community.  
Pg 33

Responsible business focus
Ensuring responsible and sustainable decision 
making is at the heart of everything we do to 
empower clients, our local community and 
wider society. 
Pg 34

TCFD
To reduce our contribution to climate  
change and support the transition 
to a low carbon economy. 
Pg 37

FIND OUT MORE

Pg 44: Non-financial  
information disclosures

Our approach to responsible citizenship 
Hargreaves Lansdown is enabling clients 
and society to build their financial resilience. 
As a leading FTSE 100 financial services 
company, we are committed to integrating 
sustainable social, ethical and environmental 
considerations into our long-term view 
of managing the wider environment and 
social footprint. 

We do this through three approaches

• HL’s actions as a responsible business

• HL’s stewardship as a responsible 

fund manager

• HL’s offering as a responsible investment 

and savings service provider 

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

 E

S

G

‘E’ is about how we 
reduce our impact on 
the environment and 
ensure our business and 
the service we offer our 
clients is sustainable 
for the long term.

It means assessing and addressing 
risks to the resilience of our business 
over the long term and as such ensuring 
we are well prepared for the challenges 
our clients, community and other 
stakeholders will face in future. 

‘S’ is about how we 
support our community, 
clients and colleagues. 

There is increasing scrutiny on how 
businesses treat their colleagues 
and communities – it needs to be fair, 
transparent and have clear alignment 
to addressing the issues in our society 
including Inclusion and Diversity. 
We need to ensure that our colleagues 
and clients can be confident that HL 
is a business that does the right thing. 

‘G’ is about how our 
governance supports 
the long-term resilience 
and sustainability of 
our business. 

We need an effective governance 
structure that allows for the robust 
challenge and transparent reporting 
that is expected from a business of our 
size and influence. It helps us to make 
and execute better decisions. The FCA 
has made the importance of business 
culture very clear. Clear and effective 
governance is key to this and integral 
to our ESG and wider strategy. 

In order to deliver on our purpose, to empower 
people to save and invest with confidence, 
we encourage clients to take control of their 
financial future and support them in establishing 
and maintaining the resilience that this 
requires over a lifetime. We are a responsible 
and sustainable business that works to deliver 
for all our stakeholders.

In 2022 we have continued to make progress 
on our ESG strategy. From supporting the 
local community to minimising our global 
environmental impact, we want to ensure our 
actions have an increasingly positive impact.

In the community we have:

• Helped young people to get the best start 
to life to enable them to gain the skills and 
confidence to get a job.

• Supported local businesses through mentoring.

• Supported the regional economic recovery plan.

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

Community
Supportive and leading role 
in our local community.

We’re proud of the contribution our colleagues 
and business make to the local community 
and our focus has been on supporting activities 
that encourage social mobility whether through 
education, food provision or financial resilience.

Volunteering:
The HL Volunteering Scheme gives people 
a chance to volunteer by having two days 
(or 16 hours) of the calendar year to offer their 
time, skills and experience to good causes. 

We appreciate the difficulties the pandemic 
has presented to education and have donated 
over 140 laptops to schools in order to close 
the digital divide. Our apprenticeships and 
placements offer students the opportunity 
to gain experience and life skills.

One City Approach:
We are a founding signatory of the Bristol 
Equality Charter – a pledge by the signatories 
to take actions relevant to them, to improve 
equality and diversity across the city. We are 
also a founder member of the Bristol Equality 
Network, and we have signed the Women in 
Business Charter.

We continue to be active participants, through 
our involvement with the Bristol City Office, 
including involvement in the Skills and Economy 
Board, supporting the city wide initiative to end 
period poverty in Bristol and the Stepping Up 
mentoring scheme, a region wide positive action 
leadership programme aimed at changing the 
diversity leadership landscape across the public, 
voluntary and commercial sector.

We run a number of volunteering schemes, 
focused on building social mobility and improving 
resilience. These are primarily based within 
schools, developing the building blocks to enable 
future resilience, focusing on basic numeracy 
and literacy skills. Our Envision Mentoring 
programmes enable young people to work with 
business mentors to tackle a real-life social issue, 
whilst gaining insight into the world of work 
through meaningful employer engagement. 
Additionally, we work with the Bristol Sport 
Foundation to support disadvantaged children 
through providing volunteers to hear primary 
school children read aloud, or providing 
mentoring support to students at risk of dropping 
out of the school system.

All of our schools volunteering activity takes 
place with young people who have been 
identified as in receipt of the pupil premium/
eligible for free school meals, with the hope of 
building their confidence and employability skills.

We also support local organisations such as 
Fareshare and Feeding Bristol, in addition to 
sustainability focused organisations such as 
Avon Needs Trees, Your Park and Marine 
Conservation Trust. 

Our volunteering scheme has exceeded 
5,750 hours volunteered since 2019.

HL Foundation
The HL Foundation is our charitable trust. 
The Foundation’s mission is to utilise the skills 
and time of our workforce and partners to make 
a positive, sustainable difference in the world 
around us.

The charities we support are nominated and 
selected by employees.

Our charity partners for 2022 are 1625 
Independent People and Bristol Mind. We have 
a programme of engagement focused on 
fundraising and volunteering activities, including 
financial education sessions and skill based 
volunteering to support the charity operations. 
In light of current affairs, we also set up a 
fundraising appeal to support those impacted 
by the war in Ukraine.

Our fundraising aims are to:

• Continue to fund a mental health worker 
and a mentoring coach to support young 
people’s well-being

• Support career guidance, financial wellness 

and inspiring future employment opportunities 
for vulnerable young adults

• Cover the cost of phone calls to MindLine 

helpline for one month

• Fund the training for at least 20 volunteers 

to be trained on the MindLine helpline

As well as support to fundraising, we also 
offer colleagues double matched payroll giving. 
This has trebled the numbers of colleagues 
donating via Give As You Earn (GAYE).

All of the legal and administration costs of 
the Foundation are met by the Group so 100% 
of the money raised goes to the employee 
nominated charities. 

More details can be found on the website 
www.hl.co.uk/corporate-social-
responsibility/hl-foundation

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

Responsible business focus
Responsible and sustainable 
decision making at the heart 
of everything we do.

Savings and Resilience Barometer
Financial resilience has become a central issue 
over the past two years as we continue to 
experience and live with the consequences 
of the pandemic and the economic uncertainty 
it has created. 

Tax strategy
Integrity and good conduct are central to 
our culture and this means we aim to comply 
with both the spirit and the letter of the law 
and are committed to conducting our tax affairs 
in a clear, fair and transparent way.

In January we launched a wide-ranging piece of 
research on the financial resilience of the nation. 
This research sought to look at how issues, 
from debt and protections, to savings and 
investments, interact so we can understand 
how to build a more resilient nation.

This research was developed from our 
‘5 to Thrive’ campaign which focuses on the 
five core pillars which are the building blocks to 
developing greater financial resilience; controlling 
your debt, protecting you and your family, 
saving a penny for a rainy day, plans for later 
life and investing to make more of your money. 
By building an ongoing campaign around this, 
we are democratising some of the expertise 
that we have within our advice teams for those 
that can’t or won’t pay for such services. 

More information can be found at  
www.hl.co.uk/features/5-to-thrive and  
our comparison tool can be found here: 
www.hl.co.uk/features/5-to-thrive/
savings-and-resilience-comparison-tool.

Taxes provide public revenues for government 
to meet economic and social objectives. Paying 
and collecting taxes is an important part of our 
role as a business responsibly operating within 
and contributing to society.

We aim to comply with all our tax filing, 
tax reporting and tax payment obligations.

We seek to maintain an open, honest and 
positive working relationship with tax authorities 
and we do not undertake aggressive tax 
planning. Our corporation tax and employer’s 
National Insurance paid in respect of the 
year ended 30 June 2022 was £61.6 million 
(2021: £77.5m). In addition, we pay other taxes 
such as VAT, stamp duty and business rates.

Our full tax strategy is available at:  
www.hl.co.uk/about-us/tax-strategy

United Nations Sustainable  
Development Goals (UNSDGs)
The UNSDGs provide a focus for how 
businesses, governments and civil society can 
tackle these challenges in order to promote a 
more sustainable future for all. They have helped 
to inform our thinking about where we can play 
a role and we contribute in different ways to 
12 out of the 17 goals. Find out more about how 
we align to the UNSDGs on the CSR section of 
the HL website. 

Hargreaves Lansdown contribute 
to the following United Nations 
Sustainable Development Goals

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Where we do send out paper, such as our 
flagship magazine ‘The Investment Times’, 
we use sustainable resources and minimise 
our use of plastic. The Investment Times is now 
sent in recyclable paper envelopes rather than 
degradable plastic saving the equivalent of 
1.4 million plastic bags.

We recognise that sustainability and ethical 
behaviour is increasingly important to our clients 
and we provide investment information, research 
and guides on ethical investing within our 
Responsible Investment section on the website. 
Our ESG investment and engagement policies 
can also be found here. 

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

Running and maintaining our IT infrastructure 
at our offices and data centres comprises 
the main source of our environmental impact. 
This supports our award winning platform which 
is fundamental to the success of our business. 
The installation of energy-efficient servers, 
transitioning to cloud hosted services and a 
programme of cyclical replacement of hardware 
and software reduces our energy usage 
and cost.

HL Tech, our Warsaw technology hub, operates 
in a similar way, in a new, environmentally friendly 
building, where the impact is also low.

Doing it better for our clients
Our objective of reducing waste and minimising 
the environmental impact of our business is 
aligned with our objectives of protecting client 
data, reducing costs and improving efficiency. 
We aim to deal with clients and other businesses 
electronically wherever possible, not only to 
speed up information transfer, but also to reduce 
the amount of paper we use.

We have invested heavily in providing a user-
friendly, comprehensive website, a mobile app 
and automated links to banks and fund providers. 
As a result, 93% (as of June 2022) of our clients 
are registered for online accounts and 81% now 
use our paperless service.

Supporting climate action
Our commitment to sustainability means 
integrating social, ethical and environmental 
considerations into our operations. Strong 
corporate governance ensures sustainable 
management and growth with a long-term 
view and a responsibility to manage our wider 
environment and social footprint. We have 
committed to support the delivery of the 
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 
(UNSDGs) and finding opportunities within 
our businesses to build a cleaner, more resilient 
and inclusive world.

HL acknowledges the impact it has on the 
environment and climate change, and is 
committed to:

• Identifying and assessing environmental 

aspects to determine those that are significant, 
as explored in our TCFD report on page 37.

• Committing to be net zero by at least 2050 and 
to be carbon neutral across our Scope 1, 2 and 
3 business travel and employee commuting 
emissions by 2025. 

• Providing all employees with relevant education 
and information to encourage them to live and 
work in an environmentally responsible manner.

• Focusing on continual improvements in 

environmental performance and activity by 
means of a proactive colleague Environmental, 
Sustainability and Climate Change network.

Our business is fundamentally based on 
intellectual capital and conducts the majority 
of client transactions online and undertakes 
no industrial activities. Therefore, the direct 
environmental and social impacts of our daily 
operations are limited. We are aware that under 
Scope 3 emissions, our investment portfolio is 
the most material source of carbon emissions 
and we are currently reviewing our approach 
to this with an external agency.

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

We believe in the transparency of data and 
actions towards a climate resilient management 
of our business. In part, this is to continually plan 
and take action as a business by working with 
changing regulatory policy. As such, we have 
been disclosing to the Carbon Disclosure Project 
(CDP) since 2018, we have included our TCFD 
in this report and our Sustainability Accounting 
Standards Board (SASB) report can be found on 
our website. We collaborate with rating agencies 
such as Sustainalytics and MSCI, which helps 
highlight where we can improve. We aim to 
continue to go the extra mile in this area and 
increase our participation in forums and 
industry collaboration.

HL is listed on the FTSE4Good index series, 
demonstrating our strong environmental, 
social and governance principles, having 
been independently assessed according 
to the FTSE4Good criteria. 

Doing it better for our colleagues
We promote energy efficiency and the 
avoidance of waste throughout our operations, 
in accordance with our environmental policy.

• 100% of the general waste and packaging 
disposed of in our head office is recycled. 
We have implemented food waste recycling 
across our offices.

• Our water usage by increased by 7.5%, 

however, this was driven by increased numbers 
of employees to work from our office as 
opposed to home.

• Working alongside colleagues across internal 
departments we are embedding sustainability 
considerations within our return to the office 
planning. This includes advocating for 
employees to engage in sustainable behaviours 
by providing the facilities within our office, 
such as bicycle storage, free bicycle 

maintenance checks and amenities such as 
changing rooms to enable more sustainable 
commuting. We recently increased the 
allowance available for the Cycle to Work 
Scheme and offer season ticket loans 
for employees to use public transport.

We shred and recycle all confidential waste. 
We save energy through the passive infrared 
sensor lighting in our offices and we have a 
number of initiatives internally to reduce our 
paper use, with the ambition of being a paperless 
office. These activities are supported by running 
educational talks to promote recycling, from 
external speakers such as City to Sea, Avon 
Wildlife Trust and The Soil Association. We 
donate old office and IT equipment to schools 
and charities where appropriate or dispose of 
via specialist third parties.

Our Financial Advisers are spread throughout 
the UK which minimises travel time and carbon 
emissions. We also provide a telephone advice 
service where a face-to-face meeting is 
not required.

For the year ending 30 June 2022 our 
emissions per employee decreased by 20%.

Colleagues are passionate about working 
together to ‘do it better’ and our Sustainability 
Network is vital in helping us to achieve our 
environmental aims. From promoting initiatives 
to reduce our carbon footprint through talks, 
events and written articles for staff, through 
to introducing initiatives for waste reduction 
and increasing climate-change awareness. 
The Group are currently working on engaging 
with communities on sustainability-related 
issues through volunteering and, promoting 
sustainable commuting habits with the aim 
of coming back to the office greener.

Doing it better for the wider community
HL is part of a network of organisations that has 
pledged to work towards a sustainable city with 
a high quality of life for all, as demonstrated by 
our membership of the Bristol Green Capital 
Partnership. To support this, we source 100% 
of our electricity from renewable sources. 
HL colleagues also have the opportunity to 
volunteer in projects which have a positive 
impact on the environment. We recognise how 
important biodiversity is for a healthy planet and 
are working with local organisations to conserve 
and maintain green spaces near to the office 
such as the rewilding of College Green to help 
promote biodiversity in the centre of Bristol, 
tree planting and beach cleans. 

We continue to work with TravelWest to support 
their Travel to Work Survey so we can feed into 
the city’s transport plans and provide more 
accurate Scope 3 employee commuting data. 

Online accounts

93% 

of our clients 
are registered for 
online accounts

Paperless service

81% 

of our clients now use 
our paperless service

Recycling

100% 

of the general waste 
and packaging disposed 
of in our head office 
is recycled.

NET ZERO 

We are committed to be 
net zero by at least 2050

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TCFD
We are committed 
to becoming a more 
sustainable business.

We are aiming to align with the global goals 
of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming 
to 1.5 degrees Celsius and aim to take 
responsibility for how we manage the impact we 
have on the environment and on climate change.

Our commitment to sustainability means 
integrating social, ethical, and environmental 
considerations into our operations with strong 
corporate governance ensuring more sustainable 
management and development with a long-term 
view, in addition to our responsibility to manage 
our wider environmental and social footprint.

Last year, we reported the significant step we 
had taken of committing to achieve net zero 
emissions no later than 2050 across our full 
range of business operations. In 2022, we have 
continued to develop our approach to this, 
further refining our commitments, and going 
into more detail around our investment data. 

Our strategic objective is to reduce our 
contribution to climate change and support 
the transition to a low carbon economy. We are 
aiming to limit our direct carbon impact, and 
educate ourselves and our wider stakeholders, 
including clients and shareholders, creating 
environmental awareness and striving to live, 
travel and work in a more environmentally 
responsible manner. 

Within our fund management we strive to 
embed climate considerations in our investment 
management and stewardship activity, with all 
new HL funds EU SFDR Article 8 aligned at a 
minimum, and supported by offering clients the 
tools, information and research to invest in line 
with their values. 

The Task Force on Climate-related Financial 
Disclosures (TCFD) seeks to improve and 
increase the reporting of climate-related 

financial information. We are pleased to present 
our second report, covering HL Plc and its 
operations, aligning to the recommendations 
set out in the TCFD framework. We set out 
below our climate-related financial disclosures 
consistent with the all TCFD recommendations 
and at least 9 out of 11 of the recommended 
disclosures. By this we mean the four TCFD 
recommendations and the 11 recommended 
disclosures set out in Figure 4 of Section C 
of the report entitled “Recommendations of 
the Task Force on Climate-related Financial 
Disclosures” published in June 2017 by the TCFD. 
For strategy disclosure (a) and metrics and 
targets disclosure (a), further work is planned to 
enhance the identification, impact and reporting 
for climate-related risks and opportunities and 
how these map over the short, medium and 
long term, in addition to further work on defining 
the metrics used to assess these risks and 
opportunities. We will continue to develop on this 
report year on year and intend to include these 
additions within the 2023 report. We will 
continue to develop on this report year on year, 
including adding greater detail on our fund 
management process in future iterations. 

Our strategic objective is 
to reduce our contribution 
to climate change and 
support the transition 
to a low carbon economy.

Governance
Our Board of Directors oversee our long-term 
strategy. This includes ESG, climate change 
and sustainability. 

They analyse progress with bi-annual board 
papers, regular focused presentations, and 
deep-dive sessions. This covers topics such 
as the overarching ESG strategy, our approach 
to risks and opportunities and how these 
approaches feed into objectives. The Board 
agrees the corporate objectives and approves 
initiatives, such as our emissions targets, director 
objectives and supporting our Group policies.

The Board takes collective responsibility for all 
sustainability matters, encouraging collaboration. 
In turn this will help drive change, and a more 
sustainable future for our business and 
our clients. 

Our Executive Committee review an ESG 
Dashboard on a quarterly basis, providing 
them with updates on evolving ESG risk and 
governance, our emissions data and client 
attitude towards ESG. Additionally, our executive 
compensation is linked to a number of ESG areas, 
including our environmental goals, which can 
be found on page 111 in the 2021 Report and 
Financial Statements. 

In 2021 we have had ESG sessions with 
external consultancies to help build the working 
knowledge of those involved within the ESG 
arena. Day to day activities are coordinated and 
driven through our ESG Taskforce and working 
groups. This is made up of representatives across 
the core strategy areas of responsible fund 
management, fund research and analysis, client 
proposition, compliance, product governance, 
public affairs, and responsible business. 

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This means colleagues from across the business 
are working together to optimise climate-related 
opportunities and minimising risks. 

the relevant tools, information and research 
to make involved decisions on where to invest, 
available on our Responsible Investment Hub.

The HL Sustainability Group is an employee-led 
network focusing on sustainability, with over 
70 core members. The group is sponsored 
by a senior executive and works to help us to 
engage colleagues and support the business to 
understand, measure and reduce our direct and 
indirect environmental impact. Over the past year 
the group have supported the work to return to 
the office greener, with the installation of electric 
vehicle charging points, improved cycling 
facilities, transition of internal supplies to 
sustainable alternatives and our food waste 
recycling scheme. 

Strategy 
Whilst we are aware that changes required to 
achieve a low carbon economy may present 
some risks, we also believe that there are 
opportunities for us and our clients during this 
transition. We are committed to ensuring our 
business operations are structured to ensure 
we contribute to a low carbon based economy 
as well as ensuring our clients have access to 

www.hl.co.uk/funds/
responsible-investment

We have undertaken a scenario analysis, looking 
at four scenarios for global warming, over two 
different time frames. This helped to form the 
foundations of our climate change strategy that 
will ensure HL is a financially resilient business. 
We have developed the analysis undertaken in 
FY20, to include any other factors which have 
arisen in the past year, such as implications 
from COP 26, the Ukrainian war and subsequent 
energy crisis. Additionally, our scenario analysis 
includes more information on the impacts of 
COVID-19 as more data is now available. This 
includes research on the impacts of COVID-19 
on the environment and socio-economic factors 
such as business travel.

In our first scenario, climate action has been 
prioritised and emissions significantly reduced 
by 2030. As a result, global temperature 

increases have been limited to 2°C or less. 
Our second scenario is 2°C or less in 2050. 
In the third, no climate action has been taken 
by 2030 and global temperatures have risen 
by 4°C or more. Lastly, this scenario has been 
considered in 2050.

The qualitative and quantitative data enables a 
consideration of the ‘what ifs’. These scenarios 
will be assessed in terms of the risks, 
opportunities, and the materiality in the next 
steps of the TCFD process. 

Unless stated otherwise, the data are 
assumptions of what could be expected in the 
scenario. Those that do not fit the time frames, 
such as the ‘reputation’ analysis, are included 
as they offer supporting evidence and an 
understanding of the risk posed. 

The scenario analysis will form the foundations 
of a climate change strategy that will ensure HL 
is a climate resilient business.

We are committing  
to achieve net zero  
emissions no later  
than 2050.

We have focused our scope on five key 
risks, in line with TCFD recommendations. 

1. Technology: 
Climate change and resource scarcity are 
linked. As a digital business, there’s a risk 
the technology we use doesn’t use scarce 
energy efficiently.

2. Policy and Legal: 
With the transition to a lower carbon 
economy, policies such as carbon-pricing 
mechanisms and taxes could pose a risk 
to our business. 

3. Markets: 
These disruptive policies could influence 
financial markets. We have considered 
this market risk having policy and legal 
repercussions. In particular, the impact 
of a shift away from fossil fuel investment.

4. Reputation: 
How we participate in the transition 
to a lower carbon economy could affect 
our reputation. 

5. Physical: 
We have considered the chronic 
physical risks of coastal flooding from 
rising sea levels or riverine flooding risks, 
as well as temperature rise implications. 

Predicting socioeconomic development 
is arguably more difficult than predicting 
the long-term physical impacts of climate 
change. To make sure our analysis was 
broad enough, we applied a range of 
existing models1 to these five key risks. 
We also looked at third-party research, 
expert judgement, and internal stakeholder 
focus groups. 

1  Examples of models used; WRI Aqueduct Floods; Climate 

Central Surging Seas; IAMC 1.5°C Scenario Explorer, IIASA; 
PRI IPR and IEA.

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Risks and opportunities 
We undertook an internal risk assessment using 
scenario analysis on our operations. It found 
the 2030 scenario for 2°C low risk, but then this 
increased to medium risk for the 4°C scenario. 
The 2050 scenario for 4°C was deemed to be 
high risk. These risks were assessed via a 
‘likelihood’ versus ‘impact’ matrix, offset against 
controls to mitigate to help determine the risk 
rating, for example a high risk has a high 
likelihood and higher impact of causing a 
significant event. The main risks were transitional 
– market, regulatory and reputational risk.

We recognise the significance of global warming 
and as a diversified financial institution, HL has 
exposure to both physical and transition risks.  
Despite a lack of direct exposure to climate-
related risks, a scenario like that articulated by 
the Inevitable Policy Response (IPR) could impact 
our future revenues and profits. As a result, 
we have committed to aligning our business with 
the global goal of achieving net zero by 2050. 

Opportunities include:
• Increasing availability of energy efficient 
technologies for example, cloud hosted 
services could significantly reduce our 
operational carbon footprint. 

• Utilising business communication technology, 
such as Teams and Zoom, to keep aspects 
of remote working, limit business travel and 
consequent emissions is also crucial here. 

• As business travel across the industry has 
not returned to pre-pandemic levels, there 
is an opportunity to leverage technology, 
limiting carbon and emissions under Scope 3. 
There have been positive short-term impacts 
on the environment from less commuting and 
business travel. Our year on year Scope 2 
emissions decrease for 2020-21 was well within 
expected minimum levels. We are aware that 

this could be partially due to COVID-19 and 
the impacts of virtual work. Post-pandemic, 
we will observe employee behaviours on 
commuting and business travel. If this returns 
to pre-pandemic levels, we will record this, 
and revise our mitigation accordingly. 

• The chance to enhance brand value through 

robust reporting. Authentic targets will attract 
and retain colleagues, clients and shareholders. 
And we know that transparency drives 
investor confidence.

• The Department for Business, Energy and 

Industrial Strategy2 (BEIS) stated the UK low 
carbon economy could grow four times faster 
than the rest of the economy between 2015 
and 2030. 

 – We can support our clients to invest in this 

area, through our Responsible Investing hub. 
We have created a responsible investment 
hub which makes it easier for clients to invest 
in this area. Here, there is information about 
ESG investing, tools and articles as well as 
providing a list of funds in the responsible 
investment sector.

 – Furthermore, as announced earlier in the 
year, we are launching a new Sustainable 
Finance Disclosures Regulation Article 9 
aligned fund over the coming years, 
in addition to ensuring all additional new 
funds are SFDR Article 8 as a minimum. 

Risks:
In our original scenario analysis we assessed the 
2°C and under 2050 scenario posed a medium 
risk. Limiting temperature increases over the next 
few decades will involve costs for businesses. 
These might act as a drag on share prices and 
could also impact economic growth compared 
to the business as usual scenario. This shows 
that climate action economic benefits 
significantly outweigh the cost. 

In the 4°C and above 2050 scenario, a significant 
increase in energy demand is expected as a 
result of rising water scarcity. We assessed this 
was a high risk. Due to the misalignment with 
the Paris agreement, reactive policies and taxes 
could be implemented. In addition, increased 
protests and citizen climate activism could be 
targeted at FTSE 100 companies. 

Risk management
Climate change risk forms part of HL’s 
Risk Universe. Each department within 
the business has responsibility to identify 
potential climate-related risks and implement 
mitigating controls. Strategic implementation 
of climate-related objectives are overseen 
by the Executive Committee.

Emerging developments of climate related risks 
are monitored through the Group’s Emerging 
Risk and Horizon Scanning process. The 
Executive Risk Committee and Board Risk 
Committee receive quarterly updates on HL’s 
emerging risks and the actions being taken 
by Accountable Executives.

We continue to focus on strengthening our 
management of climate-related risks making 
these considerations a component of our 
strategic planning process and executed through 
strategic implementation. For example, the Funds 
HL proposes to launch as part of its new strategy 
place increased focus on ESG considerations 
in their selection and management. HL has 
assessed the financial impact of the risks and 
the financial impact is not material. Over future 
iterations we intend to develop our quantification 
of these risks and add further analysis to the 
financial impact. 

An overarching risk across all scenarios is the 
reputational damage, which can in turn lead to 
litigation risk. This could result from poor climate 
risk management, misalignment with reporting 
and ‘greenwashing’. We recognise the impact 
this could have on relations with all of our 
stakeholders. This is ever present, particularly 
after COP 26 and the increase in green 
investment products. 

Hitting our climate-related targets is the key 
to mitigating this risk. Our approach is to set 
short-term targets to make sure we are on track 
to meet long-term pledges. Within our operations 
we have set a target to achieve by 2025, 
before then looking to 2050, as stated here: 
www.hl.co.uk/corporate-social-responsibility/
climate-commitments. We will follow the same 
approach within our fund management, with 
targets set by 2023. These will be reviewed 
by our Board and driven by our ESG Taskforce.

We also need to consider demand for our 
services if we don’t evolve to embrace ESG 
investing. Likewise, consideration must be given 
to the business’ growth rate and falling average 
age of HL’s clients. The environment is one of 
the top concerns3 of millennials and Gen Z. 
As the business’ youthful client base grows, 
so do the expectations and scrutiny of our 
climate action and we recognise the importance 
of championing responsible climate action for 
all current and future stakeholders.

2  HM Government 2017, “The Clean Growth Strategy”.

3  Deloitte 2020, “The Deloitte Global Millennial Survey 2020”.

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

Risk

Impact identified

Mitigation

Transition

Technology

• The link of climate change and resource scarcity is becoming increasingly 

apparent, for example, droughts and heatwaves will make the water needed to 
produce electricity scarce. As a digital business, we are aware of the risk of not 
having the right technology to manage energy scarcity.

• The ongoing energy crisis is resulting in increasing costs for running a digital 

business due to material infrastructure. 

• We intend to undertake work to understand the potential technology risks within 

our portfolio.

• Whilst there is a risk of not having sufficient technology to manage energy 

scarcity, in addition to considering unsuccessful investment in new technology 
& costs to transition to lower emission technology we believe this is a low risk in 
the short term but poses a higher risk over the long term in a 4 degree scenario.

Policy 
and legal

• With the transition to a lower carbon economy, we have recognised the risk that 

reactive policies could have to HL, such as carbon-pricing mechanisms to reduce 
GHG emissions, and associated taxations.

• As regulatory requirements inevitably increase as new policies are introduced, 

additional costs needed to adapt to these should also be considered. 

• There are a number of legislative reporting changes due (such as SDR, TCFD, 
new ISSB Reporting standards) and failure to align to and report against these 
will result in negative impacts, both financially and reputationally. 

The risk of energy scarcity is being managed through the transition to cloud hosted 
services, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). Using the cloud means fewer 
servers are needed and less energy used. HL is transitioning to using AWS systems, 
for which Amazon claims the AWS’s infrastructure is 3.6 times more energy efficient 
than the median of the surveyed US enterprise data centres, delivering a 72% 
reduction in carbon footprint on average. As this transition has been confirmed, 
HL could expect increased energy efficiency by 2030. Coupled with our investment 
in cloud-based services is our exploratory work into how we can deploy artificial 
intelligence to enhance efficiencies.

We’re also improving the energy efficiency of our operations through conscious 
switches, such as installing LED lighting in our offices. Between 2015 and 2020 
we’ve reduced the energy (kWh) we use per client by 57.9%. 

Due to virtual working, people are commuting less which leads to less emissions. 
Following the pandemic, a YouGov poll found that 34% of UK respondents 
stated environmental sustainability affects their decisions around travel. In the 
UK there has been a 142% increase in hybrid working. It was also found that 
42% of people would not return to business travel such as business trips and 
client meetings, choosing instead to hold them virtually. This has created an 
opportunity to reduce Scope 2 emissions, especially in the short-term. The effects 
on emissions are potentially long-term depending on the evolution of these social 
behaviours and attitudes to business travel.

We scan the horizon for policy and legal risks associated with climate change. 
We screen regulatory press releases, consultations and publications to spot 
potential changes that could impact our operations. Through this process, 
risks are assessed in terms of impact.

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Risk

Transition
continued

Impact identified

Mitigation

Market

• These disruptive policies could also pose a risk to financial markets. We have 

considered this market risk from the perspective of policy and legal repercussions, 
in particular, looking at the impact of a shift from fossil fuels. Also, how the 
demand for fossil fuels has changed due to socioeconomic behaviours and 
attitudes following the pandemic.

• The Ukraine crisis and the intent to replace Russian oil has led to many countries 
turning to coal (www.climatechangenews.com/2022/03/15/some-eu-members-
turn-back-to-coal-to-cut-reliance-on-russian-gas/) or imports of liquefied 
natural gas (www.oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Shale-CEO-US-Can-
Easily-Replace-Russian-Gas.html) as alternative sources to close the gap short 
term. This presents a risk to the decarbonisation transition.

• Carbon markets recognised at COP26 which can open new revenue streams. 

This has an impact on financials of putting an explicit price on carbon emissions, 
and the knock on effect that can have to listed companies and the market.

• This could pose a low risk over the short term due to reactive policies listed 
and impact on the markets, resulting in increasing risk over the longer term

Disruptive policies and the subsequent shift away from fossil fuels poses a risk to 
client outcomes, for example to meet the 1.5 degrees target, phase-down of coal 
is required per United Nations COP26. We mitigate this risk by creating content 
that educates our clients on the importance of diversifying their investments. 
Diversification is a key part of building resilience into a portfolio and we offer clients 
the opportunity to save and invest in a large selection of assets. 

We have six responsible funds on the Wealth Shortlist currently, in addition to the 
nineteen new funds which will be launched that are EU SFDR article 8 aligned at 
a minimum and have launched our Responsible Investment Hub to provide clients 
with the tools and research to invest in line with their preferences.

We are aware of the risk of portfolio exposure and risk management and are 
exploring tools to help identify our transition risks and to support client decision 
making. Within our Fund Management we integrate ESG factors into our portfolios 
and have an ESG proprietary dashboard to support our analysis.

Reputation

• The Task Force has recognised climate change as a potential source of 

reputational risk in terms of an organisation’s contribution to, or detraction from, 
the transition to a lower carbon economy. We have focused on the risk of a 
misalignment between reporting and HL’s actions.

• This could pose a short term, lower impact risk than the previous risks covered

A robust and transparent climate strategy will help mitigate the reputational impact 
stemming from climate inaction. This includes ensuring any promotion of funds is 
accurate and do not lead to claims of greenwashing which would have a negative 
impact on reputation.

Physical

Physical

• Physical risks resulting from climate change can be event driven (acute) 

or longer-term shifts (chronic) in climate pattern.

• We have considered the chronic risk of coastal flooding from rising sea levels 

or riverine flooding risks, as well as temperature rise implications.

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) report notes that climate 

change interacts with global trends such as unsustainable use of natural 
resources, growing urbanisation, social inequalities, loss and damage from 
extreme events and a pandemic, jeopardising future development.

• Whilst there is an increasing risk of the physical impact of climate change over 
the longer term, it was deemed as lower risk due to the smaller impact it would 
have on our physical operations

As part of our business continuity plans, we consider the effects of adverse 
weather. We have plans and playbooks for incidents such as flooding. These plans 
also include annual due diligence of our suppliers, including climate-related risks. 

In terms of flooding, Bristol City Council’s flood zone planning encompasses our 
core Harbourside office. Insurance is also in place for further protection.

Temperature rise is mitigated through the installation of improved cooling systems 
that reduces the overheating of our core technology systems and server rooms.

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Greenhouse gas emissions statement
In order to provide an intensity ratio for our 
emissions disclosure, we have calculated 
our greenhouse emissions per employee.

Scope 1 is calculated by taking the invoice 
consumption data (in KwH) from our Gas supplier 
and refrigerant gas data multiplied by the UK 
Government GHG conversion factors. 

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

Metrics & Targets
Targets are a means to ensure we are on track to 
meet our long-term goals. We continue to adjust 
our targets on an annual basis to keep the aims 
ambitious. We aim to set a science-based net 
zero target within the next year. With regard to 
operational emissions, HL commits to:

• Reduce our Scope 1* and 2* emissions by 

15% (relative to baseline year FY18) each year. 

• Measure and report all material Scope 3* 
emissions by 2023 – primarily focusing on 
our financed emissions which account for 
the majority of our emissions, and emissions 
which account for at least 50% of the total.

• 20% reduction in tonnes of CO2e for Scope 1+2 

emissions per average full-time equivalent 
employee each year (relative to baseline 
year FY16).

• 100% of the general waste and mixed recycled 
packaging disposed of in our head office is 
recycled. We are working to expand this to 
include our food waste by 2022. 

Since 1 October 2013, the Companies Act 2006 
(Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) 
Regulations 2013 has required all UK quoted 
companies to report on their greenhouse gas 
emissions as part of their annual Directors’ Report. 
We have reported on all of the emission sources 
required under the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic 
Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013. 
We also support the Carbon Disclosure Project 
by reporting our CO2 emissions.

We do not have responsibility for any emission 
sources that are not included in our consolidated 
statement. Our emissions are calculated in line 
with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol using the 
2021 emission factors provided by DEFRA. 
The Group’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for the 
year to 30 June 2022 are set out in the table 
below. Scope 1 emissions relate to the Group’s 
fugitive emissions from the combustion of fuel 
and operating activities and Scope 2 emissions 
relate to the Group’s electricity usage. Scope 3 
emissions relate to business travel and employee 
commuting. The table also shows the Group’s 
energy usage arising from the gas and electricity 
purchased for and used in operating its premises, 
using the operational boundary definition.

The Directors believe that the number of 
employees is the best indicator for a Group 
of this size and nature for the purposes of this 
disclosure. The number of employees used 
is the average number of full-time equivalent 
employees over the measurement period. 
For the year ending 30 June 2022 our emissions 
per average employee was 0.71 tonnes down 
20% on the prior year (2021: 0.89). The average 
number of employees for the year was 1,984 
(2021: 1,776).

Emissions from:

Direct emissions Scope 1 – Combustion of fuel and  
operations of facilities including air conditioning

Indirect emissions Scope 2 – Purchased energy for own use

Tonnes of CO2e per average full-time equivalent employee

Energy used (KwH)

Scope 3 – Business travel 

Scope 3 – Employee commuting

Tonnes of CO2e

Current 
reporting year 
2021-2022

Comparison 
year 
2020-2021

942.1

476.11

0.71

975.5

672.11

0.89

3,851,3812

4,446,7332

Change

-3%

-29%

-20%

-13%

29.9

404.0

0.6

193.3

+4,902%

+109%

1  The purchased energy for own use figure includes 34.9 Tonnes of CO2 emissions (30.8 T, 2021) relating to our operations in Poland.  

It is not feasible to split any other metrics by country.

2  The energy used figure includes 180,594 KwH (145,092 KwH, 2021) relating to our operations in Poland. It is not feasible to split any other  

metrics by country. 

Scope 2 is calculated by taking the invoice 
consumption data (in KwH) from our Electricity 
supplier multiplied by the UK Government GHG 
conversion factors. 

Scope 3 Business travel is calculated by taking 
colleague expense claim data multiplied by 
emission factor data. Employee commuting is 
calculated using Travel West ‘travel to work 
survey data’ and average distances travelled, 
multiplied by emission factor data, the 
percentage of colleagues working from home 
is also factored in. There has been an increase 
in Scope 3 emissions in FY22 as a result of 
COVID-19 restrictions being lifted and more 
people returning to the office and carrying out 
business travel. 

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
BUILDING OUR POSITION AS A RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS CONTINUED

This is for HL plc.; we intend to disclose targets 
for HLFM and HLAM in the near future. 

To read more about our ambitions, 
please refer to our climate commitments 
web page www.hl.co.uk/ 
corporate-social-responsibility/
climate-commitments

*Definition of terms used:
Scope 1 and 2 are those emissions that are 
owned or controlled by a company, whereas 
scope 3 emissions are a consequence of the 
activities of the company but occur from sources 
not owned or controlled by it.

Scope 1 emissions: emissions from sources 
that an organisation owns or controls directly.

Scope 2 emissions: emissions that a company 
causes indirectly when the energy it purchases 
and uses is produced. 

Scope 3 emissions: emissions that are not 
produced by the company itself, and not the 
result of activities from assets owned or 
controlled by them, but by those that it’s 
indirectly responsible for, up and down its 
value chain. An example of this is when we buy, 
use and dispose of products from suppliers. 
Scope 3 emissions include all sources not within 
the scope 1 and 2 boundaries.

Net zero
HL recognises the significance of net zero, 
transparent disclosures and authentic pledges 
to allow for a sustainable economy. We are proud 
to support the transition to carbon neutrality 
by committing to net zero and publishing our 
TCFD assessment of climate-related risks and 
opportunities for our operations. We recognise 
that the hard work starts here in evolving 
our business to embed climate-related risk 
management, continue to refine and expand 
our disclosures, and focus on reducing HL’s 
environmental footprint.

We are committing to be carbon neutral across 
our Scope 1, 2 and Scope 3 business travel and 
employee commuting emissions by 2025. We are 
using the term ‘carbon neutral’ as we recognise 
that we may need to utilise carbon offsetting as 
part of our commitment and without the certainty 
that we won’t use them, we do not want to 
mislead with our commitments. This pledge 
complements the City of Bristol’s 2030 net zero 
target, allowing HL to champion our community’s 
green growth. This will be met through a 
combination of internal reduction methods 
and a portfolio of carbon removal and reduction 
projects. We commit to be net zero across all 
of HL operations emissions (including Scope 3 
financed emissions) by at least 2050 and will 
seek accreditation for this via the science based 
target initiative, in accordance with the Paris 
Agreement by 2024 at the latest.

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CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
NON-FINANCIAL INFORMATION STATEMENT

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

Reporting requirement

Policies and standards which govern our approach

Environmental 
matters

Our report on Corporate Citizenship sets out our approach and policy in respect of the environment, 
sustainability and climate change and provides examples of the action we are taking to promote energy 
efficiency and reduce waste. It also provides details of our energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Employees

Our people strategy aims to motivate and inspire colleagues to reach their full potential and our people policies 
are in place to attract and promote an inclusive, diverse and healthy workforce. 

Our report on Corporate Citizenship sets out our approach and the policies that support it.  
This includes how we aim to attract and retain outstanding people, our commitment to personal development 
of colleagues to expand our talent pipeline, and how we engage with colleagues and support their well-being.

We are committed to building a diverse workforce at all levels and creating an inclusive culture for all. 
Our report on Corporate Citizenship sets out how we are doing this, and further information on our policies 
to promote diversity and inclusion can be found in the Nomination Committee Report.

Where you can find out more

The environment, sustainability 
and climate change and 
Greenhouse gas emissions 
pages 35 to 43.

Employees pages 26 to 30.

Nomination Committee Report 
page 107.

Social

Our report on Corporate Citizenship provides details of our approach to supporting our community. There you 
can read more on our approach and the policies, schemes and initiatives that support it. You can also find 
information on how our tax strategy supports our role as a business responsibly operating in and contributing 
to society.

Community and Tax Strategy 
pages 33 to 34.

Respect for  
human rights

We are committed to supporting the rights of individuals and our people policies promote and support the 
protection of the rights of our colleagues. We have a zero tolerance approach to slavery and human trafficking 
of any kind within our business operations and supply chain. You can read more on our approach and the 
policies in place to support it in the People section of this report.

Employees and Human Rights 
page 30.

Anti-corruption 
and anti-bribery

We have a full suite of policies and procedures in place to guard against financial crime, including bribery 
and corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing, market abuse and fraud. You can read more about 
our approach and the policies in place to support it in the People section of this report.

Anti-bribery and corruption 
page 30.

Additional information

Description of principal risks and impact of business activity

Principal risks and uncertainties, conduct risk (client outcomes)  
and operational risk (financial crime)

Description of the business model

Non-financial key performance indicators

Business model

Strategy and KPIs

Page

51 to 59

22 to 23

12 to 17

As a FTSE 100-listed business, we have an 
important responsibility to contribute to the 
communities around us and the wider economy. 

We focus on driving high levels of corporate 
responsibility, governance and sustainability and 
look to engage with a wide range of stakeholders 
in order to help create value for all. This section 
of the Strategic Report constitutes the Group’s 
Non-Financial Information Statement for the 
purposes of sections 414CA and 414CB of the 
Companies Act 2006. The information listed is 
incorporated by reference.

The Strategic report was approved by the Board 
of Directors and signed on its behalf by:

Chris Hill
Chief Executive Officer

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PERFORMANCE
OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW

INVESTING FOR  
FUTURE GROWTH

Strategic investment programme 
underway to deliver improved operational 
efficiency and growth potential.

Assets Under Administration (AUA)  
and Net New Business (NNB) 

Opening AUA
Underlying NNB
Market movement and other

Closing AUA

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£bn 

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£bn

135.5
5.5
(17.2)

123.8

104.0 
8.7
22.8

135.5

Hargreaves Lansdown provides the leading direct wealth 
management service in the UK. The strength of our brand, 
diversified offering and the quality of our client engagement 
and service has enabled us to continue to deliver net new clients 
and net new business growth in a somewhat turbulent year.

Net new business for the year totalled £5.5 billion (2021: £8.7bn) 
driven by increased client numbers, continued wealth consolidation 
onto our platform and inflows from existing clients. The prior year 
comparative saw the benefit of net new business and net new 
clients resulting from the announcement of the Pfizer vaccine 
and the optimism that brought to both clients and markets more 
broadly. The lockdown months in early 2021 also saw significant 
inflows as clients were predominantly home based with more time 
to open accounts, transfer investments, undertake trading activity 
and add money to the platform that was not being spent 
elsewhere. This year instead, investors have faced uncertainties 
caused by issues not seen for a generation with war in Europe, 

significant cost inflation, rising interest rates and continued 
macroeconomic uncertainty weighing heavily on consumer 
confidence which hit an all-time low in June of this year and in turn 
impacting net new business. Throughout the period, however, we 
have maintained our focus on engaging with clients and helping 
them to navigate these uncertain times, to improve their financial 
awareness and resilience. This, combined with the quality of 
service and breadth of proposition is key to building long-term 
client relationships. Our focus on service and the value our clients 
place on our offering is evidenced by client and asset retention 
rates remaining strong at 92.1% and 91.8% respectively (2021: 
92.1% and 91.4%).

During the year to 30 June 2022, we introduced 92,000 net new 
clients (2021: 233,000) to our services and grew our active client 
base by 6% to 1,737,000. The average age of new clients at 36 
years old, is consistent with recent periods and they are behaving 
similarly to recent equivalent cohorts in terms of growing their AUA 
on the platform over time, diversifying their portfolios and using 
the tax wrapped accounts. We are encouraged by the qualitative 
aspects of these clients and the additional lifetime value they will 
bring to the Group as a result. On joining, new clients brought an 
average NNB of £15,565, up 12% on last year (2021: £13,943). 

Our client focused strategic 
investment underpins our 
future growth.

Amy Stirling
Chief Financial Officer

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PERFORMANCE
OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Financial performance
Income Statement 

Revenue
Fair value gains on derivatives
Operating costs
Finance and other income
Finance costs

Profit before tax
Tax

Profit after tax*

Profit before tax
Total strategic spend
– Investment cost
– Dual tech running cost

Underlying profit before tax*
Tax on underlying profit*

Underlying profit after tax*

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m 

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

583.0
–
(313.0)
–
(0.8)

269.2
(53.4)

215.8

269.2

21.1
7.2

297.5
(59.0)

238.5

631.0
0.6
(266.0)
1.4
(1.0)

366.0
(69.7)

296.3

366.0

–
–

366.0
(69.7)

296.3

*   Underlying profit before tax, Tax on underlying profit, and Underlying profit after tax for 

the period exclude strategic investment costs and dual tech running costs of £28.3 million. 
See the Glossary of alternative performance measures on page 168 for the full definition. 
Prior period comparatives are provided on the same basis as they were reported prior to 
the introduction of the new alternative performance measures.

Revenue
Revenue for the year was £583.0 million, down 8% (2021: £631.0m), driven by lower share dealing volumes as anticipated given the more 
atypical trading volumes experienced during COVID-19 last year. This was partly offset by higher average asset values in the first half 
and the benefit that brings in higher platform fees.

The table below breaks down revenue, average AUA and margins earned during the period.

Funds1
Shares2
Cash3
HL Funds4
Other5
Double-count7

Total

Year ended 
30 June 2022

Year ended
30 June 2021

Revenue
£m

254.5
194.9
50.0
60.3
23.3
–

583.0

Average 
AUA
£bn

65.37
52.3
13.6
8.87
3.86
(8.7)7

135.17

Revenue
 margin
bps

39
37
37
69
–
–

–

Revenue
£m

232.9
258.0
50.7
60.7
28.7
–

631.0

Average 
AUA
£bn

58.57
45.1
13.0
8.47
2.86
(8.3)7

119.57

Revenue 
margin
bps

40
57
39
72
–
–

–

1   Platform fees and renewal commission.
2   Stockbroking commission and equity holding charges.
3  Net interest earned on client money.
4  Annual management charge on HL Funds, i.e. excluding the platform fee, which is included in revenue on funds.
5   Advisory fees, Active Savings and ancillary services (e.g. annuity broking, distribution of VCTs and Hargreaves Lansdown Currency and Market Services).
6  Average cash held via Active Savings.
7   HL Funds AUM included in Funds AUA for platform fee and in HL Funds for annual management charge. Total average AUA excludes HL Fund AUM to avoid double-counting.

Funds
Revenue on Funds increased by 9% to £254.5 million (2021: 
£232.9m) due to higher average AUA levels. Funds remain our 
largest client asset class at 48% of average AUA (2021: 49%), 
and the revenue margin earned this year was in line with our 
expectations at 39bps (2021: 40bps). Funds AUA at the end 
of June 2022 was £58.2 billion (2021: £66.6bn).

We expect the fund revenue margin to remain at broadly similar 
levels for the next financial year, within the range of 38.0bps 
to 39.0bps. 

Shares 
Revenue on Shares decreased by 24% to £194.9 million (2021: 
£258.0m) and the revenue margin of 37bps (2021: 57bps) was 
within our expected range. This margin is primarily a result of the 
ratio of dealing volumes to average AUA. In the year client driven 
deal volumes fell by 32% to 8.9 million (2021:13.1m), whereas the 
average Shares AUA has grown by 16%. Within this decrease 
overseas deal volumes, which derive greater revenues were down 
41%. The drop in deal volumes and revenues year on year primarily 
relates to the significant boost seen last year on the back of Pfizer 
announcing the success of their vaccine trials in November 2020 
and the elevated deal volumes during the lockdown months of 
January 2021 to March 2021. 

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PERFORMANCE
OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Total deal volumes (including automated deals such as dividend 
reinvestment) decreased by 27% to 10.5 million (2021: 14.4m) but 
were in line with expectations of c40,000 deals per trading day, 
albeit from a peak in January of 46,000 deals per trading day 
driven by market volatility to a low in June of 37,000 as a result 
of low levels of investor confidence and a lack of market stimulus. 
Despite the more recent reduction in volumes, client driven trading 
remains ahead of levels seen prior to the pandemic. We are well 
placed to benefit from future market volatility and growth in share 
trading across the industry. However, we expect to see these 
more muted volumes continue through much of the year ahead. 
We remain the market leader in terms of UK stockbroking volumes 
with a 38.2% share (source: Compeer Limited XO Quarterly 
Benchmarking Report Q1 2022). Shares AUA at the end of 2022 
was £45.9 billion (2021: £53.1bn).

Our revenue margin guidance for the next financial year on shares 
is 35bps to 40bps. 

Cash 
Revenue on Cash was broadly flat at £50.0 million (2021: £50.7m) 
as higher average cash levels were more than offset by a decrease 
in the net interest margin to 37bps (2021: 39bps) slightly above 
the top end of our communicated expectations. With the majority 
of SIPP cash placed on rolling 13 month term deposits, and 
non-SIPP on terms of up to 95 days, the full impact of any rate rise 
or fall takes over a year to flow through. Cash AUA at the end of 
2022 was £15.0 billion (2021: £12.6bn).

As we progressed through the first half of our year, expectations 
of an interest rate rise gained momentum until 16 December 2021 
when the Bank of England raised interest rates for the first time 
in three years from 0.10% to 0.25%. In the second half we have 
seen four subsequent increases, each of 0.25%, in February, 
March, May and June. The extent of pass through by us to 
clients is determined by the rates we are able to achieve with our 
relationship banking partners who we assess based on the criteria 
of security, liquidity and yield. Assuming there are no further rate 
changes, our guidance for this financial year is 90bps to 110bps.

HL Funds 
HL Funds consist of 10 Multi-Manager funds, on which the 
average management fee ranges from 60bps to 75bps, three 
Select equity funds, on which the management fee is 60bps 
and our new Workplace Default Fund ‘HL Growth Fund’, on 
which the management fee is 10bps. Although the average funds 
under management were up 5% versus last year, revenue from 
HL Funds was broadly flat at £60.3m (2021: £60.7m) as previously 
announced price cuts took effect from 28 June 2021. These price 
cuts were initially announced in January 2021 as part of the annual 
Value for Money report on our own fund range and included cuts 
to the annual management charge on some of the Multi-Manager 
funds and the introduction of price reductions linked to economies 
of scale. The fees are collected on a daily basis whereas the 
Group calculates average AUM on a month end basis, resulting 
in a headline margin for the period of 69bps (2021: 72bps).

Overall, we have seen modest net outflows combined with 
negative market growth such that HL Funds AUM at the end of 
2022 was £8.0 billion (2021: £9.0bn). The net outflows primarily 
relate to our advisory clients who hold these funds through 
our Portfolio Management Service, which we have not been 
actively marketing. 

Looking forward, we are launching a range of new HL Funds along 
with new investment tools and solutions. This will improve the 
overall proposition and competitiveness of our own investment 
funds and will begin to drive net inflows. We expect to launch 
new funds with lower priced management fees than the existing 
Multi-Manager funds and will be moving certain existing HL 
Multi-Manager funds into the new lower priced funds. The margin 
for 2023 is therefore expected to reduce and be in the range of 
55bps to 60bps

Other
Other revenues are primarily made up of advisory fees and Active 
Savings. The year on year reduction of revenue primarily relates 
to the removal of our paper based statement fees during the year. 

Overall, we expect our revenue margin to be in the range of 44bps 
to 47bps for the full year.

Active Savings
Assets held within Active Savings on the platform continue to 
grow and are shown in the previous table as ‘Other’. Whilst growing, 
the related revenue is not yet material so has been included with 
various other revenue streams in the same table. Our focus is on 
growing Active Savings cash balances through both attracting 
new clients and retaining cash assets on the platform. In the last 
quarter of the financial year, following the base rate increases, 
we have usually been able to offer market leading rates from our 
growing range of partner banks. Combined with marketing Active 
Savings for the first time, we have seen a significant step up in 
flows towards the end of the year. Active Savings AUA at 30 June 
2022 was £4.6 billion (2021: £3.1bn). 

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OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Revenues

Operating costs

Ongoing revenue*
Transactional revenue*

Total revenue

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m 

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

414.1
168.9

583.0

390.5
240.5

631.0

*  Definitions are shown in the Glossary of alternative financial performance measures 

on page 168.

The Group’s business model offers clients a broad range of asset 
classes to suit their needs in differing market environments and 
as such benefits from a diversified revenue stream. The Group’s 
revenues are largely ongoing in nature, as shown in the table 
above. The proportion of ongoing revenue has increased to 71% 
(2021: 62%) as the transactional stockbroking commission 
decreased significantly versus last year.

Ongoing revenue is primarily comprised of platform fees on funds 
and equities, Hargreaves Lansdown fund management fees, 
interest on client money and ongoing advisory fees. It increased 
by 6% to £414.1 million (2021: £390.5m) driven by higher revenues 
on funds from higher average AUA levels in the first half of the year. 

Transactional revenue is primarily made up of stockbroking 
commission and advisory event-driven fees. This decreased by 
30% to £168.9 million (2021: £240.5m) with a 32% decrease in 
client driven equity deal volumes being the driver of this revenue.

Operating Costs
As set out at the Capital Markets Day in February this year, 
we have embarked on an investment programme to support 
the strategic initiatives which will drive improved client 
experience, enable growth at scale without the need for ongoing 
commensurate increases in operating costs and expand our client 
proposition by evolving our Investment Solutions, Active Savings 
and Advice capabilities to meet the increasing needs of our current 
and future clients.

The investment programme drives incremental spend over this 
year and over the next three years through both investment cost 
and dual tech running costs, together Total Strategic Spend.

Staff costs (including contractors)
Marketing and distribution costs
Depreciation and amortisation
Activity costs* 
Technology costs*
Legal and professional costs
Other costs

Total costs (pre-FSCS)
Total FSCS levy

Total operating costs**

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m 

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m 

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m 

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

Underlying cost

Investment Cost

Total strategic spend

Dual Tech
running costs

144.2
25.8
16.1
24.6
28.7
17.1
16.1

272.6
12.1

284.7

6.3
–
–
–
–
14.8
–

21.1
–

21.1

5.0
–
–
–
1.0
1.2
–

7.2
–

7.2

Total

11.3
–
–
–
1.0
16.0
–

28.3
–

28.3

Operating cost

Operating cost

155.5
25.8
16.1
24.6
29.7
33.1
16.1

300.9
12.1

313.0

119.8
28.3
16.2
35.6
22.8
16.7
12.7

252.1
13.9

266.0

*  Definitions are shown in the Glossary of alternative financial performance measures on page 168.
** Underlying costs excludes £28.3 million of strategic investment costs. See the Glossary of alternative performance measures on page 168 for the full definition.  

Prior period comparatives are provided on the same basis as they were reported prior to the introduction of the new alternative performance measures.  
They are used as the comparative reference points in the discussion on cost performance below.

Underlying costs increased by 7% to £284.7 million (2021: 
£266.0m) as we continued to support the growing client base 
and delivered an improved client service. The average number 
of clients across the period was 11% higher than in 2021. 

The key driver of cost growth was staff costs, which rose by 20% 
to £144.2 million (2021: £119.8m). Average staff numbers, including 
contractors, increased by 15% from 1,839 in 2021 to 2,109 in 2022.
The increase was predominantly within the service functions of 
helpdesk and operations as they support our growing client base, 
plus compliance and risk. Salary inflation had an impact of c3%.

Marketing and distribution costs fell by 9% to £25.8 million 
(2021: £28.3m). During the period we were more targeted with our 
client acquisition spend and we spent less on cash back transfer 
incentives having focused instead for the year on improving our 
transfer processes. As usual, marketing activity increased in the 
second half and through the tax year end, including the third year 
of our brand marketing campaign as ‘Switch your money on’.

Relating to the underlying operations of the business, capitalised 
expenditure was £8.1 million (2021: £17.8m). The majority of this 
expenditure was for cyclical replacement of IT hardware, office 
equipment and the ongoing development of Active Savings. 
Depreciation and amortisation costs decreased by £0.1 million.

Activity based costs primarily include dealing related costs and 
debit card fees linked to cash paid onto the platform. Overall they 
fell by 31% to £24.6 million (2021: £35.6m) driven by a 27% 
reduction in share dealing volumes. 

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OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Technology costs increased by 26% to £28.7 million (2021: 
£22.8m). This was driven by increased licence fees to support 
colleague numbers along with further spend incurred in providing 
our proposition. 

Legal and professional fees were broadly flat at £17.1 million 
(2021: £16.7m) reflecting the cost of operating in a highly 
regulated environment.

Other costs increased £3.4 million to £16.1 million (2021: £12.7m). 
The key drivers of this were increased office running costs as 
we faced higher energy costs, increased insurance costs and 
travel expenses.

Total strategic spend to date primarily comprises staff (including 
contractor) costs and professional fees relating to the planning 
and commencement of the digital technology strategy and 
strategic growth initiatives along with associated compliance, 
infrastructure and support costs. In addition, in order to provide 
assurance for our clients as we go through our transformation, 
we will be parallel running new and legacy technology and 
therefore have incurred dual tech running costs. Overall the 
total strategic spend for the year was £32.9 million of which 
£28.3 million has been expensed in the year (£21.1m investment 
cost and £7.2m dual tech running costs) and £4.6 million has been 
capitalised and will be amortised and depreciated in accordance 
with our existing accounting policy.

Looking ahead to financial year 2023, our underlying costs have 
come in lower than guidance for FY22, which combined with the 
impact of wage inflation means we now expect to see growth of 
c9.5% to 11.5% in the year ahead which is lower in absolute terms 
than previously guided as we focus on managing spend. We 
expect our strategic investment spend to be c£65 to £75 million, 
catching up on the slightly slower start in FY22 of which c60% will 
be capitalised. The amortisation and depreciation costs relating to 
our strategic spend are included in the above cost guidance on 
underlying costs. In addition, we expect to incur c£20 million of 
dual running costs relating to the parallel running of technology 
systems in the next financial year.

It is anticipated that the strategic investment cost and dual tech 
running costs will continue until the financial year ending June 
2026. In order to provide clarity of business performance, the 
Total Strategic Spend (comprising investment cost and dual tech 
running costs) will be added back to statutory profit before tax 
to form an underlying profit before tax measure. 

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) levy 
decreased by £1.8 million to £12.1 million (2021: £13.9m) as the 
overall amount raised under the scheme this year was lowered. 
The FSCS is the compensation fund of last resort for customers of 
authorised financial services firms. All authorised firms are required 
to contribute to the running of the scheme and the levy reflects 
the cost of compensation payments paid by the industry in 
proportion to the amount of each participant’s relevant eligible 
income. At present we anticipate that this levy will continue at 
a similar level.

Profit before tax
Hargreaves Lansdown’s success is built around delivering 
high service standards, efficiently dealing with ever growing 
volumes of business and investing in further growth opportunities. 
This investment is key to driving future growth and ensuring we 
have a scalable operating platform, which we believe will be to 
the benefit of both clients and shareholders across the market 
cycle. At our Capital Markets Day, we outlined the improvements 
to our client service and proposition, the improvements to our 
efficiency and the cost savings the strategic investment will 
deliver. This strategic investment has already begun and these 
costs incurred in the year are in addition to the business as usual 
or underlying costs of the business. The table below reconciles 
the underlying profit before tax to the statutory profit before tax. 
On an underlying basis, profit before tax fell by 19% to £297.5 million 
(2021: £366.0m). On a statutory basis profit before tax fell by 26% 
to £269.2 million (2021: £366.0m).

Tax
The effective tax rate for the period was 19.8% (2021: 19.1%),  
in line with the standard rate of UK corporation tax. The Group’s 
tax strategy is published on our website at www.hl.co.uk

Earnings per share

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m 

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

Operating profit
Finance income
Finance costs

Profit before tax
Underlying profit before tax*
Tax

Profit after tax

Tax on underlying profit*

Underlying profit after tax*

Weighted average number of shares 
for the calculation of diluted EPS

Diluted EPS (pence per share)

Underlying diluted EPS  
(pence per share)*

270.0
–
(0.8)

269.2
297.5
53.4

215.8

(59.0)

238.5

474.5

45.6

50.4

365.6
1.4
(1.0)

366.0
366.0
(69.7)

296.3

(69.7)

296.3

474.5

62.5

62.5

*  Underlying profit before tax, Tax on underlying profit before tax, Underlying profit after tax 

and Underlying diluted EPS for the period exclude strategic investment costs of £28.3 million. 
See the Glossary of alternative performance measures on page 168 for the full definitions. 
Prior period comparatives are provided on the same basis as they were reported prior to the 
introduction of the new alternative performance measures.

Diluted EPS decreased by 27% from 62.5 pence to 45.6 pence, 
in line with the Group’s reduction in profits. The Group’s basic EPS 
was 45.6 pence, compared with 62.6 pence in 2021. Underlying 
diluted EPS decreased by 19% from 62.5 pence to 50.4 pence. 
The Group’s underlying basic EPS was 50.4 pence compared to 
62.6 pence (see Glossary of alternative performance measures 
on page 168 for the full definition). 

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Capital

30 June 2022
£m 

30 June 2021
£m

Dividend
Dividend (pence per share)

PERFORMANCE
OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Capital and liquidity management
Hargreaves Lansdown looks to create long-term value for 
shareholders by balancing delivery of profit growth, capital 
appreciation and an attractive dividend stream to shareholders 
with the need to invest in the business to maintain a market-
leading offering and high service standards for our clients.

The Group seeks to maintain a strong net cash position and a 
robust balance sheet with sufficient capital and liquidity to fund 
ongoing trading and future growth, in line with our aim of offering 
a lifelong, secure home for people’s savings and investments. The 
Group has a high conversion rate of operating profits to cash and 
its net cash position at 30 June 2022 was £508.0 million (2021: 
£503.5m). Despite this being the first year of our investment 
programme, cash generated from operations more than offset the 
payments of the 2021, final ordinary and special dividends and the 
2022 interim dividend. This includes cash on longer-term deposit 
and is before funding the 2022 final dividend of £130 million.

The Group has a Revolving Credit Facility agreement with Barclays 
Bank to provide access to a further £75 million of liquidity. This is 
undrawn and was put in place to further strengthen the Group’s 
liquidity position and increase our cash management flexibility. 
The Group also funds a share purchase programme to manage 
the impact of dilution from operating our share-based 
compensation schemes.

The healthy net cash position provides both a source of 
competitive advantage and support to our client offering. 
It provides security to our clients, and allows us to provide them 
with an excellent service, for example through using surplus 
liquidity to allow same day switching between products that have 
mismatched settlement dates.

Shareholder Funds
Less: goodwill, intangibles 
and other deductions

Tangible capital
Less: provision for dividend

Qualifying regulatory capital
Less: estimated capital requirement

Surplus capital 

575

(41)

534
(130)

404
(219)

185

593

(37)

556
(183)

373
(183)

190

Total shareholders’ equity, as at 30 June 2022, made up of share 
capital, share premium, retained earnings and other reserves 
decreased to £575.1 million (2021: £593.5m) given the reduction 
of profit for the year resulting from the commencement of the 
investment programme and the payment of the 2021 final and 
special dividends and the 2022 interim dividend. Having made 
appropriate deductions as shown in the table above, surplus 
capital amounts to £185 million.

HL plc has four subsidiary companies authorised and regulated 
by the FCA. The FCA’s Investment Firm Prudential regime (IFPR) 
came into effect on 1st January 2022 focusing on the potential 
harm firms can pose to consumers and markets. HL completes this 
assessment through the Group Internal Capital Adequacy and Risk 
Assessment (ICARA) processes. Our assessment of HL’s capital 
requirements takes account of the new regulatory requirements.

Consistent with the new IFPR requirements, HLAM specifically 
is required to disclose regulatory capital information; this will 
be available on the Group’s website at https://www.hl.co.uk/
investor-relations. 

Interim dividend paid
Final dividend declared

Total ordinary dividend
Special dividend

Total dividend

2022

12.26p
27.44p

39.70p
–

39.70p

2021

11.90p
26.60p

38.50p
12.00p

50.50p

As announced in February this year, the Group will be undertaking 
an estimated £175 million of strategic investment cost to deliver 
future growth and operational efficiencies. In part, the funding 
for this investment will come from the suspension of any special 
dividends through FY22 and FY23. The Board, however, 
is confident that Hargreaves Lansdown has sufficiently strong 
financial, liquidity and capital positions to execute its strategy 
without constraints and hence has committed that the ordinary 
dividend will grow by at least 3% throughout the period to FY24. 

The Board has declared an increase in the total ordinary dividend 
of 3% taking the ordinary dividend per share to 39.70 pence 
(2021: 8.50 pence per share of ordinary dividend and 12.0 pence 
per share of special dividend). The ordinary dividend is made up 
of an interim dividend of 12.26 pence per share that was paid on 
1 April 2022 (2021: 11.90 pence per share) and a final ordinary 
dividend of 27.44 pence per share (2021: 26.60 pence per share). 
Subject to shareholder approval of the final ordinary dividend at 
the 2022 AGM, the final dividend will be paid on 24 October 2022 
to all shareholders on the register at the close of business on 
23 September 2022.

Amy Stirling
Chief Financial Officer

4 August 2022

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EVALUATING AND  
MANAGING RISKS

Our risk management framework enables 
a consistent approach to the identification, 
mitigation and management of risks, 
which is essential to achieve our 
strategic objectives.

1. Risk management
The Group aims for effective and proactive risk management 
integrated into the culture of the Group.

The Board has ultimate responsibility for ensuring the Group 
deploys effective risk management. The Board determines and 
oversees the Group’s risk appetite including setting and monitoring 
appropriate tolerance levels within which the Group must operate. 

To assist the Board in discharging its responsibilities, the Group 
has implemented a comprehensive risk management framework 
to support identification, mitigation and management of risk 
exposures which is further described below.

The Group’s Risk Management Framework (see figure 1) applies 
at both Group and Legal entity levels and has been in place 
throughout the period under review and up to the date of 

Figure 1: Enterprise Risk Management Model

Policies & Standards

Framework

Risk Cycle

Governance

Group Risk Management Policy

Enterprise Risk Framework

Risk Category Policies
Strategic
Financial
Operational
Investment

Emerging Risk Policy

Risk Events & Escalation

Risk Appetite Framework

Risk Assurance Framework

IFPR (ICARA) Approach

Risk Acceptance

Internal Control Policy

* plc Board Risk Committee  ** Executive Committee  ‡ Executive Risk Committee  † e.g. Treasury & Product Governance Committees

Identify

Report

Assess

BRC*

Exco**

ERC‡

Monitor

Mitigate

Model 
Governance 
Committee  
(MGC)

Operational  
Risk (ORC)

Manage  
& Control

Executive 
Committees†

Legal Entity 
Management 
Structure

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EVALUATING AND MANAGING RISKS CONTINUED

approval of the Report and Financial Statements and is in line with 
the UK Corporate Governance Code. The Group regularly reviews 
the risk framework, risk capabilities and tools to ensure effective 
ongoing risk management.

Key enhancements made during the period include a refreshed 
Risk Taxonomy and structure, build out of key risk specialisms 
including Change and Technology risk and development of a 
Strategic Risk Appetite Framework to support risk profile analysis 
and support risk reporting.

Governance of the risk and control framework
The Group includes four principal operating legal entities, 
each of which is supported by a Legal Entity Board and a 
Management Committee. This Legal Entity structure manages 
risk using the Group Risk Framework within agreed risk appetite 
levels, with escalation on an agreed materiality basis to the 
Group Executive Committee. 

Risk management is acknowledged to be a core responsibility 
of all colleagues at Hargreaves Lansdown.

The Group established formal projects overseen by the Board 
to deliver the enhanced operational resilience requirements 
and the new IFPR regulation for January 2022. The initial 
ICARA was reported to the Board Risk Committee in April 2022.

The oversight of risk and controls management is provided by 
Management and Board committees as well as the Group Risk 
and Compliance functions. The Board is responsible for overseeing 
the Audit, Risk, Remuneration and Nomination Committees. 
Risk reporting from both first and second lines of defence support 
these committees in the oversight and management of risk.

Figure 2: Risk Appetite

Principal Risks 

Risk Appetite 
Statements 

Key Risk  
Indicators  
(KRIs)

Level 2 Risk Taxonomy
31 Risks covering  
all activity at HL

Level 1 Risk Taxonomy
Strategic
Operational
Financial
Investment

Risk metrics

A risk policy suite is in place aligned to the Risk management 
framework, with policies reviewed on an annual basis. 

Key governance committees relating specifically to the 
maintenance and oversight of the risk and control environment 
include the Board, the Board Risk Committee, the Executive 
Committee, and the Executive Risk Committee.

During the period, the governance structure has further evolved, 
with the formation of an Operational Risk Committee and a 
Conduct & Client Outcomes Committee reflecting the continued 
growth of the business. Detail of the governance structure is 
included in the Corporate Governance section of the report.

The activities of the Board and Executive Committees are 
detailed in the Corporate Governance report on pages 66-73.

Key risk management framework components 
Risk Taxonomy
The Group has an agreed and documented risk taxonomy, which 
sets out the risk categories to which the business is exposed. 
The risk taxonomy ensures that there is completeness in the 
capture of risks, facilitates effective aggregation of risk across 
the broader group as well as ensuring that there is consistency 
of treatment across all risk categories. 

The broader risk management framework is aligned to this 
taxonomy which is reviewed regularly and forms the key 
mechanism to support Management and Board oversight 
of risk exposures. 

Risk Specialists
During the period the Group has continued to build capabilities 
to enhance risk management. 

In the First Line of Defence a new Chief Control Officer role 
has been created to develop and lead a dedicated team of risk 
specialists in the business. The Second Line of Defence has 
also been strengthened with greater capacity including further 
capability in specialist areas e.g., Technology, Digital and Change 
risk, Investment Risk and Conduct. 

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Risk appetite
The Group’s risk appetite is an articulation of the nature and 
type of risks that the Group is willing to accept, or wants to avoid, 
in order to achieve its business objectives and strategy.

The risk appetite statements combine qualitative statements and 
quantitative measures, or thresholds expressed relative to metrics 
such as operational performance, capital, and liquidity. 

The Group’s risk appetite and its components are reviewed 
on at least an annual basis. A particular focus during the period 
has been the review of appetite and associated KRIs linked to 
corporate strategy.

The Board has overall responsibility for determining the nature and 
extent of the acceptable levels of risk it is willing to accept in the 
course of achieving business objectives and strategy, achieving 
positive client outcomes, and ensuring that risks are managed 
effectively across the Group. The categories include strategic, 
operational, financial and investment risk.

The Board sets the Group’s risk appetite and measures across the 
four Level One risk categories, with KRIs monitored against each. 
All KRIs include materiality thresholds for escalation and reporting.

Risk reporting
The Second Line of Defence provides risk and control reporting 
to committees, Legal Entity Boards and Executive committees. 
The standard format is a GCRO Report covering trends, 
the Principal Risk profile, risk appetite, material risk events 
and emerging risks. 

Three Lines of Defence Model
Hargreaves Lansdown runs a Three Lines of Defence Model. 
The First Line of Defence own and are accountable for the 
management of risk. There are also embedded specialist teams in 
the first line to support maintenance of a strong control framework. 
Key examples of first line control functions include:

• CASS Oversight team – provides guidance to operational teams 

on CASS and provides oversight of the CASS control environment.

• Operations Oversight team – provides risk and control support 

to Operations, creates MI for the Operations Management Team, 
and manages the Operations process framework. 

• A dedicated IT Security team, which manages, tests, 

and controls the cyber control environment.

• A Product Governance team – provides oversight of the design, 
target markets and management of our core client propositions.

• The new Chief Control Officer team provides guidance, 

consistency, and control expertise.

The Second Line of Defence is responsible for the delivery of 
risk and control frameworks and policies as well as the provision 
of assurance to Management that first line risk management 
practices are appropriately embedded. In the Second Line of 
Defence, the Group Risk and Compliance functions include teams 
focused on regulatory compliance monitoring, prevention of money 
laundering, prevention and detection of fraud and oversight 
of data protection, Operational, Technology, Change, Conduct, 
and Investment risks.

Individual capital adequacy assessment process 
The Group transitioned from the ICAAP to the ICARA in Q1 2022. 
The primary purpose of the ICARA is to ensure that there is a clear, 
accurate and transparent link between the risk profile of the 
business and the capital and liquidity held by the firm. The final 
approval of the HL ICAAP was in December 2021 and the initial 
ICARA was included in reporting in April 2022. The ICARA is 
overseen by the Board Risk Committee

Response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine 
Following the invasion of Ukraine, the Executive Committee 
established a governance structure to manage the Group’s 
response. Particular areas of concern were increased cyber risk, 
market fluctuations, Russian and Belarussian funds, and clients 
and HL’s offices and colleagues in Poland.

A working group and Steering Committee were established 
with escalation to the Executive Committee. During the period, 
desktop scenarios were run, existing stress tests and scenarios 
were reviewed and further stressed, with findings linked to the 
Important Business Services (IBS) part of the Group operational 
resilience model and the ICARA.

The Working Group and Steering Committee included membership 
from the Executive Committee and the wider Leadership Group, 
including the Head of Operational Resilience, and the CRO. 

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Viability statement
The Board has considered the principal risks,  
in arriving at the viability statement below
The principal risks and uncertainties faced by the Group 
are detailed below. The principal risks are categorised into 
strategic, operational, financial and investment in accordance 
with our risk management framework.

Management and the Board regularly discuss emerging risks. 
Topics discussed during the period included communications 
from the regulator, third party services and solutions, operational 
resiliency, cybercrime, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessment process for the viability statement
In accordance with provision 31 of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code, the Directors have assessed the viability of 
the Group over the four-year period to June 2026 and confirm 
that they have a reasonable expectation that the Group will 
continue to operate and meet its liabilities up to this date. 

The Directors’ assessment has been made with reference to the 
Group’s current position and strategy, the Board’s risk appetite, 
the Group’s financial forecasts and the Group’s principal risks 
and uncertainties.

The Directors’ assessment has also been made after careful 
consideration of the impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 
the increase in inflation and the associated cost of living crisis, 
is having on the UK and global economy. From an HL perspective, 
planning and scenario testing has examined the company’s 
resilience to worst case scenarios with a range of testing over 
three potential future outcomes, each looking at different 
sensitivities such as interest rates, market levels and stockbroking 
volumes. The worst outcome saw a 17% fall in the Group’s profit 
after tax over the four-year period to June 2026. The Directors 
conclude that their expectation of the Group’s viability does not 
change as a result of this.

The Board considers that a time horizon of four years is 
an appropriate period over which to assess its viability 
and prospects, and to plan the execution of its strategy. 
This assessment period is consistent with the Group’s current 
strategic forecast and ICARA and it also matches the timescale 
over which most changes to major regulations and the external 
landscape that affect our business typically take place. The Board 
has informally considered the viability of the business beyond the 
assessment period and believe that the requirement for clients, 
current and future, to have access to a secure and efficient 
savings and investment platform will continue to increase. 

The strategic forecast is approved annually by the Board and 
regularly updated as appropriate. It considers the Group’s 
profitability, cash flows, dividend payments, capital requirements 
and other key variables such as exposure to principal risks. It is 
also subjected to stress tests and scenario analysis, such as 
fluctuations in markets, increased competition and disruption 
to business, to ensure the business has sufficient flexibility to 
withstand these impacts by making adjustments to its plans 
within the normal course of business.

2. Principal risks and uncertainties
The Board has carried out an assessment of the emerging risks 
and principal risks facing the Group, including those that would 
threaten its business model, future performance, solvency, 
or liquidity.

In making its assessment, the Board considered the likelihood 
of each risk materialising in the short and longer term. The Board 
considered the principal risks in arriving at its viability statement. 

The principal risks and uncertainties faced by the Group are 
detailed below. The principal risks are categorised in line with the 
risk management framework and aligned to the core risk exposures 
of the Group; strategic, operational, financial and investment risks. 

Principal risks reported here are those attracting the greatest 
focus, and to which the organisation has the largest exposure. 
The principal risks are linked to risk appetite and KRI measures 
for reporting

Management and the Board regularly discuss emerging risks. 
Topics discussed during the period included third party services 
and solutions, operational resiliency, cybercrime, invasion of the 
Ukraine and communications from the regulator.

In assessing the 2021-2022 changes, consideration was given 
to the impact of COVID-19 and the Russian invasion of the Ukraine 
on the Group’s inherent risks after considering mitigating actions 
and controls.

As a result of this, an increasing likelihood has been reported 
against the performance of markets, people, and financial crime 
principal risks. Operational delivery was considered to be stable 
after assessing the performance of existing, additional, and revised 
processes and controls. 

In assessing all risks, HL considers the reputational impacts 
of risks materialising and the impacts on HL clients, of negative 
publicity, and risks to the achievement of business objectives. 
To mitigate potential reputational impacts HL ensures risk 
exposures and potential impacts are appropriately and proactively 
escalated through key risk governance. To support potential media 
attention, HL has a PR function, makes use of external advisers, 
and has an Internal Corporate Affairs Group to support the 
Executive Committee. 

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Taxonomy Level 1 Strategic

Taxonomy Level 2 Strategy

Owner: 
Chief Executive Officer

Link to strategy: 

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, do the 
right thing, make it easy

2021-2022 Change

STABLE 

Risk
Risk that HL does not align propositions 
and activity with HL’s strategic objectives.

Potential impact
• Erosion of shareholder value

• Negative impact on our reputation as an 

innovative market leader

• Negative impact on existing clients in HL’s 
ability to maintain premium client service

Mitigation and controls
• The Executive team and Board review strategy 

Key risk indicators
• NNB v forecast

in the context of propositional design and 
service enhancement on a regular basis 

• Dedicated proposition/client experience team 

is in place

• Product governance process embedded 

including use of client focus groups 

• Regular client experience reviews by 

the Executive

• Clear objectives aligned to Executive owners 

and a supporting operating plan in place 

• Net Ease Scores

• Client retention

• Service rating

• Complaints

• Risk events 

2021/22 activity
• Agreed a 5-year growth strategy 

• Launched the new HL Growth fund (Default Fund 

for Workplace clients)

• Launched Savings and Resilience Barometer as part  

of 5 to Thrive client offering 

Taxonomy Level 1 Strategic

Taxonomy Level 2 Performance of markets

Owner: 
Chief Financial Officer

Link to strategy: 

Risk
Risk that HL revenue is adversely affected by 
market levels impacting strategic expectations, 
resulting in erosion of shareholder value.

Potential impact
• Reduced AUA and AUM and corresponding 

negative impact on revenues

Link to HL values: 
N/A

2021-2022 Change

INCREASING 

Mitigation and controls
• Diversified revenue streams balanced 

between recurring and transaction-based

• Monitoring and maintenance of client service 

• Executive Committee, Treasury Committee 

and Finance Reporting

• Liquidity policy and associated 

controls oversight

Key risk indicators
• Interest rates

• FTSE 100

• Daily management information

• Client metrics (net, new and retention) 

2021/22 activity
• Marketing Campaigns

• Prioritisation for internal investment on service,  

technology and risk

• Ongoing discussion in the Executive Committee

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Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 IT Operational Environment

Owner: 
Chief Digital & 
Information Officer

Link to strategy: 

Risk
Risk that HL fails to manage and maintain 
existing technological architecture, environment, 
or components that are key to operational 
delivery effectively.

Potential impact
• Inability to maintain operational efficiency 

resulting in increased costs

Link to HL values: 
Do the right thing, make it easy

• Poor client outcomes

• Reputational damage

2021-2022 Change

STABLE 

Mitigation and controls
• IT Architecture plan

Key risk indicators
• Unplanned downtime of client facing applications

• Rolling internal and external monitoring 

• Status of critical projects

of IT environment

• Operational Plan, including prioritisation 

of IT development

• Identification of contingency providers 

for technology

• Core system monitoring

• System patching status

• Technology risk events 

2021/22 activity
• Delivery of a full End-to-End IT Testing platform

• Platform security improvements

• Refresh of technology strategy

Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 Operational delivery core

Owner: 
Chief Operating Officer

Link to strategy: 

Risk
Risk that HL fails to design or implement 
appropriate policies, processes, or technology.

Potential impact
• Incorrect or inefficient delivery of activities

• Regulatory or policy breaches

• Poor client outcomes

• Financial losses including compensation

• Reputational damage

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, do the right 
thing, make it easy, do it better

2021-2022 Change

STABLE 

Mitigation and controls
• Group Risk Management Framework

Key risk indicators
• Risk events and Compliance breach monitoring 

• Ongoing First Line of Defence monitoring of 
controls, control testing and self-assessment

• Process manuals and process mapping

• Training and development

• Operational MI

• Control focus at key governance forums, 

including CASS Committee, Executive Risk 
Committee and Board

• Risk Committee

• Regulatory scrutiny or issues

• Third party breaches

• Complaints

• Helpdesk call quality

• Colleague retention rates

• Operational processing and transactional error rates 

2021/22 activity
• New trading component, with enhanced scalability and speed

• New payments partner – Stripe

• Enhancements to our transfers processes

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Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 Regulatory Compliance

Owner: 
Executive Committee

Link to strategy: 

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, do the right 
thing, make it easy, do it better

2021-2022 Change

INCREASING 

Risk
Risk that HL fails to comply with regulatory 
and legal standards and/or required regulatory 
change is not implemented to regulatory 
expectations or requirements.

Potential impact
• Regulatory breaches

• Increased regulatory scrutiny, enforcement 

action, censure, or fines

• Increased complaints or claims brought 

by clients

• Where client complaints are not upheld – 
complaints to the Financial Ombudsman 
Service and FOS awards

• Litigation

• Reputational impact

• Missed opportunities to achieve 

competitive advantage

Mitigation and controls
• Compliance-led Horizon scanning 

and monitoring

• Change Committee oversight

• Compliance Plan, including complaint 

handling plans 

• Ongoing open dialogue with the FCA

Key risk indicators
• Volume of client complaints, FOS complaints and awards

• Volume of new outputs from regulatory bodies

• Number of regulatory change projects

• Number of regulatory breaches 

• Litigation

2021/22 activity
• CASS Improvement Plan

• Investments Firms Prudential Regime (PS21/6)

• Operational Resilience (PS21/3)

• Consumer Duty (CP21/13) 

Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 Financial Crime

Owner: 
Executive Committee

Link to strategy: 

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, go the 
extra mile, do the right thing, 
make it easy, do it better

2021-2022 Change

DECREASING 

Risk
Risk that HL fails to design or implement 
appropriate frameworks, including policies, 
processes, or technology, to counter HL being 
used to further financial crime by either internal 
or external parties.

Potential impact
• Loss of sensitive data

• Poor client outcomes (including fraud)

• Negative impact on confidence in HL

Mitigation and controls
• Dedicated Chief Information Security Officer 
and team, and a Security Operations Centre 
focused on the detection, containment, and 
remediation of information security threats

• Dedicated Information Security, Anti Money 

laundering and Client Protection teams in place

• Formal policies and procedures and a robust, 
rolling risk-based programme of penetration 
and vulnerability testing in place

• Horizon scanning of peer group to understand 

• Diminish the integrity of the financial system

industry trends

• Regulatory censure

Key risk indicators
• Fraud monitoring

• Cyber threat assessment

• Time taken to address security vulnerabilities

• Number of Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) notifiable 

data protection breaches 

2021/22 activity
• Appointment of a new Group Head of Financial Crime (MLRO)

• Creation of a First Line Financial Crime team reporting to the 

new Chief Controls Officer

• A programme of training and awareness for all colleagues 

• Continuous cycle of cyber control improvements

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Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 Data

Risk
Risk that HL fails to design or implement 
appropriate frameworks, including policies, 
processes, or technology, to manage data 
and data storage.

Potential impact
• Loss of sensitive data

• Poor client outcomes (including fraud)

• Inefficient processing

• Regulatory censure

Owner: 
Chief Digital and 
Information Officer

Link to strategy: 

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, go the 
extra mile, do the right thing, 
make it easy, do it better

2021-2022 Change

INCREASING 

Mitigation and controls
• Dedicated Chief Information Security Officer, 

Key risk indicators
• Data related Risk Events

Chief Data Officer and Data Protection Officer 
in place

• Data Governance function

• Data storage standards

• Data usage standards

• Data reporting issues

• Data Privacy Impact Assessment completions

• Cyber events

• Fraud events 

2021/22 activity
• Appointment of a Chief Data Officer

• Established data strategy and defining architecture to 

support objectives

• Established a programme of work to deliver the Group’s data 

insight capabilities

• Alignment of data and digital capabilities to support the Group’s 

future requirements

Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 Duties to Clients

Owner: 
Executive Committee

Link to strategy: 

Risk
Risk that HL’s culture and the HL values 
fail to support an appropriate client focused 
conduct by all colleagues, leading to poor 
client outcomes.

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, go the 
extra mile, do the right thing, 
make it easy, do it better

2021-2022 Change

INCREASING 

Potential impact
• Poor client outcomes

• Negative reputational impact

• Regulatory censure and fines

• FOS complaints and awards

• Litigation

• Erosion of shareholder value

• Negative impact on achievement of AUA 

and client number strategic targets

Mitigation and controls
• Colleague Communication and Training

• Conduct Risk policy

• Vulnerable Client policy

Key risk indicators
• Glassdoor rating

• Colleague surveys

• Colleague retention

• Risk and incident monitoring and review

• Client survey results

• Product Governance Committee

• Litigation

• Corporate and social responsibility programme

• Volume of client complaints

• Business-led diversity, inclusion, and 

• FOS complaints and awards

well-being programme of activity

• Colleague Performance Development model

• Whistleblowing process

• Conflict Management

• Clients cancelling a new product or service 

2021/22 activity
• Established a project to deliver compliance 

with the Consumer Duty regulations (CP21/13)

• Strengthening Vulnerable Clients strategy as part of the 

Consumer Duty implementation

• Developed governance arrangements, including  

Conduct & Client Outcomes Committee  

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Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 Operational Resilience

Owner: 
Chief Operating Officer

Link to strategy: 

Risk
Risk that HL fails to establish robust 
operational resilience solutions to support 
positive client outcomes.

Potential impact
• Poor client outcomes

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, do the right 
thing, make it easy, do it better

• Policy or regulatory breaches

• Operational inefficiencies or failures

• Reputational damage

Mitigation and controls
• Dedicated Operational Resiliency team 

and programme 

• Business Impact Analysis

• Business Continuity Plans

• Disaster Recovery Plans

• Crisis Management Team

• Desktop scenarios

• Scenario based playbooks

Key risk indicators
• System downtime

• Process failures

• Crisis management response 

2021/22 activity
• Review of Importance Business Services

• Delivery of a full End-to-End IT testing platform

• Review and enhancements to crisis management  

and Incident management approaches

2021-2022 Change

STABLE 

Taxonomy Level 1 Operational

Taxonomy Level 2 People

Risk
Risk that HL fails to attract, retain, develop, 
and motivate great people who are aligned 
to HL Values.

Potential impact
• Operational inefficiency or poor conduct

• Poor client outcomes

• Reputational damage

Mitigation and controls
• Effective performance and Talent Management 
of all employees with flight risk assessments

• Regular review of employee reward offering 

to ensure competitive

• Regular staff surveys and employee forums 

to understand morale

Key risk indicators
• Colleague retention rates

• Colleague absence monitoring 

2021/22 activity
• ‘Breathing Space’ payment for junior colleagues to help with 

cost of living

• People agenda monitored at ExCo and Board. 

• Improvements in ‘Health & Well-being’ support to all colleagues

• People communications through HL Way to support HL Values

Owner: 
Chief People Officer

Link to strategy: 

Link to HL values: 
Put the client first, do the right 
thing, make it easy, do it better

2021-2022 Change

INCREASING 

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GOVERNANCE

Chair’s introduction 
Board of Directors
Corporate governance report 
Audit Committee report 
Directors’ Remuneration report 
Nomination Committee report 
Risk Committee report 
Directors’ report 
Section 172 statement
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities

61
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66
74
79
107
111
114
118
122

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

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60

 
 
 
 
CHAIR’S INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

SUPPORTING  
LONG-TERM SUCCESS

I am pleased to introduce our Corporate Governance Report, 
which sets out how the Group’s governance framework supports 
and promotes its long-term success, and provides an overview 
of the activities of the Board and its Committees.

We apply and report under the 2018 UK Corporate Governance 
Code (the Code). Our Compliance Statement confirms our 
compliance with the Code during the period under review. 
You can read more about how we have applied its principles 
throughout our Corporate Governance Report.

Culture
Our culture underpins our approach to governance and risk 
management. The Board promotes a culture that encourages 
good governance, effective decision making and appropriate risk 
management and, this year, has continued to support initiatives 
to develop and embed the “HL Way” within the organisation. 
Maintaining and strengthening our culture, which promotes 
accountability and clarity on responsibilities and ensures that 
we can focus on making the right decisions, at the right level, 
with the right information, is a key priority for the Board and 
essential to the successful delivery our strategy. You can find 
out more information on this on page 16 of the Strategic Report.

Board changes
Since the last Report, the Board welcomed two new Directors: 
Penny James joined on 1 September 2021 as a new independent 
Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director; and 
Amy Stirling joined on 21 February 2022 as Chief Financial Officer 
and Executive Director, replacing Philip Johnson who stepped 
down as CFO on 31 January 2022. On 17 June 2022, the Company 
was pleased to announce the appointment of Darren Pope 
as an independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 
1 September 2022. 

When deciding on these appointments the Board was able to 
benefit from the considerable work done by the Nomination 
Committee to identify: the skills and experience required by the 
Board to deliver the strategy; and the areas where the Board could 
benefit from additional depth of skills or experience to improve 
its resilience. 

You can find more information about their appointment and the 
skills and experience they bring in the Nomination Committee 
Report on page 110. 

Diversity and Inclusion
It is widely accepted that greater diversity within a business 
drives better decision-making and we strongly believe that 
building a diverse and inclusive workforce will lead to better 
outcomes for clients, colleagues and our business. 

You can read more about our approach to building diversity and 
inclusion across our workforce and the initiatives that support it 
on pages 26 to 30 of the Strategic Report.

The Board recently updated the Group’s diversity policy for Board 
appointments to align with new targets set out in the Listing Rules 
and is proud to have met those targets. As at 30 June 2022, 
fifty percent of our Board is made up of women; three of our four 
senior Board positions are held by women and we have at least 
one Director from an ethnic minority background.

You can read more about the policy and the importance we place 
on diversity in the recruitment of Non-Executive Directors and 
across the organisation on pages 107 to 110 of the Nomination 
Committee Report. 

61

The role of the Board is to set the 
tone from the top on the Group’s 
governance, culture and values.

Deanna Oppenheimer
Chair

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CHAIR’S INTRODUCTION TO CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 
SUPPORTING LONG-TERM SUCCESS CONTINUED

Board Evaluation
Each year, the Board undertakes a formal evaluation of its 
performance, and that of its Committees and the Directors, 
covering topics such as composition, diversity and how effectively 
the Directors work together to achieve objectives.

In August 2021, we carried out an externally facilitated Board 
evaluation, supported by Independent Audit, which recognised 
much positive change since the last review and identified 
a number of key priorities and outcomes, including further 
strengthening the senior management team and continued 
oversight of the development of the Risk function. 

The Nomination Committee has overseen implementation of 
the recommendations from the review and more information on 
this is provided on page 109 of the Nomination Committee Report.

Stakeholder engagement
We continue to recognise the importance of engaging with and 
considering the interests of our stakeholders in promoting the 
Group’s long-term success.

We value and appreciate the input of our colleagues and ensure 
that we regularly engage with and listen to our colleagues through 
a series of initiatives including our workforce advisory panel, the 
HL Colleague Forum, regular colleague surveys and a coordinated 
internal communications programme.

We spend time nurturing a strong relationship with our 
shareholders. We regularly meet with shareholders and Adrian 
Collins, a representative of one of our founder shareholders, 
has been a member of the Board since November 2020.

We are conscious of our impact on the wider community and 
take time to ensure that we are considering the environment and 
giving back to the community we work in. This year we launched 
our Savings and Resilience Barometer to help our clients and the 
wider community better understand the importance of financial 
resilience. We are very proud of our relationship with Bristol City 
Council and our aim of making Bristol the most financially resilient 
city in the UK.

Our relationship with the FCA as our regulator is of fundamental 
importance to us and we maintain an open, constructive dialogue 
with them to ensure that we are aware of and meet the standards 
that they expect.

You can read more about how the Directors have had regard 
to the interests of our colleagues and our other key stakeholders 
within the context of promoting the success of the Company 
in our Section 172 Statement on pages 118 to 121.

Compliance statement
A revised version of the UK Corporate Governance Code 
(the Code) was published by the FRC in July 2018 and 
has been applied by the Company during the period under 
review. The Code sets out the standards of good practice 
in relation to how the Company should be governed and 
can be found on the FRC’s website at www.frc.org.uk.

The Board is satisfied that the Company has complied 
in full with the provisions of the Code throughout the period 
under review.

The Corporate Governance Report provides details of the 
Company’s corporate governance framework and how it has 
applied the principles set out in the Code.

Deanna Oppenheimer
Chair

4 August 2022

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chair

Executive Directors

Deanna Oppenheimer
Chair and  
Non-Executive  
Director

Chris Hill
Chief Executive  
Officer

Amy Stirling
Chief Financial  
Officer

Appointed to the Board
February 2018, independent on appointment

Appointed to the Board
Chief Executive Officer since April 2017 

Appointed to the Board
February 2022

Skills and experience
Deanna has extensive board level governance and 
leadership experience in both public and private 
financial services businesses having worked in 
the industry for over 35 years at executive and 
non-executive level. Her rich executive experience 
includes, amongst other things, the transformation 
of the retail banking division at Barclays. As a 
non-executive director, Deanna formerly served as 
a director for Tesco plc, Whitbread plc, AXA Group, 
Tesco Bank and NCR Corporation. Deanna is a member 
of the 30% Club.

Committee membership
Nomination Committee (Chair)  
Remuneration Committee 

Other current appointments
Director of Thomson Reuters Corporation, 
Chair designate of IHG plc.

(Chief Financial Officer from February 2016 to 
September 2016, Deputy Chief Executive Officer 
from October 2016 to April 2017) 

Skills and experience
Chris has led the Company since 2017, driving the digital 
transformation of the Group’s business, including the 
strategy to expand HL’s position as the UK’s leading 
digital wealth management platform and ensuring HL is 
at the heart of creating greater engagement with saving 
and investing in the UK. Chris came to HL with more than 
two decades of experience, across a range of business 
sectors. He was previously Chief Financial Officer at 
IG Group Holdings plc, a FTSE 250 online trading 
platform for retail customers, and Chief Financial Officer 
at Travelex following a number of finance leadership 
roles at GE Capital. Chris qualified as a chartered 
accountant at Arthur Andersen and is an associate 
member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.

Committee membership
None 

Other current appointments
Member of the FCA Practitioner Panel

Board member of the Investment Association 

Skills and experience
Amy has significant financial and strategic leadership 
experience in client facing businesses across the 
telecommunications and financial services sectors. 
She has considerable transformation and M&A 
experience at both executive and non-executive level 
and is a qualified chartered accountant. Amy was 
previously Chief Financial Officer of the Virgin Group 
and other previous appointments include non-executive 
director and chair of the Audit Committee at RIT Capital 
Partners plc, non-executive director at Virgin Money 
UK plc, Chief Financial Officer of The Princes Trust and 
Chief Financial Officer at TalkTalk Telecom Group Plc.

Committee membership
None 

Other current appointments
None 

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTINUED

Non-Executive Directors

Roger Perkin
Independent  
Non-Executive  
Director

Dan Olley
Independent  
Non-Executive  
Director

John Troiano
Independent  
Non-Executive  
Director

Andrea Blance
Independent  
Non-Executive 
Director

Appointed to the Board
September 2017

Appointed to the Board
June 2019

Appointed to the Board
January 2020

Appointed to the Board
September 2020

Skills and experience
Roger is a qualified accountant with recent and relevant 
financial experience and competence in accounting and 
audit, as well as extensive financial services experience. 
He is a former partner of Ernst & Young, and has 
previously been a non-executive director at Evolution 
Group plc, Friends Life Ltd, Nationwide Building Society, 
Electra Private Equity plc and TPICAP plc. Roger chaired 
or served on the Audit and Risk Committees of each of 
these and additionally was Senior Independent Director 
of Nationwide Building Society.

Committee membership
Audit Committee (Chair)  
Risk Committee  
Nomination Committee

Other current appointments
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the 
Audit Committee of AIB Group (UK) plc

Skills and experience
Dan is a seasoned senior technology leader with a track 
record of driving digital transformations in established 
businesses, including financial services, insurance, 
business information solutions, research and healthcare. 
He brings a problem solving and analytical skillset, 
along with experience of successfully implementing 
advanced technologies to drive both revenue growth 
and operational process efficiency and optimisation.

Skills and experience
John has significant investment and asset management 
experience. John has spent 38 years at Schroders in 
a wide range of roles including investment research 
and analysis, fund management, and has worked across 
both retail and institutional channels. Most recently, 
as Head of Distribution, he was responsible for the 
design and implementation of business strategy globally 
and the oversight of sales and client service activities.

Committee membership
Risk Committee  
Remuneration Committee 

Other current appointments
CEO of Dunnhumby Ltd

Committee membership
Risk Committee  
Audit Committee 
Remuneration Committee 

Other current appointments
Independent Non-Executive Director of Hargreaves 
Lansdown Fund Managers Ltd

Skills and experience
Andrea is a Chartered Accountant and brings extensive 
Board and financial services experience having spent 
her executive career at Legal & General Group plc where 
she was a member of the Group Executive Committee 
and held a diverse range of senior leadership roles 
including finance, risk and regulation, marketing and 
strategy. Andrea’s past non-executive roles include Risk 
Committee Chair at Scottish Widows plc and Lloyds 
Banking Group Insurance Division, Senior Independent 
Director and Audit Committee Chair at ReAssure Group 
plc and a member of William & Glyn’s pre-IPO board.

Committee membership
Risk Committee (Chair)  
Audit Committee  
Nomination Committee 

Other current appointments
Senior Independent Director and Chair of the 
Remuneration Committee of Provident Financial 
Group plc

Non-Executive Director at Aviva plc 

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTINUED

Non-Executive Directors

Senior Independent Director

Moni Mannings
Independent  
Non-Executive 
Director

Adrian Collins
Non-Independent  
Non-Executive 
Director

Penny James
Senior Independent  
Director

Appointed to the Board
September 2020

Appointed to the Board
November 2020

Appointed to the Board
September 2021

Skills and experience
Moni is a qualified solicitor with a strong background 
in international banking and finance and was a Senior 
Partner and Board member of law firm Olswang LLP. 
She has held a number of non-executive positions 
including as a Board member of Dairy Crest Group plc, 
Polypipe Group plc, the Solicitors Regulation Authority 
(chairing its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee), 
Cranfield University and Deputy Chair of Barnardo’s.

Committee membership
Remuneration Committee (Chair)  
Nomination Committee  
Risk Committee 

Other current appointments
Senior Independent Director and Chair of the 
Remuneration Committee of Investec Bank plc

Non-Executive Director of easyJet plc 

Non-Executive Director and Remuneration Committee 
Chair of Cazoo Group Ltd

Skills and experience
Adrian has worked in the fund management business 
for over 45 years, most recently at Liontrust Asset 
Management where he served as Executive Chairman 
from 2009 to 2019. During this period, Adrian oversaw 
a transformation in the business, broadening its 
investment and distribution capabilities and undertaking 
numerous acquisitions. Adrian has extensive experience 
across fund management and adjacent sectors having 
held senior roles at Gartmore, where he was Managing 
Director, Trustnet (which he co-founded), Jupiter, 
Bestinvest and Lazard Investors. He is an experienced 
non-executive director.

Adrian has been appointed to the Board as a 
shareholder representative and as such is not deemed 
to be independent.

Committee membership
None 

Other current appointments
Chairman of Logistics Development Group plc 
(formerly Eddie Stobart Logistics plc)

Chairman of CIP Merchant Capital Ltd

Skills and experience
Penny brings extensive financial services experience 
with strong leadership skills, financial and risk expertise, 
strategic thinking and cultural alignment. Since May 
2019 Penny has been the Chief Executive Officer 
of Direct Line Insurance Group plc, having joined 
in November 2017 as Chief Financial Officer. Penny 
previously held a number of roles at Prudential plc 
including Group Chief Risk Officer and Director of Group 
Finance. Prior to this Penny was Group CFO at Omega 
Insurance Holdings Limited and CFO, UK General 
Insurance, at Zurich Financial Services. She was 
previously a non-executive director of Admiral Group plc 
from 2015 to 2017.

Committee membership
Nomination Committee  
Risk Committee 

Other current appointments
CEO of the Direct Line Group plc

Chair of the FCA Practitioner Panel

Co-Chair of FTSE Women Leaders Review

Board member of the Association of British Insurers

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT

SAFEGUARDING  
FUTURE SUCCESS

The Board is responsible for promoting 
the sustainable success of the Group, 
generating value for the Company’s 
shareholders over the long term, and 
contributing to wider society by building 
strong and lasting relationships with its 
other stakeholders.

Board leadership and Company purpose
The Board sets the Group’s purpose, values and strategy, 
and is responsible for developing and overseeing its framework 
of governance, risk management and internal controls to ensure 
that its business is managed effectively in an environment that 
promotes and safeguards its future success.

You can read more about the Board’s role in setting and monitoring 
the Group’s strategic priorities on pages 4 and 12 to 17 of the 
Strategic Report and in the Group’s Section 172 Statement on 
pages 118 to 121. Through specific dashboards aligned to the key 
focus areas of our strategy, the Board can monitor and review 
progress against targets. These dashboards are used throughout 
the Group, ensuring alignment on execution and targets. 

Additionally, how the Board has considered the Group’s 
opportunities and risks, the sustainability of its business model, 
and how governance around the Group’s risk management 
framework contributes to the delivery of its strategic objectives, 
is set out on pages 51 to 59 of the Strategic Report.

The Board also plays a key role in setting the Group’s culture 
and monitoring how it is being embedded to ensure alignment 
with the Group’s business priorities. The Board has been involved 
in a number of ongoing key initiatives including the further 
development and evolution of the HL Way (for information on 
the HL Way please see page 27), more accessible and effective 
communication of the Group’s strategy and vision to create 
a clearer sense of purpose and common goals and improvements 
to the KPIs used to oversee culture. 

You can read more about the Group’s values and how the Group’s 
approach to investing in and rewarding its workforce aligns to 
those values on pages 3 and 29 of the Strategic Report.

Engagement with stakeholders
The Board recognises that active engagement with the Company’s 
key stakeholders is fundamental to promoting the Group’s 
long-term success.

Details of how the Group engages with its key stakeholders can 
be found on pages 24 to 25 of the Strategic Report, and information 
on how stakeholder interests have been considered by the Board 
can be found in the Group’s Section 172 Statement on pages 118 
to 121.

Investor relations
The Board recognises the importance of maintaining good 
communication with the Company’s shareholders and there is a 
comprehensive investor relations programme in place to ensure 
effective engagement.

The Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Head 
of Investor Relations regularly meet with the Company’s major 
shareholders to discuss performance and strategy. This includes 
a series of investor roadshows following the release of the Group’s 
interim and full year results, and other meetings throughout the 
year, both one-on-one and in groups at investor conferences.

The Chair also meets or speaks with the Company’s major 
shareholders throughout the year, including attending a series 
of governance roadshows, and the Senior Independent Director, 
Head of Investor Relations and Group Company Secretary are 
available to major shareholders who wish to raise questions. 
The Committee Chairs are available to meet with shareholders 
to discuss matters relevant to their roles.

The outcome of interactions with the Company’s shareholders are 
regularly fed back to the Board to ensure that, as a whole, it has 
a clear understanding of shareholder views. To provide further 
perspective, analyst and broker briefings are regularly provided 
to the Board. Following the appointment of Adrian Collins as the 
Nominated Director, the Board also benefits from having someone 
able to represent a founder shareholder, Peter Hargreaves, on all 
issues considered by the Board.

The Board also considers the Report and Financial Statements to 
be an important medium for communicating with the Company’s 
shareholders. The Board aims to use the narrative sections to 
provide detailed reviews of the Group’s business and its future 
development in an engaging way that is accessible to all. Similarly, 
the Company’s AGM is used as an opportunity to engage directly 
with shareholders and share with them the Board’s review of 
performance and its vision for the future. Further details will be 
set out in the Notice of AGM that will be circulated ahead of 
the meeting. 

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SAFEGUARDING FUTURE SUCCESS CONTINUED

Colleagues
The Board believes that the Group’s people are key to its long-term 
success. It ensures that the Group’s people policies and practices 
promote its values to support that success. Further information 
on the Group’s people strategy and the policies and procedures 
in place to achieve its aims, including the Group’s approach to 
investing in and rewarding its workforce, can be found on page 29 
of the Strategic Report.

The Board also recognises the importance of engaging with 
the Group’s workforce for the long-term success of the business.

The HL Colleague Forum was set up in January 2019 as a 
formal workforce advisory panel to create a direct link between 
colleagues and the Board on matters of strategic importance. 
Further insight is obtained on colleague views through the Group’s 
annual colleague survey, and half yearly pulse surveys. The views 
of colleagues have been sought on a more regular basis via 
additional pulse surveys and focus groups so that we can quickly 
respond to colleague sentiment and obtain colleague insights 
on particular topics.

Further information on how the Group engages with and considers 
the views of colleagues can be found on page 25 of the Strategic 
Report and in the Section 172 Statement on pages 118 to 121.

The Board believes in creating a culture of openness and 
colleagues are encouraged to share their views, ideas and work 
experiences. Similarly, colleagues are encouraged to raise any 
concerns in confidence, and the Group has a formal policy on 
whistleblowing to ensure colleagues who do speak out are 
protected. Further information can be found on page 77 of the 
Audit Committee Report.

Conflicts of interest
The Board takes action to identify and manage any conflicts of 
interest that arise to ensure that the interests of the Company’s 
shareholders as a whole are protected.

All Directors have a duty to avoid situations that may give rise 
to conflicts of interest. Directors are responsible for notifying the 
Chair and the Group Company Secretary as soon as they become 
aware of any actual or potential conflict. The Company’s Articles 
of Association permit the Board to consider and authorise any 
situations where a Director has an actual or potential conflict, 
and a formal procedure is in place for considering, recording and, 
if appropriate, authorising conflict situations. Conflicts of interest 
are included as a standing agenda item at each Board and 
Committee meeting and, in determining whether to authorise 
an actual or potential conflict, the Board will take into account 
the specific circumstances and whether to impose conditions 
on the Director in the interests of the Company.

There is a Conflicts Committee reporting into the CEO which 
is responsible for ensuring there is appropriate governance and 
ownership around enhancements to the conflicts management 
framework within the Group (other than the Company and its 
Committees). In addition, conflict management is enhanced through 
the separation of investment decisions and broad membership 
of investment related oversight committees including external 
members as appropriate. Since our last Report, additional training 
resources to assist employees in understanding their role in the 
management of conflicts have been launched, with online training 
to be delivered over the Summer; documentation, ownership and 
accountability for conflicts has been improved; and the conflicts 
register and process for declaring conflicts updated.

Governance framework
The Board operates within a formal schedule of matters reserved, 
with certain responsibilities being delegated to its permanent 
Committees. Details of matters reserved for the Board can be 
found on page 68. The detailed responsibilities of the Board’s 
Nomination, Audit, Risk and Remuneration Committees, along with 
an overview of how they have discharged those responsibilities 
during the year, can be found in the Committee reports on pages 
74 to 113. The Chair of each of the Committees reports to the 
Board at each meeting on its activities since the previous meeting, 
and the Board keeps under review the terms of reference of each 
to ensure it is continuing to operate effectively.

Responsibility for matters that are not specifically reserved to the 
Board is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer. This includes 
oversight of the Group’s performance, delivery against the strategy 
approved by the Board, and the effective management of day-
to-day operations within the governance, risk and internal control 
frameworks it has developed. The Chief Executive Officer has 
established the Group Executive Committee to assist him in 
discharging these responsibilities. The Chief Executive Officer 
also receives reports from the Conflicts Committee about 
improving the Group’s framework for identifying, mitigating and 
protecting against conflicts of interest, and to ensure appropriate 
measures are in place to mitigate conflicts of interests between 
the Group’s principal operating subsidiaries and between the 
Group, its employees and clients.

Details of the roles and responsibilities of the participants in 
the Company’s governance framework can be found on pages 
69 and 70. 

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Hargreaves Lansdown plc Board

Schedule of matters reserved:
• Approval of the Group’s strategic 

aims and objectives

• Approval of annual operating  

and capital expenditure budgets

• Reviewing performance in light 
of strategic aims and objectives

• Setting the Group’s values 

• Overseeing the Group’s operations 

• Approval of the Group’s annual 

• Approval of major capital projects

and standards

and management

• Approval of the Group’s purpose and 
ensuring that its purpose, values and 
strategy are aligned with its culture

• Ensuring the maintenance of a 

sound system of internal controls 
and risk management

report and accounts and interim 
financial statements

• Approval of communications 

to the Company’s shareholders

• Approval of the Company’s dividend 

• Ensuring adequate succession 

policy and payments

planning, agreeing Board appointments 
and the appointment or removal of the 
Company Secretary

• Determining remuneration 

policy for Executive Directors

Audit Committee
• Monitors the integrity of the 
Group’s financial reporting

• Monitors the adequacy and 

effectiveness of the Group’s  
internal controls

• Oversees the Group’s relationship 
with its external auditor and the 
effectiveness of the Internal 
Audit function

Nomination Committee
• Monitors the composition of 

the Board to ensure it remains 
appropriate

• Recommends appointments to 
the Board and its Committees

• Conducts succession planning for  
the Board and senior management

• Oversees the annual evaluation  

of the Board’s effectiveness

Remuneration Committee
• Oversees and keeps under review 

the remuneration policies for 
Executive Directors, Material Risk 
Takers and colleagues generally

• Determines total remuneration 
for Executive Directors, senior 
management and Material Risk 
Takers, and associated targets 
for performance related pay

Risk Committee
• Reviews and advises the Board on 

changes to the Group’s risk appetite, 
risk profile and future risk strategy

• Monitors the effectiveness and 

improvements being made to the 
Group’s risk management framework

• Oversees the delivery of the Group’s 

ICAAP/ICARA

Conflicts Committee
• Oversees the Group’s conflicts of interest policy 

and framework

• Reviews conflicts of interest within the Group, the 
sufficiency of mitigating measures and determines 
appropriate action where material conflicts arise

Chief Executive  
Officer
Responsible for executive leadership 
of the Group in accordance with 
Board-approved strategic objectives

Group Executive 
Committee
Established by the Chief Executive 
Officer to help him discharge his duties

Group Management Committees
• Support the Group Executive Committee in its oversight 

of matters including: Risk, Conduct and Client Outcomes, 
Product Governance, Remuneration and Operational Resilience

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT
SAFEGUARDING FUTURE SUCCESS CONTINUED

The Group’s principal operating subsidiaries carry out its business 
of providing regulated financial products and services. The boards 
of the principal operating subsidiaries include various members of 
the Group Executive Committee, with independent Non-Executive 
Directors also sitting on the Board of Hargreaves Lansdown Fund 
Managers Ltd in line with regulatory requirements. Each board 
is responsible for ensuring that its business is operated in 
accordance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements, within 
the framework of the strategy, culture and policies determined by 
the Board. The subsidiary boards are assisted by Group level and 
subsidiary level management committees constituted to assist in 
the day-to-day management of the business.

Board allocation of time and key Board activities
The Board devoted a significant amount of time during the period 
under review to developing the revised Group Strategy which 
was launched at our Capital Markets Day on 22 February 2022. 
The Board was fully engaged in this process providing input and 
challenge throughout the development of the Strategy and more 
recently in its move to execution. The Board also spent time 
overseeing the Group’s ongoing business performance including 
regular updates from the Chief Executive Officer and other 
members of the Group Executive Committee with deep dives into 
areas of strategic importance, and the review and approval of the 
Group’s annual operating plan. The Board has continued to receive 
periodic reports relating to events arising out of the suspension of, 
and subsequent decision by Link Asset Services to wind up, the 
LF Equity Income Fund (formerly Woodford Equity Income Fund).

The following chart illustrates the time spent by the Board 
on matters within the categories stated.

10%
Standard items 
including updates 
from Remuneration 
and Nomination 
Committees

21%
Finance, reporting 
and audit

23%
Governance,
 risk and
 regulatory

46%
Business
 performance
 and strategy

Other key matters considered by the Board during the period 
under review include:

• Business performance, through regular updates from the 

Chief Executive Officer;

• Progress against strategic initiatives, via the Chief Executive 

Officer’s regular business priorities updates;

• Deep dives into return to office, ESG, operational resilience, 
the HL Way and cyber security – taking into account the 
Russian invasion of Ukraine;

• Financial performance and investor relations, via the Chief 

Financial Officer’s regular updates;

• The Group’s liquidity and capital adequacy, and the approval 

of its 2021 ICAAP;

•  Approval of the Group’s operating plan;

• Maintaining oversight of the Group’s risk management 

framework, its operational resilience and approval of its risk 
appetite statement;

• Monitoring the status of the Group’s reputation;

• Approval of updates to the Group’s key policies, including 

conflicts of interest, whistleblowing and Board diversity; and

Role of the Chair
The Chair, Deanna Oppenheimer, is responsible for leading the 
Board and ensuring that it is effective in discharging its duties. 
Her key responsibilities are to:

• Chair the Board, the Nomination Committee and general 

meetings of the Company;

• Set the Board agenda and ensure the Board receives accurate, 
timely and clear information, and that adequate time is available 
for discussion of all agenda items, in particular strategic issues;

• Set clear expectations concerning the Company’s culture, values 

and behaviours and the style and tone of Board discussions;

• Demonstrate ethical leadership and promote the highest 
standards of integrity, probity and corporate governance 
throughout the Company and particularly at Board level, 
and generally ensure the effective governance of the Group;

• Promote a culture of mutual respect, openness and debate by 

facilitating the effective contribution of Non-Executive Directors, 
develop productive working relationships with the Chief 
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and ensure there 
are constructive relations between Executive and Non-Executive 
Directors generally;

• Progress of recommended actions from the annual evaluations 

• Encourage all Board members to engage in Board and 

of Board performance, including further embedding best practice 
and developing the resilience and expertise of the Board.

Committee meetings by drawing on their skills, experience, 
knowledge and, where appropriate, independence;

Division of responsibilities
The Board recognises the importance of a clear division of 
responsibilities between Executive and Non-Executive roles, and in 
particular a clear delineation of the Chair’s responsibility to run the 
Board and the Chief Executive Officer’s responsibility for running 
the Group’s business. The roles of Chair, Chief Executive Officer 
and Senior Independent Director are clearly defined and have been 
approved by the Board.

• Ensure effective communication with the Company’s 

shareholders and other stakeholders, and that the Board 
is made aware of their views; and

• Ensure that the performance of the Board, its Committees 
and individual Directors is evaluated at least once a year 
and that the results of the evaluation are acted upon. 

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Role of Chief Executive Officer
The Board delegates responsibility for the executive leadership 
of the Group’s business to its Chief Executive Officer, Chris Hill. 
His key responsibilities are to:

• Lead the senior management team in the day-to-day running 

of the Group’s business in accordance with the Board approved 
strategic objectives;

• Chair the Group Executive Committee in its oversight of the 

performance of the Group against the Board approved strategic 
objectives and communicate any decisions and 
recommendations to the Board;

• Review the operational performance and strategic direction 

of the Group’s business;

• Ensure that appropriate systems of internal control and 

risk management are in place and operating in accordance 
with the Group’s risk appetite approved by the Board; and

• Together with the Chair, provide coherent leadership of 

the Group and promote adherence to its culture and values.

Role of Senior Independent Director
The Senior Independent Director plays an important role in 
supporting the Chair on governance issues, contributing to the 
culture of open and honest communication between the Chair 
and the other members of the Board, and providing an additional 
point of contact for the Company’s shareholders. 

The key responsibilities of the Senior Independent Director are to:

• Assist the Chair by being available to discuss and provide insight 
and guidance on issues relating to the Group’s governance, the 
performance of the Board and individual Directors, and on any 
concerns raised by Directors, the Company’s shareholders or 
the Group’s employees;

• Lead the Non-Executive Directors in carrying out the Chair’s 
annual performance review. This includes meeting with and 
obtaining appropriate feedback from the Non-Executive 
Directors without the Chair and Executive Directors present, 
monitoring the Chair’s performance throughout the year, and 
paying close attention to the relationship between the Chair 
and Chief Executive Officer to ensure it is functioning well;

• Lead the process for, and chair the Nomination Committee 

when considering, the selection and appointment of a new Chair;

• Facilitate the resolution of disputes between the Chair 

and other members of the Board; and

Meetings, attendance and information provided 
to the Board

• Be available to address the concerns of the Company’s 

shareholders in situations where the Chair, Chief Executive 
Officer or Chief Financial Officer have failed to resolve 
those concerns, or where contact with those individuals 
is inappropriate.

Non-Executive Directors
The role of the Non-Executive Directors is to constructively 
challenge and help develop proposals on strategy and play 
a leading role in monitoring and scrutinising the performance 
of the Group’s Executive management in meeting agreed goals 
and objectives.

The Non-Executive Directors are also responsible for determining 
appropriate levels of remuneration for the Executive Directors, 
and play a prime role in appointing and, where necessary, 
removing Executive management. 

The Nominated Director is an appointee of a shareholder. 
However, all the Non-Executive Directors are independent 
of management and bring valuable skills, experience and an 
external perspective to the business conducted by the Board, 
as well as offering specialist advice in their fields of expertise. 
The independent Non-Executive Directors also play an important 
role as members of the Board’s Committees.

Group Company Secretary
All the Directors have access to the advice and services of the 
Group Company Secretary. The Group Company Secretary is 
responsible for working with the Chair to develop and maintain 
the policies and processes required to enable the Board to 
function effectively and efficiently, and for ensuring the Board 
has the information, time and resources it needs.

The Group Company Secretary is also responsible for advising 
the Board on corporate governance matters and for ensuring 
procedures are followed and applicable rules and regulations 
complied with.

The appointment and removal of the Group Company Secretary 
is a matter reserved for the Board. During the period under review, 
the Board appointed Claire Chapman as Group Company Secretary.

Member

Deanna Oppenheimer

Chris Hill

Philip Johnson 
(resigned 31 Jan 2022)

Dan Olley

Roger Perkin

John Troiano

Moni Mannings

Andrea Blance

Adrian Collins

Penny James 
(appointed 1 Sept 2021)

Amy Stirling 
(appointed 21 Feb 2022)

Attended  
(excluding ad-hocs)

8 of 8

8 of 8

5 of 5

8 of 8

8 of 8

8 of 8

8 of 8

8 of 8

8 of 8

7 of 7

3 of 3

Board meeting attendance shown for all scheduled Board meetings 
during the year noting that on occasion ad-hoc meetings also took 
place to deal with timely matters.

Supported by the Group Company Secretary, the Board is satisfied 
that it has the policies, processes, information, time and resources 
required in order for it to function effectively and efficiently. 
Comprehensive Board packs and agendas are circulated prior 
to meetings to ensure Directors have the opportunity to consider 
the issues to be discussed so that more time at meetings can 
be dedicated to constructive challenge and strategic discussion. 
Directors are expected to attend all meetings. However, when a 
Director is unavoidably unable to attend all or part of a meeting, 
he or she is able to provide comments on the papers to the Chair 
before the meeting. 

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Outside of the scheduled Board cycles, the Board may meet to 
discuss or otherwise consider and approve matters on an ad hoc 
basis, such as appointments to the Board and other senior 
positions within the Group, or other material and time critical 
matters. The Non-Executive Directors also meet periodically 
without the Executive Directors present. These sessions have 
been held via a mixture or remote, hybrid and face to face 
meetings to make best use of time and work efficiently.

The Board also met with members of the Group Executive 
Committee and other senior management, including an in person 
Strategy Day to develop and refine Group Strategy. There have 
also been a number of ‘drop in’ sessions during the year for the 
Board with members of the Group Executive Committee covering 
items including: ICARA; FCA’s Consumer Duty; and a range of 
subjects contributing to HL’s Strategy including: technology; 
service, advice and growth.

Board independence and time commitments
The structure, size and composition of the Board is regularly 
reviewed to ensure that the balance between Executive and 
Non-Executive Directors allows it to exercise objectivity and that 
no individual or small group of individuals dominates decision 
making. Each of the Non-Executive Directors is considered to be 
of sufficient calibre and experience to bring significant influence 
to decision making.

On her appointment as Chair, Deanna Oppenheimer satisfied 
the independence criteria set out in the Code.

The Board considers that each of Andrea Blance, Moni Mannings, 
Penny James, Dan Olley, Roger Perkin, Darren Pope and John 
Troiano are independent. In each case when assessed against 
the criteria set out in the Code. Adrian Collins is not considered 
independent because he is appointed by a major shareholder. 
Throughout the period under review, the Board has therefore 
satisfied the Code requirement that at least half of the Board, 
excluding the Chair, comprises Non-Executive Directors 
determined to be independent.

The Board considers that each of the Non-Executive Directors has 
sufficient time to meet their responsibilities both to the Board and 
any Committees of which they are a member. Board members are 
required to disclose significant time commitments prior to their 
appointment, and candidates’ existing time commitments are taken 
into account by the Board when considering new appointments.

Directors are required to consult the Board prior to undertaking 
any additional external appointments.

The independence and time commitments of the Non-Executive 
Directors are kept under review by the Nomination Committee. 
Details of its oversight of these matters can be found on page 110. 
Neither of the Executive Directors currently holds any significant 
external appointments.

During the year it was announced that Deanna Oppenheimer would 
join IHG plc as Chair elect from 1 June 2022. In respect of Deanna’s 
appointment, the HL Board considered, as it does when any Board 
member takes on a new role, the impact this appointment could 
have on her ability to continue her significant contribution to HL 
as Chair. Additionally, the Board took into account the views that 
major shareholders have generally expressed as part of their 
ongoing stewardship obligations, and recognised the observations 
made by some that time commitments must allow for the flexibility 
for a Non-Executive Director to have capacity for both planned 
and for unforeseen events.

Having carried out the review, the Board is satisfied that Deanna’s 
new appointment does not have any impact on her ability to 
continue as HL Chair. The Board is satisfied that there is no conflict 
given the sector IHG plc operates in and, in the last 24 months, 
Deanna has freed up her time by stepping down as NED at 
both Whitbread plc, where she had also served as Remuneration 
Committee Chair, and Tesco plc. At Tesco plc she had served as 
both the SID and Remuneration Committee chair and also sat on 
the Tesco Bank Board. Deanna’s ability to take up the IHG plc role 
and to continue as HL’s Chair was made possible by her reduced 
time commitments overall.

Composition, succession and evaluation 
Board composition, balance and diversity
The Nomination Committee regularly reviews the size, structure 
and composition of the Board and its Committees to ensure 
an appropriate and diverse mix of skills, experience, knowledge, 
backgrounds and personal strengths. The Non-Executive Directors 
have strong and relevant experience across all aspects of financial 
services and the Board as a whole is considered to have an 
appropriate balance of skills and experience for the requirements 
of the Group’s business.

Diverse pools of candidates are considered for vacancies and 
in succession planning, and any appointments are based on merit 
and objective criteria. Further details on the Group’s approach to 
diversity and inclusion when considering Board appointments and 
succession planning, and how the approach promotes diversity 
of gender, social and ethnic backgrounds, cognitive and personal 
strengths, can be found in the Nomination Committee report on 
pages 107 to 110. 

Board composition

7
Non-Executive 
Directors

1
Chair

2
Executive
Directors

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Length of tenure

3
4–6 years

7
0–3 years

Board diversity

Female

Male

On joining the Board, Non-Executive Directors receive a formal 
letter of appointment setting out the time commitment expected 
of them. Once they have met all approval and induction 
requirements, Non-Executive Directors are currently expected 
to commit a minimum of 30 days per annum to their roles. This 
expectation is calculated based on attendance at and preparing 
for Board meetings, meeting with senior management and the 
Company’s shareholders, and attending strategy days, Board 
dinners and training. Additional time commitments may apply 
where a Non-Executive Director takes on an additional role such 
as chairing a Committee.

Induction and professional development
The Chair is responsible, with the support of the Group Company 
Secretary, for arranging a comprehensive induction programme 
for all new Directors. Inductions are tailored to the individual 
following a skills gap analysis, and have regard to their 
background, knowledge and previous experience both 
professionally and as a Director.

Consideration of the length of service of Directors is a key element 
of the wider consideration of Board composition and succession 
planning, and for Non-Executive Directors it is an important aspect 
that is considered in determining continued independence. The 
Group maintains clear records of the terms of service of the Chair 
and Non-Executive Directors to ensure continued compliance 
with the tenure requirements in the Code. The Chair has held the 
position since her appointment to the Board in February 2018 and, 
as at the date of this report, none of the Non-Executive Directors 
has served on the Board for more than nine years from the date 
of their first appointment.

Director election and re-election
In accordance with the requirements of the Code and the 
Company’s Articles of Association, all Directors will stand for 
election or re-election, as relevant, at this year’s AGM. Information 
on how the Board evaluates the effectiveness and contribution 
of each Director can be found in the Nomination Committee report 
on pages 107 to 110. The Notice of AGM will include specific details 
of why the Board considers that the contribution of the Directors 
seeking election or re-election is, and continues to be, important 
to the Group’s long-term sustainable success.

Board appointment process
The Nomination Committee leads the process for Board 
appointments, details of which can be found in the Nomination 
Committee report on pages 107 to 110.

Non-Executive Directors are appointed for fixed terms of three 
years, subject to election or re-election by the Company’s 
shareholders at each AGM. At the end of each term, Non-Executive 
Directors may be appointed for further three-year terms provided 
the Board is satisfied with the individual’s performance and that 
he or she remains independent and able to devote sufficient time 
to the role.

Induction programmes include meetings with a variety of key 
stakeholders to provide the Director with a thorough overview of 
the Group’s business and the environment within which it operates. 
This includes meetings with the Chair, Chief Executive Officer, 
Chief Financial Officer and other members of the Board, as well as 
meetings with senior management, heads of business areas and 
technical experts, to gain a detailed insight into the operation of 
the business and its culture. The Group Company Secretary and 
Group Chief Risk Officer will also meet with the Director to provide 
an overview of the Group’s corporate governance and risk 
management frameworks respectively.

An ongoing programme of training is available to all members of 
the Board. During the period under review, this has included a 
training session for the Board on the FCA’s Consumer Duty and the 
ICARA and support for the Board’s Committees in discussions on 
relevant topics such as: developments in audit best practice; and 
the impact of the Investment Firm Prudential Regime. The Board 
also carries out periodic ‘deep dives’ into specific areas of the 
business in order to broaden the Board’s understanding of the 
Group’s business and the opportunities and challenges it faces. 
The Board carried out deep dive sessions on return to office, ESG, 
operational resilience, the HL Way and cyber security – taking into 
account the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and held a number of 
workshops on a range of subjects contributing to the strategy 
including: technology, services, advice and growth.

Training is also arranged to align to any specific development 
needs identified by the annual Board evaluations, and individual 
Directors are encouraged to devote an element of their time to 
self-development. 

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Audit, risk and internal control
Audit
The Board is responsible for establishing the policies and 
procedures that ensure the independence and effectiveness 
of the Group’s Internal Audit function and the external auditor, 
and for satisfying itself as to the integrity of the financial and 
narrative statements in the Report and Financial Statements. 
The Board delegates responsibility to its Audit Committee to 
oversee the Group’s Internal Audit function and the Group’s 
relationship with its external auditor. The Audit Committee is also 
responsible for monitoring the integrity of the Group’s financial 
reporting and the processes and controls that support it, and 
for advising the Board as to whether the Report and Financial 
Statements provide a fair, balanced and understandable 
assessment of the Company’s position and prospects.

The main features of the Group’s internal control and risk 
management systems that ensure the accuracy and integrity 
of its financial reporting include:

• The utilisation of appropriately qualified and experienced 

colleagues, and regular knowledge sharing within the team;

• The use of appropriate information security and access 

controls around the key systems used in the Group’s financial 
reporting processes;

• Appropriate segregation of duties to ensure that no individual 

controls the end-to-end process;

• Continuing enhancements to the Group’s Risk Management 
Framework including robust risk identification, assessment 
and management;

• Detailed processes and controls around the reconciliation 
of the Group’s office accounts, the recognition of revenue 
and the Group’s tax balances, and payment processes; and

• A detailed process of reconciliation and review by management 

of data extracted from the general ledger system for the 
production of management accounts.

Further details can be found in the Audit Committee report on pages 
74 to 78. Statements from the Board as to the adoption of the going 
concern basis for preparing the financial statements and the Board’s 
responsibility for preparing the Report and Financial Statements 
can be found on page 117 of the Directors’ Report and the 
Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities on page 122 respectively.

Risk management and internal controls
The Board is responsible for establishing procedures for risk 
management and for monitoring the Group’s risk management 
framework and system of internal controls. The Board is also 
responsible for determining the nature and extent of the principal 
risks the Group is willing to take in order to achieve its long-term 
strategic objectives. Supported by the Risk Committee, the Board 
carries out a robust assessment of the Group’s emerging and 
principal risks when assessing the prospects of the Company over 
the longer term. The outcome of that assessment, along with a 
description of the Group’s principal risks, the procedures in place 
to identify emerging risks, and an explanation of how these risks 
are managed or mitigated can be found on pages 51 to 59 of the 
Strategic Report.

A description of the main features of the Group’s risk management 
and internal control systems, including the ‘three lines of defence 
model’, can be found on pages 51 to 59 of the Strategic Report.

The Board delegates responsibility for monitoring those systems 
to its Audit and Risk Committees, and each carries out an annual 
review of their effectiveness on the Board’s behalf. Together, 
this review covers all material controls, including financial, 
operational and compliance controls and risk management 
systems. Further details can be found on page 77 of the Audit 
Committee report and page 112 of the Risk Committee report. 
The crossover of membership between the Audit Committee 
and Risk Committee assists in the exchange of relevant issues 
and the facilitation of associated discussions.

Following review by its Committees, the Board is satisfied that 
the Group’s risk management and internal control systems are 
adequate and have continued to improve throughout the period 
under review. The Board continues to encourage the enhancement 
of the Group’s risk maturity, aligned to the Group’s scale and 
complexity as it continues to grow and implement the new strategy. 
Further information of the enhancements planned can be found 
on page 113 of the Risk Committee report. 

Remuneration
The Group’s remuneration policies and practices are designed 
to support its strategic objectives and promote its long-term 
sustainable success. A summary of how the Company has 
complied with the remuneration requirements set out in the 
Code, along with details of the Remuneration Committee’s 
activities during the period under review, the levels of Directors’ 
remuneration and a summary of the current Directors’ 
Remuneration Policy, can be found on pages 79 to 106.

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INTEGRITY OF THE GROUP

Dear Shareholder
As Chair of the Audit Committee, I am pleased to present this 
report on the Committee’s activities in the year under review. 

Role of the Audit Committee
The Committee assists the Board in ensuring that the interests 
of the Company’s shareholders are protected in relation to the 
Group’s financial reporting and internal controls. The Board 
delegates responsibility to the Committee to monitor the integrity 
of the Group’s financial reporting and the processes and controls 
that support it. This includes reviewing and challenging the 
appropriateness of accounting policies, significant issues and 
judgements, and the assumptions in support of the Company’s 
ability to continue as a going concern and its longer-term viability.

A key aspect of the Committee’s role in ensuring the integrity of the 
financial reporting is its oversight of the Group’s relationship with the 
external auditor. This includes making recommendations to the Board 
in relation to the appointment of the external auditor, approving its 
scope of work, fees and terms of engagement, as well as regularly 
reviewing its independence, objectivity and effectiveness.

Eligible 
meetings

Attended
meetings

•••••••

•••••••

•••••••

•••••••

•••••••

•••••••

More broadly, the Group’s internal control framework is an essential 
part of ensuring the integrity of its financial reporting and other 
business operations. The Committee oversees the effectiveness 
of, and ongoing improvements to, the Group’s internal controls, 
as well as having responsibility for monitoring and reviewing the 
effectiveness of the Group’s Internal Audit function, which provides 
assurance on those controls.

Following a review of the Committee’s terms of reference 
in October 2021, the main compliance responsibilities were 
transferred to the Risk Committee to align with its existing 
responsibilities. The detailed responsibilities of the Committee 
are set out in its terms of reference, which are available on the 
Group’s website at www.hl.co.uk/about-us/board-of-directors.

This report provides an overview of how the Committee has 
discharged its responsibilities during the period under review.

Ensuring oversight of  
financial reporting and  
the control environment.

Roger Perkin
Chair of the Audit Committee

Composition and meeting attendance
Roger Perkin (as Chair), Andrea Blance and John Troiano, each of 
whom is an independent Non-Executive Director, are the members 
of the Committee as at the date of this report and have been 
throughout the period under review. 

The Board has satisfied itself that the Committee as a whole 
has an effective balance of skills and experience to perform its 
responsibilities. Each of Roger Perkin, Andrea Blance and John 
Troiano have significant experience of the asset management 
sector and the wider financial services industry. Roger Perkin 
has recent and relevant financial experience and competence 
in accounting and audit.

Ongoing training is provided to assist Committee members 
in performing their duties. During the period, this has included 
a briefing from the external auditor on developments in relation 
to technology controls.

The Committee met seven times in the period under review. 
The attendance of members at meetings across the year is set 
out in the table opposite. Other individuals attend Committee 
meetings at the request of the Committee Chair. This will usually 
include the Chair of the Board, the Chief Financial Officer, the 
Chief Internal Auditor and the external auditor. The Committee 
has access to the Group Company Secretary, whose nominee 
acts as secretary to the Committee. The Committee is authorised 
to obtain independent professional advice where it considers 
it necessary. 

74

Attendance at Committee meetings  
during the year to 30 June 2022

Member

Roger Perkin

Andrea Blance

John Troiano

Position

Chair

Independent 
Non-Executive 
Director

Independent 
Non-Executive 
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Overview of the Committee’s activities  
in the year to 30 June 2022

29%
Governance 
and Other

19%
External Audit

21%
Financial
 Reporting

8%
Internal
 Controls

6%
Whistleblowing

17%
Internal Audit

Financial statements
The Committee is responsible for monitoring the integrity of 
the Group’s financial statements, including its interim and full 
year results. Where practicable, and consistent with regulatory 
requirements, it also reviews other statements requiring Board 
approval which contain financial information, including the Group’s 
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) disclosure.

In carrying out this role, the Committee reviews and challenges 
the application of significant accounting policies across the 
Group that feed into its financial statements, and the methods 
used to account for significant or unusual transactions. Significant 
examples considered by the Committee during the period include:

• The application of IAS 38 (Intangible Assets) in relation to the 
amounts held by the Group’s subsidiaries including internally 
developed software and goodwill. 

In each case the Committee reviewed and challenged 
management on the appropriateness of these accounting policies 
and how they were applied to the Group’s financial statements.

The Committee also considers the accounting estimates and 
judgements made, and any significant issues that have arisen, 
in preparing the Group’s financial statements. It scrutinises the 
clarity and completeness of related disclosures to ensure they 
are set properly in context. In doing so, it pays due regard to 
any related correspondence with the external auditor and any 

material adjustments resulting from the external audit. In the 
period under review, the Committee has concluded that there 
were no significant issues requiring judgements to be made in 
relation to the financial statements. In arriving at this conclusion, 
the Committee considered the following:

• Revenue recognition. The Committee considered the veracity 

of the Group’s revenue streams in the period, which continue to 
be non-complex and primarily consist of high-volume, low value 
transactions. The Committee receives assurance on revenue 
calculations both internally through its oversight of the Group’s 
CASS controls and from the external auditor’s approach to 
recalculating the Group’s significant revenue streams and 
carrying out sample testing on the remainder. In addition, the 
external auditors reviewed and sample tested the operational 
transactions that drive the revenue to ensure that these were 
being booked in a timely and accurate fashion.

• Going concern. The Committee reviewed the going concern 

position for each group entity.

• Carrying value of investment in subsidiary. The valuation 
model of HLSL was reviewed in detail by the Committee 
and they concluded that a £5 million impairment of HL plc’s 
investment in HLSL was required. They also reviewed the 
capitalised development cost in HLSL against this model and 
concluded that no impairment was required. Full details of the 
value of intangible assets capitalised and the policies applied 
can be found in note 2.2 to the consolidated financial statements 
on pages 140 to 141.

• Tax. The Committee received reporting on and considered tax 

matters impacting the Group, including overseas withholding tax, 
FATCA and HMRC’s Corporate Criminal Offence.

• COVID-19. The Committee continued to consider the potential 
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Group’s performance 
and financial reporting. In addition, the Committee has spent 
additional time with both the Group’s Finance and Internal Audit 
functions to receive assurance on the quality of the Group’s 
financial reporting and any issues and judgements made in 
connection with its preparation.

• Contingent liabilities. The Committee reviewed and carefully 
considered the contingent liabilities for the Group. Full details 
of the matters considered can be found in note 5.3 to the 
consolidated financial statements on page 151.

• FRC Correspondence. During the financial year, the Group 

corresponded with the FRC about its 2021 Report and Financial 
Statements. In March 2022, as part of its corporate reporting 
review function, the FRC requested information about the 
accounting implications for potential litigation against the 
company in respect of the LF Equity Income Fund (formerly 
Woodford Equity Income Fund) that had been reported in the 
media. The Group explained in its correspondence with the FRC 
that a pre-action letter had been received from a legal firm in 
March 2021. The Group clarified that in June 2021, it had issued 
a letter in response which rejected all the claims made for lack 
of a substantive basis of claim. The Group informed the FRC that 
no formal litigation or group legal action had commenced as at 
the date of issuing the 2021 Report and Financial Statements, 
or since. This remains the case as at the date of this report.

• Remuneration. The Committee considered the accounting 

impact of the proposed changes to a new Sustained 
Performance Plan within the Remuneration Policy. Changes 
relate to deferral rates and vesting periods and are driven 
from the requirements of the Investment Firm Regulation and 
Investment Firm Directive along with shareholder feedback.

As Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited is an 
enhanced firm under the Senior Managers & Certification Regime 
but does not have a separate Audit Committee, the Committee 
reviewed the Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited 
accounts for recommendation to the board of that company.

Alternative Performance Measures
The Committee reviewed and challenged the classification 
and monitoring of costs related to our updated strategy.

Report and Financial Statements and interim results
In addition to considering significant accounting issues, policies 
and judgements throughout the year, the Committee plays an 
important role in the production of the Report and Financial 
Statements and interim results. This includes reviewing and 
challenging the assumptions that support the use of the going 
concern basis for the preparation of the financial statements 
and the statement given by the Directors as to the Company’s 
longer-term viability, which can be found on page 54.

The Committee also undertakes a wider review of the content 
of the Report and Financial Statements to advise the Board as to 
whether, taken as a whole, it is fair, balanced and understandable 
and provides the information necessary for shareholders to 

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assess the Group’s performance, business model and strategy. 
This supports the Board in providing the confirmations set out 
on page 122. 

the external auditor were also sought at the Committee’s meetings, 
which included sessions without management present to discuss 
its remit and any issues arising from the audit.

recommended to the Board that a resolution is put to the 
Company’s shareholders at the upcoming AGM for the 
reappointment of the external auditor.

In considering the wider content of the Report and Financial 
Statements, the Committee pays particular attention to ensuring 
the narrative sections provide context for, and are consistent with, 
the financial statements, and that an appropriate balance is struck 
between the articulation of successes, opportunities, challenges 
and risks. In addition to considering its content, the Committee 
also oversees the process for preparing the Report and 
Financial Statements.

In particular, the Committee has ensured that an appropriate 
senior manager is accountable for the preparation of each section, 
with overall responsibility for coordinating production being 
assigned to the Chief Financial Officer.

External Audit
The Committee is responsible for overseeing the Group’s 
relationship with its external auditor, PwC, which has been retained 
since the Group’s last competitive tender process run in relation 
to the financial year ended 30 June 2014.

In addition to oversight of the audit process itself, the Committee 
is responsible for monitoring the Group’s other interactions with 
the external auditor to ensure that its independence and 
objectivity are maintained.

External audit process
During the period, the Committee has overseen the end-to-end 
audit process. The Committee reviewed and approved the external 
auditor’s engagement letter and the detailed audit plan to ensure 
appropriateness of scope. In approving the proposed audit fees, 
the Committee paid particular attention to ensuring they were 
appropriate to enable an effective and high-quality audit.

The external auditor provided an update to the Committee at its 
June meeting on progress of the audit, before submitting a formal 
report in August following the completion of the audit process. 
The Committee reviewed the findings with the external auditor, 
which included a discussion of key audit and accounting matters 
including significant judgements of which there were determined 
to be none, and its views on its interactions with management. 
The Committee also reviewed and recommended to the Board that 
it signs the representation letter requested by the external auditor 
in respect of its audit of the financial statements. The views of 

External auditor effectiveness and independence
The Committee is responsible for assessing the qualifications, 
expertise and resources of the external auditor, and for reviewing 
the effectiveness of the audit process. In discharging these 
responsibilities, the Committee has considered information 
from a variety of sources. It received a report from the external 
auditor on its own internal quality control procedures, which 
included reference to the outcome of the FRC’s 2021/22 
AQR inspection report. 

The Committee regularly receives reports from the external auditor 
on the progress of its audit activities. The Committee reviews the 
contents of these reports and the level of professional scepticism 
and challenge of management judgements. Where appropriate, 
the Committee tracked the management response to external 
audit findings to ensure a satisfactory outcome to any challenges 
raised. The views of management and the Committee members 
were also sought on the efficiency of the year end process and 
the performance of the external auditor. In conclusion, it was 
noted that the external auditor has demonstrated challenge 
and professional scepticism in performing its role.

In addition to its effectiveness, the Committee is responsible for 
monitoring and assessing the independence and objectivity of the 
external auditor. In doing so, the Committee has considered the 
FRC’s Revised Ethical Standard 2019, and paid particular attention 
to the Group’s wider relationship with the external auditor through 
its provision of non-audit services to the Group, to the rotation 
of the senior audit partner, and to the external auditor’s tenure 
with the Group, further information on which can be found below.

The Committee received a report from the external auditor 
confirming that, in line with the FRC’s Revised Ethical Standard 
2019 and having regard to the threats and safeguards to 
independence, it had concluded that there were no matters 
that impaired or restricted its objectivity as auditors to the Group.

Having considered the information and views presented to it, 
the Committee has concluded that the external audit process 
was effective, that it is satisfied with the performance of the 
external auditor, and that there are policies and procedures in 
place adequately to protect the independence and objectivity 
of the external auditor. Accordingly, the Committee has 

Non-audit fees
The Committee considers its oversight of the non-audit services 
provided to the Group to be a key component of discharging its 
responsibility for monitoring the independence and objectivity 
of the external auditor. In addition to the report the Committee 
received from the external auditor concerning the threats and 
safeguards to its independence, the Committee received and 
reviewed reports from the Group’s Finance function prior to the 
publication of the Group’s interim and full year results on all 
non-audit services provided to the Group by the external auditor 
during the period under review.

The Committee has responsibility for developing and 
recommending to the Board the Group’s policy on non-audit 
services supplied by the external auditor. The policy is specifically 
designed to ensure that the external auditor’s independence 
and objectivity is maintained. It sets out a number of permissible 
non-audit services which the external auditor may carry out 
in line with the FRC’s Revised Ethical Standard. In particular, 
the Committee considers that it is desirable that the external 
auditors also perform the assurance services required by 
regulation in respect of CASS and Safeguarding as this provides 
significant efficiencies in the audit process and, in its judgement, 
the threats to the auditors’ independence are clearly insignificant. 
All non-audit services must be approved in advance by 
the Committee.

The policy also specifies, in line with the FRC’s Revised Ethical 
Standard 2019, that the maximum non-audit fees that the external 
auditor can receive from the Group is 70% of the average of the 
audit fees incurred by the Group over the previous three years. 
Assurance services in relation to CASS and Safeguarding are 
specifically excluded from the fee cap. The full policy can be 
found on the Group’s website at www.hl.co.uk/about-us/ 
board-of-directors/corporate-governance. 

During 2022, the Group paid PwC £1,036,000 (FY21: £806,000) 
for audit and related assurance services and £101,000 (FY21: 
£90,000) for other assurance services, giving a total fee to PwC 
of £1,137,000 (FY21: £896,000). Further information on Auditors’ 
Remuneration is set out in Note 1.4 to the Financial Statements. 

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Tenure of the external auditor
The Company has complied throughout the period under review 
with the provisions of The Statutory Audit Services for Large 
Companies Market Investigation (Mandatory Use of Competitive 
Tender Processes and Audit Committee Responsibilities) Order 
2014, including the tenure of the Group’s external auditor, the 
tender process for auditor appointments and Audit Committee 
responsibilities.

The lead audit partner for the period under review was Darren 
Meek, in his second year of appointment. The Company considers 
that, taking account of the controls in place to maintain the 
external auditor’s independence and objectivity, the relationship 
the Group has developed with PwC is conducive to an efficient 
and effective audit, and that it is therefore in the best interests of 
the Company’s members as a whole to maintain that relationship 
for the financial year ending 30 June 2023.

Given the Group appointed PwC as its external auditor following 
a tender process in respect of the financial year ending 30 June 
2014, the Group was required to undertake a formal, competitive 
tender process in respect of the financial year ending 30 June 
2024 at the latest. To allow sufficient time for a transition period, 
should it be needed, and to enable an incoming auditor to become 
independent following any appointment decision, the Company 
conducted the tender process during the period under review.

Audit quality was of paramount importance in key selection 
criteria. The Committee retained ultimate authority over the tender 
process and the scope of the tender consisted of the HL Group 
audit and statutory audits of all Group companies (excluding 
dormant companies and those subject to exemption from audit), 
as well as the performance of assurance services required by 
regulation in respect of CASS and Safeguarding.

To ensure a transparent and robust selection process, a panel 
was established to manage the process, chaired by the Committee 
Chair and including the Chief Financial Officer. The panel was 
responsible for overseeing the design and execution of the audit 
tender, including agreeing the key objectives and evaluation 
criteria. All firms were requested to confirm their independence 
on acceptance of the request for proposal and to provide details 
of any matters of which they were aware that could have an 
impact on independence, which were reviewed against internal 
agreements and proposals in place. 

In order to be successful in the audit tender, the firms were 
evaluated on the following selection criteria: 

• Audit quality;

• Strength and experience of the audit team;

• Understanding of HL, its business and industry;

• Audit approach;

• Ability to create effective working relationships; and

• Commercials.

The tender resulted in a recommendation to the Board in June in 
respect of the audit of the financial statements for the year ending 
30 June 2024 and subject to member approval at the 2023 AGM. 
Subject to continuing satisfactory performance, members will be 
invited to vote, at the Company’s AGM, to reappoint PwC. The next 
tender process will be mandatory after no more than ten years.

Internal controls
In conjunction with the Risk Committee, the Committee provides 
assurance to the Board on the Group’s system of internal controls.

A key aspect of this is the review of the financial control systems 
that identify, assess, manage and monitor financial risks, which 
are an important aspect of ensuring the integrity of the Group’s 
financial statements as a whole. 

As part of its oversight of the Group’s wider system of internal 
controls, the Committee receives reports from management 
on the effectiveness of those controls, as well as independent 
assurance on the effectiveness of controls by the Group’s Internal 
Audit function and the external auditors. During the period, 
the Committee has:

• Received regular reports from the Group’s Internal Audit function 

on the sufficiency of the internal controls in those areas of 
the business included in the Internal Audit Plan for the period. 
Specific areas of focus in the period have included operational 
resilience, IT, governance and the systems and controls that 
support regulatory changes. Reporting to the Committee has 
also included updates on progress against management actions 
identified and a root cause analysis of internal audit observations 
over the preceding 12-month period.

• The Committee has also received the Chief Internal Auditor’s 
annual assessment of the Group’s internal control framework; 
and

• Monitored the status of the Group’s CASS control environment 

and the improvements being made. In doing so it has considered 
the report from the external auditors on client assets held by the 
Group’s regulated subsidiaries and received regular reports from 
the Group’s CASS function on the completion of CASS assurance 
activity, status updates on remediation activity carried out 
as part of the CASS action plan, and management information 
on any breaches of significance and associated remediation.

Overall, the Committee is satisfied that the Group’s internal 
control and risk management framework comprises adequate 
arrangements, actions and mitigating controls. The Committee 
recognises that in order to support the continuing growth and 
increasing complexity of the Group, there is a need to continue 
to invest in improving and strengthening the Group’s risk 
culture and the risk management and internal control systems. 
Further information on the enhancements can be found on page 
113 of the Risk Committee Report. The Committee has reviewed 
and approved the statements included in this Report and Financial 
Statements relating to risk management and longer-term viability 
on page 54 of the Strategic Report and on the adequacy of the 
Group’s internal control and risk management arrangements on 
page 73 of the Corporate Governance Report.

Whistleblowing
The Group is committed to creating a culture of openness, integrity 
and accountability. A formal policy is in place which encourages 
colleagues and contractors to raise concerns, in confidence, 
about possible wrongdoing in relation to financial reporting or 
other matters. Changes to the policy require the approval of the 
Board, and the Committee has responsibility for regularly reviewing 
the adequacy of arrangements to ensure the proportionate and 
independent investigation of matters raised and appropriate follow 
up action. These arrangements are viewed as an important internal 
control for the Group and the Committee regularly updates the 
Board on their operation and instances of concerns raised.

During the period, the Committee received regular reporting on 
the Group’s whistleblowing arrangements, including management 
information on concerns raised and completion rates for 
internal training. 

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Internal Audit
The role of the Group’s Internal Audit function is to provide 
objective assurance and advice to both the Board and 
management on the Group’s internal control and risk management 
framework. The Committee plays an important role both in 
overseeing the programme of work carried out by the function, 
and in monitoring and reviewing its role and effectiveness, 
including its objectivity.

The role of the Group’s Internal Audit function is defined by the 
Internal Audit Charter, which sets out its objectives, responsibilities 
and scope of work. 

The function’s detailed work programme is set out in a rolling 
12-month Internal Audit Plan, which is reviewed and approved by 
the Committee every six months. In doing so, the Committee has 
ensured that the Plan is aligned to the Group’s key risks and to 
the assurance work being carried out by the Group’s second line 
functions and the external auditor. Any modifications to the Plan 
are also approved by the Committee.

The Committee monitors the effectiveness of the function 
throughout the year to ensure that it is appropriate in the context 
of the Group’s overall risk management system and its current 
needs. The Chief Internal Auditor is a permanent invitee to the 
Committee’s meetings and meets regularly with both the 
Committee Chair and its members without management present. 
During the period, the Committee received regular reports on 
progress against the Internal Audit Plan, the responsiveness 
of management in addressing recommended actions, and the 
function’s requirements for resource and access to management 
and information. The Committee uses this information to assess 
the function’s effectiveness and to ensure that it is adequately 
resourced and fully equipped to fulfil its mandate and perform 
in accordance with the Internal Audit Charter and relevant 
professional standards. 

Having considered the information provided to it throughout the 
period under review, the Committee remains satisfied that the 
quality, experience and expertise of the function is appropriate 
and that it is operating effectively.

The Committee continues to support the maintenance of the 
function’s objectivity. It ensures the Chief Internal Auditor has 
direct access to both the Chair of the Board and the Committee 
Chair, in each case without the involvement of management, 
and they receive reporting directly from the function.

It is also the responsibility of the Committee Chair to set 
objectives for the Chief Internal Auditor, appraise his 
performance (with support from the Chief Executive Officer) 
and recommend his annual remuneration for approval by the 
Remuneration Committee.

Audit Committee evaluation
The Committee is required to undertake a review of its 
performance at least annually to ensure it is operating effectively 
and in line with its terms of reference. This review was undertaken 
in April 2022 which confirmed that activities during the period 
have been in line with its remit. 

Audit Committee priorities for 2022/23
Looking ahead to the next financial year, it is anticipated that 
the Committee will focus in particular on:

• Assurance from the Group’s Internal Audit function on the 

Group’s governance arrangements and changes to the Group’s 
risk profile as a result of the updated strategy; 

• The continued impact of changes to the macroeconomic 

situation in the UK and globally; and

• Preparations for changes to processes and procedures arising 
from the response statement by the Department for Business, 
Energy and Industrial Strategy on the future of audit and 
corporate governance.

Roger Perkin
Chair of the Audit Committee

4 August 2022

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ANNUAL STATEMENT BY THE CHAIR OF THE REMUNERATION COMMITTEE

DIRECTORS’  
REMUNERATION REPORT

Dear Shareholder
As remuneration Chair, I am pleased to present this Directors’ 
Remuneration Report for the year ended 30 June 2022 that 
sets out how the committee has addressed its responsibilities 
during the year and explains the rationale for our decision making. 
In doing so, I would also like to thank our shareholders for their 
overwhelming support of last year’s remuneration report.1 

Our purpose is to empower people to save and invest with 
confidence. To achieve our purpose, we need to perform well 
whilst doing the right thing for all our stakeholders. Over the 
last two years Hargreaves Lansdown, like many businesses, 
has worked hard to support our people in the aftermath of the 
pandemic, shortly followed by the war in Ukraine and cost of 
living crisis, and whilst managing a journey towards embedding 
our strategy and new ways of working together.

I have set out below an overview of our remuneration philosophy 
which is aligned to our values and is designed to support the 
strategic priorities of Hargreaves Lansdown by encouraging 
client-centric sustainable business performance in the context 
of the social and environmental impacts experienced by our 
colleagues, our clients and our shareholders.

As announced at our Capital Markets Day in February, we have 
reached an inflection point in UK wealth management – now is 
the time for HL to move forward in this huge and growing market 
opportunity. We look forward to a period of transformation and 
over the next year we will reflect on our approach to remuneration, 
with input from our wider workforce as well as feedback from our 
shareholders, to ensure that it fully aligns with our strategic goals.

This is the beginning of a time of review before we submit our 
policy again to shareholders at the 2023 AGM, three years since 
shareholders approved it in 2020. I look forward to engaging with 
our major shareholders during the forthcoming financial year to 
hear your reflections on our approach to executive remuneration 
as we determine whether our current remuneration policy remains 
appropriate for the coming years and what, if any, aspects could 
work better in ensuring our approach to pay reflects and supports 
the strategy and purpose of Hargreaves Lansdown in future.

A purpose centred on our clients and the long term
Our purpose is to empower people to save and invest with 
confidence and our pay philosophy for all colleagues aligns 
to this and aims to:

• Reward client-centric sustainable performance aligned 

to our purpose and values; 

• Share in the success of the Company and align colleagues’ 

interests with those of shareholders;

• Recognise our colleagues who deliver exceptional client 

service the HL Way;

• Attract, retain and motivate a diverse range of talented 

colleagues who live our culture and values;

• Encourage colleagues to save over the long term, in line 

with our Company purpose; and

• Offer flexibility to meet the needs of a diverse workforce.

Alignment of performance metrics to transparently evidence 
delivery of our strategy will remain important anchors, particularly 
in the context of our strategy of transformation announced at 
our Capital Markets Day in February. We will reflect any further 
adjustments to the Directors’ Remuneration Policy and present 
this to shareholders at next year’s AGM. 

1  Votes cast for the 2021 report 95.52%.

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Business context in 2022
This year has been a difficult year for so many and the uncertain 
and challenging external environment has led to reduced market 
and investor confidence. Whilst we cannot control the external 
factors impacting our business outcomes, management have 
acted on what they can control and have delivered a healthy 
statutory Profit Before Tax (PBT) (albeit below threshold) and 
dividend outcome, through a focus on key revenue drivers, 
our client service excellence and robust cost control.

Despite reduced investor confidence, we have continued to 
grow both in terms of net new business and client numbers, whilst 
also ensuring strong client retention and satisfaction. In addition, 
the executive team have delivered a significant amount of activity 
aligned with our strategic priorities, notably the launch of the HL 
Growth Fund, partnering with two new banks in Active Savings, 
and driven operational resilience improvement in line with 
regulatory deadlines. We are also continuing to deliver against 
a stretching ESG agenda in line with the values of our business.

In determining Executive Director bonuses, the Committee 
reviewed the formulaic out-turns based on financial and 
non-financial performance in key areas of focus. Given the targets 
were set before the strategy was set and did not take account 
of a planned £175 million strategic spend, the Committee 
considered whether to adjust targets to reflect strategic spend. 
However, in order to maintain transparency and consistency, 
it determined this was not the right approach this year but 
acknowledged it was appropriate to take account of strategic 
spend when setting FY23 targets. The Committee also 
considered carefully:

• Whether the overall outcomes aligned with the wider 

stakeholder experience;

• The change in share price over the period;

• The intention by the Board to pay a full year dividend; and

• The progress this year against key strategic priorities crucial 

to the long-term success for the Company. 

Finally, the Committee noted wider workforce bonus outcomes 
were stronger than those determined for Executive Directors, 
which are substantially lower than in the previous year. 

This is the first year that we have assessed outcomes under the 
Sustained Performance Plan (SPP). This plan was introduced to 
reinforce alignment of the interests of participants with those of 
our shareholders as well as to support our focus on long-term 
stewardship. Awards were subject to underpinning performance 
conditions reflecting upon Group financial, risk and personal 
performance over a five-year period and I am pleased to announce 
that, after careful consideration by the Remuneration Committee, 
the underpin has been met in full.

Further details on how awards have been determined for the 2022 
performance year as well as grants made during the year are set 
out in the annual report on remuneration.

Executive Director changes
On 31 January 2022, Philip Johnson stepped down from the 
Board due to personal reasons and he left Hargreaves Lansdown 
on 31 May 2022. His pay on leaving was determined in accordance 
with his service contract and our remuneration policy. He was 
eligible to receive a pro-rated bonus reflecting relevant performance 
and his period of employment this year. The bonus outcome 
in relation to the outgoing CFO was carefully considered in the 
context of performance in the round prior to stepping down from 
the Board. In line with the discretion granted to the Committee 
under the plan rules he was treated as a good leaver in relation to 
his outstanding share awards. Awards remain subject to the extent 
performance conditions are met and vest in accordance with their 
original time frames. In accordance with the policy, he will maintain 
a post-employment shareholding for a period of two years.

Further details of the treatment of Philip Johnson’s remuneration 
on stepping down including assessment of his bonus outcome 
are provided on page 98.

Amy Stirling has been appointed as CFO with effect from 
21 February 2022. Amy joined from Virgin Group where she has 
been part of the senior leadership team since September 2016. 
When determining the remuneration package of the new CFO, 
the Committee took into consideration the wider talent market, 
the calibre of the candidate and the experience she brings to the 
role. As such her salary has been set at £525,000 and all elements 
of her ongoing package are aligned to our Directors’ Remuneration 
Policy. For 2022 she received a pro-rated bonus for time in role 
during the year.

Further details on her incoming package are provided on page 105 
where it is also noted that no buy-out of deferred or share-based 
awards was made.

Wider Workforce
Whether it concerns the global pandemic, war in Ukraine, cost of 
living crisis or the volatile stock market this financial year has been 
an unprecedented time for most colleagues. Whilst we have been 
fortunate to have high demand for our services, our colleagues 
had to deal with the significant pressure that this has put on our 
teams, alongside navigating the unprecedented challenges of the 
wider environment.

In August 2021, we made a one-off special award to thank our 
colleagues for working together and supporting our clients through 
this challenging pandemic period. In May 2022, in recognition of 
the unprecedented combination of factors impacting the finances 
of colleagues, we provided a one-off ‘breathing space’ payment 
to those we concluded would be most impacted (based on salary 
level) and to address the effect on their financial resilience. 

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As a responsible market-leading employer, we regularly review 
and benchmark salaries in line with our market comparators. 
In response to the most recent review, this year, we made some 
immediate changes to the pay levels of our entry level roles.

Building and maintaining a strong colleague value proposition that 
ensures colleagues are rewarded fairly and that we are competitive 
in the market is fundamental to ensuring the success of HL. I am 
excited about the proposed programme aimed at evolving our 
colleague value proposition to support our new strategy and look 
forward to providing further updates next year.

The colleague voice plays a key role in our decision making 
process, to ensure that we do the right thing for our clients, 
colleagues, and community. This year, we launched pay and 
culture employee listening sessions where members of the Board, 
ExCo and the Senior Management Team listen to what colleagues 
have to say on topics around pay, progression and culture at HL. 
The HL Colleague Forum (set up in January 2019) focuses on 
gathering colleague feedback on key strategic decisions including 
remuneration, culture and strategy. Additional operational focused 
forums, such as our policy user group, help us to successfully 
implement our response to the feedback gathered during the 
Colleague Forum. In 2021, the Colleague Forum provided feedback 
on HL’s culture, strategy and pay (including Executive remuneration 
approach) where colleagues were generally excited about the 
direction of the strategy. However, they also expressed a desire 
for more granular detail so they could better understand their part 
in delivery against the strategy and performance expectations 
across all levels.

Areas of focus for the forthcoming year
In 2022 we announced the evolution of our strategy and we 
have a very clear vision of the future service that HL can provide. 
The delivery of this strategy will encompass the whole business, 
as we optimise the way we work together to execute on the next 
stage of HL’s growth.

In respect of the 2023 financial year, I would like to highlight 
the following:

• The Committee determined that with the addition of underlying 
cost as a new measure, the existing Executive Director bonus 
metrics were relevant for assessment of performance in the 
year ahead. As such, these metrics have been aligned to the 
five strategic pillars that support the strategy, ensuring that 
at least 50% is weighted to financial/growth measures as 
prescribed in the policy.

•  In addition, the Committee determined that assessment of 

ESG considerations should become part of Group performance 
(instead of as part of personal performance as for 2022).

• For 2023, personal contribution (20%) will be assessed with 

reference to the achievement of strategic delivery.

• In accordance with the policy and IFPR (the Investment Firm 

Prudential Regime), bonus awards granted in respect of 2023 
will be subject to a six-month retention period. 

• The CEO will receive a 4.3% salary increase; the second part of 
a two-stage salary increase agreed by shareholders in October 
2020. This is less than the average increase to the wider 
workforce below Executive Director. Furthermore, this year’s 
pay review has focused on those colleagues below our senior 
leadership who are experiencing the impact of cost of living and 
inflationary pressures. The CFO’s salary is unchanged having 
only recently been set at appointment.

• As set out in last year’s Report and Financial Statements, 

the CEO’s bonus opportunity for 2023 will be 400% of salary, 
with target opportunity reducing to 200%. The CFO’s bonus 
opportunity will be 350% in line with 2022. Opportunities are in 
line with the maximum under the Directors’ Remuneration Policy. 
Any bonus awarded will be delivered in a combination of cash 
and shares as required by regulation.

• The changes to the CEO’s base salary and bonus opportunity 
represent final steps of increases in response to a redesign 
of the bonus in 2021 to reduce the target payment to 50% of 
the maximum opportunity previously agreed by shareholders. 

• The current intention is for SPP award levels to remain 

unchanged from prior years and in line with the shareholder 
approved Remuneration Policy at 50% of salary, subject to 
the Committee’s consideration of wider context at the time of 
vesting. Where the Committee considers that there has been 
a misalignment between outcomes and business performance 
during the period, the Committee has the discretion to amend 
vesting of outcomes. See page 86 for further details regarding 
the underpin criteria for the SPP award.

The approach to Executive Director remuneration is set out in 
greater detail including detail on performance measures in the 
annual report on remuneration.

We continue to review our remuneration approach throughout the 
organisation to ensure we remain compliant with our governance 
and evolving regulatory requirements. As part of this, although 
significantly aligned already, we have continued to undertake a 
review of our internal processes and documentation in response 
to the changes in the Investment Firm Prudential Regime in order 
to implement these requirements in line with the required 
time frames. 

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Gender pay and diversity
At HL, we believe that building a diverse and inclusive culture 
is not simply because it is the right thing to do, but because we 
believe it will lead to better outcomes for clients, colleagues, our 
community and our business. We believe inclusion and diversity 
is everyone’s responsibility, so every colleague has this in their 
objectives, ensuring we all play our part.

These figures reflect the increases in female representation at 
Board and Director level because of our strategic focus on hiring 
more, promoting more and losing fewer senior women. The trend 
for median GPG is forecast to narrow even further next year, 
predominantly driven by increased female representation at senior 
levels. However, we need to ensure this level of success 
permeates down into the organisation to drive long-term change. 

Our inclusion and diversity strategy has three priority areas and 
an aligned action plan to drive progress. This strategy will enable 
us to continue to build an inclusive culture and brand where 
colleagues feel engaged whilst attracting a broad pool of talent.

Two of our priority areas relate to the progression and retention 
of female and ethnic minority talent at HL. We continue to build 
accountability into our approach through setting inclusion and 
diversity objectives with target metrics for Executive Directors, 
Executive Committee members and senior leaders, and through 
the regular tracking of progress at the Executive Committee. 
In 2022 Executive Directors’ objectives included quantitative 
gender and ethnicity targets at a Group-wide level.

Alongside our focus on female and ethnic minority representation, 
we have a strong focus on creating an inclusive culture at HL, 
recognising that is key to retaining, engaging, and getting the 
best out of our colleagues. Progress this year includes winning 
a Stepping Up award acknowledging the leadership and support 
HL is providing to changing diversity and inclusion across Bristol 
and launching the Strive internship scheme, aimed at providing 
paid work experience opportunities to Black, Asian and Minority 
Ethnic students across the region. The scheme has won an 
Institute of Student Employers award for our outstanding 
partnership with the University of the West of England.

A full summary of our inclusion and diversity approach, progress 
and initiatives can be found on pages 94 to 97. Our 2021 Gender 
Pay Gap (GPG) figures show that we reduced all our Mean Gender 
Pay Gap, Median Gender Pay Gap and Median Bonus Gap since 
the last submission. Our Median Gender Pay Gap continues to 
improve year-on-year, from 19.1% to 14.5%, with continued positive 
movement since the figures from 2018. Our Mean Bonus Gap has 
widened slightly, by 1.2 percentage points in the last year.

We have supported the attraction, retention and progression of 
diverse talent through several external partnership, engagements 
and representation programme including our ongoing participation 
in the 30% Club’s Women Ahead Mentoring programme; nominating 
colleagues to participate in the Stepping Up programme, an 
award-winning diversity leadership programme, and sponsorship 
of RISE2Inspire black-led mentorship programme to support 
aspiring entrepreneurs.

Progress in the inclusion and diversity space requires long-term 
focus and commitment to drive change; but we have made 
significant strides this year:

• We continue to gather data to better understand the experiences 

of colleagues at HL through regular colleague surveys.

• We have introduced a new Service Graduate Scheme alongside 
our existing rotational scheme, a range of apprenticeships for 
school/college leavers and career changers. We also now offer 
12-month industrial placements for undergraduates, internships, 
and work experience.

• This year we launched a series of Executive Committee Listening 
Sessions so they could get deeper insight into our colleagues’ 
lived experiences and the different colleague groups at HL. To 
date we have held sessions with senior women, ethnic minority 
colleagues, women on helpdesk and women in digital, with 
further sessions planned for other colleague groups this year.

• Raising the profile of our award-winning colleague networks 

in driving engagement and awareness.

We will continue to report back in next year’s Directors’ 
Remuneration Report on the further progress we have made 
during the year.

Contents of this report.
On the following pages we set out:

• A summary of the Directors’ Remuneration Policy which 
was approved at the 2020 AGM on 8 October 2020; and

• The annual report on remuneration will be subject to an 

advisory vote at the 2022 AGM.

I look forward to meeting with our major shareholders over 
the coming months. In the meantime, I would like to recommend 
this remuneration report for approval at the upcoming Annual 
General Meeting.

Moni Mannings
Chair of the Remuneration Committee

4 August 2022

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The Directors’ Remuneration Policy was subject to a binding vote and approved by shareholders 
at our 2020 AGM held on 8 October 2020. It is intended that it should apply for three years,  
until our 2023 AGM.

The full Directors’ Remuneration Policy can be found on pages 78 to 85 of the 2020 Report and 
Financial Statements, which is available to view on our website at www.hl.co.uk/investor-relations. 
The tables below summarise the key elements of pay for Executive and Non-Executive Directors.

The Company’s Directors’ Remuneration Policy (‘the Policy’) is designed to ensure that remuneration 
supports the Company’s strategic objectives, is appropriately positioned against the external market, 
and provides fair rewards that will attract, retain, and motivate individuals of the highest calibre 
required to run a group of the scale and complexity of Hargreaves Lansdown.

The policy is divided into separate sections for Executive and Non-Executive Directors.

Executive Directors

Component/purpose  
and link to strategy

Base salary
Reflects the individual’s 
responsibilities, experience 
and contribution.

Supports the recruitment 
and retention of the calibre 
of individuals required to 
lead the Company.

Operation and performance measures

Maximum opportunity

Base salaries are reviewed annually, with any increase usually effective from 1 July.

No absolute maximum increase.

Base salaries are set taking into account a range of factors including external remuneration levels and 
remuneration levels within the Group, as well as an individual’s responsibilities, experience and contribution.

Base salary will ordinarily increase by no more than the average of relevant employee increases. Any increase 
beyond this would only be made in exceptional circumstances, which would be explained by the Remuneration 
Committee. Circumstances in which the Committee may award increases outside this range may include:

• A change in the scope and/or size of the Executive Director’s role and/or responsibilities;

• Performance and/or development in role of the Executive Director; and

• A material change in the Group’s size, composition and/or complexity.

Benefits
An ‘across the board’ 
benefits package is 
available both to employees 
and Directors alike.

Supports the recruitment 
and retention of the calibre 
of individuals required to 
lead the Company.

The Committee’s policy is to provide Executive Directors with competitive levels of benefits, taking into 
consideration the benefits provided to all eligible employees and the external market.

Where costs are necessarily incurred in the performance of duties on behalf of the Company, those costs 
will be reimbursed in full, e.g. travel, accommodation, subsistence, relocation, and any tax and social 
costs arising.

Provision of tax efficient benefits such as additional holiday, childcare vouchers and workplace parking 
is available through a salary sacrifice mechanism.

Other benefits include (but are not limited to) Group life insurance and Group income protection,  
as well as participation in the Save As You Earn scheme.

Whilst no absolute maximum level of benefits has been set, 
the level of benefits provided is determined taking into 
account individual circumstances, overall costs to the 
business and market practice.

In approving the benefits paid, the Committee will ensure 
that they do not exceed a level which is, in the Committee’s 
opinion, appropriate given the Executive Director’s 
particular circumstances.

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Component/purpose  
and link to strategy

Operation and performance measures

Pension
Provides adequate pension 
saving arrangements for 
Directors and employees.

Supports the recruitment 
and retention of the calibre 
of individuals required to 
lead the Company.

Pension provision is provided in line with the pension provision available for all employees. 

Any changes made to the employee arrangements will be carried across to the Directors.

The Committee may amend the form of any Director’s pension arrangements in response to changing pension 
legislation or similar developments, so long as any amendment does not increase the cost to the Company of a 
Director’s pension provision by any greater percentage than the increase to the provision for all other employees.

The Company will contribute, on the same basis as the pension provision available to all employees to a 
savings vehicle where a Director has reached the Lifetime Allowance, would exceed any pension contribution 
limits in any year, or has elected to protect their Lifetime Allowance. Alternatively if, in these circumstances, 
the Director does not wish to contribute to a savings vehicle, a cash allowance will be paid.

All employees and Directors may waive an element of their Annual Performance Bonus in return 
for a corresponding employer’s contribution into their pension.

Maximum opportunity

The Group provides a matched employer contribution of 5% 
of base salary.

Where employees make additional contributions of over 5% 
of salary, these will be double matched by the Company, 
up to a maximum of 11% of salary.

The maximum contribution available to the Directors is 11% 
of salary, in line with the wider workforce rate. The maximum 
cash alternative is 5%.

Any contribution paid as a result of waiver of the cash 
element of an Annual Performance Bonus will not be counted 
towards these maxima and will not attract matched funding.

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Component/purpose  
and link to strategy

Operation and performance measures

Maximum opportunity

Annual Performance 
Bonus
Rewards achievement of 
the Group’s business plan, 
key performance indicators 
and the personal 
contribution of Directors.

Aligns the interests of 
Directors with those 
of shareholders.

The level of annual performance bonus payable is linked to key financial and non-financial metrics as well as 
corporate and individual performance against objectives.

The maximum bonus opportunity for Directors 
under the current policy is as follows:

The on-target bonus for each Director as a percentage of base salary will be disclosed in advance in the 
annual report on remuneration for each year. The on-target award level for the CEO will be reduced to 50% 
of the maximum opportunity over the life of this policy.

• CEO: four times base salary.

• CFO: three and a half times base salary.

For each performance element of the bonus, 25% of the maximum opportunity will be paid for the attainment 
of threshold performance.

Performance will be assessed against a combination of financial/growth, non-financial and individual performance 
measures with at least a 50% weighting allocated to financial/growth measures, and no more than 20% 
allocated to individual performance. In assessing the overall performance outcome, the Remuneration 
Committee will use its judgement to consider:

• The extent to which market movements, investor sentiment, interest rates and regulation, all of which are 
beyond the control of the Directors, have impacted the performance. This may result in either reductions 
or increases in the awards that would otherwise have been granted;

• The extent to which management has operated within the agreed risk parameters; and

• The extent to which the bonus outcome reflects the overall performance of the business, including in the 

context of the shareholder experience.

A minimum of 40% of the Annual Performance Bonus is subject to compulsory deferral over three years. 
Where required by regulation, deferral will be increased to ensure compliance with regulatory deferral levels 
for all variable pay.

Awards will be delivered in an appropriate combination of cash and shares, in line with prevailing regulatory 
requirements, with a minimum of 50% delivered through HL plc shares. The combination of cash and shares 
will be determined each year by the Committee.

Vesting will occur over a period of three years. Vested shares will be subject to a further retention period 
as required under regulation.

Subject to regulatory requirements, dividend alternatives will accrue on deferred awards up to the vesting date 
and will be paid as soon as practical after exercise of the award.

Awards are subject to a formal malus mechanism until vesting. Awards are subject to clawback until the later 
of three years from the date of award or the end of any post-vesting retention period. Further details of malus 
and clawback provisions are set out on page 81 of the 2020 Report and Financial Statements.

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Component/purpose  
and link to strategy

Sustained 
Performance Plan
Aligns the interests of 
Directors with those of 
shareholders and rewards 
long-term stewardship 
of the Company.

Shareholding Guideline
Aligns the interests 
of management and 
shareholders to the 
success of the Group.

Operation and performance measures

Maximum opportunity

Annual awards over HL plc shares will vest over a five-year period, subject to the achievement of underpinning 
performance conditions over a period of three financial years beginning from the financial year in which awards 
are granted. Vested shares will be subject to a further retention period as required under regulation.

The maximum award each year under the Policy is half times 
base salary.

The grant of awards will be subject to satisfactory personal performance of each Director in the period prior 
to grant. The underpinning performance conditions applicable for each award will be disclosed up front in the 
remuneration report.

Subject to regulatory requirements, dividend alternatives will accrue on unvested awards up to the vesting 
date and will be paid as soon as practical after exercise of the award.

Awards are subject to a formal malus mechanism until vesting. Awards are subject to clawback until the end 
of any post-vesting retention period. Further details of malus and clawback provisions are set out on page 81 
of the 2020 Report and Financial Statements.

All Executive Directors are expected to hold a number of shares in the Company, with a specific market 
value expressed as a percentage of their salary, within a reasonable time frame (typically within six years 
of appointment).

Not applicable.

The current shareholding guideline for Directors is a minimum value of three times base salary.

Vested and unvested (net of tax) awards under the annual performance bonus are included in the calculation 
of a Director’s shareholding for this purpose. Unvested awards, no longer subject to performance conditions 
(net of tax) under the Sustained Performance Plan are also included.

Reflecting best practice, there is a post-cessation shareholding guideline in place, which applies for two 
years following cessation of employment. Upon ceasing to be employed, Directors will be required to retain 
a shareholding equal to their shareholding guideline, or the number of shares actually held on departure, 
whichever is the lower, for twenty-four months. This will not include shares purchased or awarded to Directors 
upon recruitment in respect of any buyout award. Nor will it include shares vested prior to the 2020 AGM.

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Illustration of application of Remuneration Policy
The Committee discloses each year in the Group’s Report 
and Financial Statements a bar chart that models the potential 
remuneration for each of the Executive Directors for the 
forthcoming year using a range of assumptions. The chart 
shows the potential value of the current Executive Directors’ 
remuneration for the forthcoming year for three scenarios; 
minimum, mid-point and maximum scenario as follows:

• The minimum amount represents the unconditional 

component of the remuneration package: salary, pension 
and employee benefits;

• The mid-point amount is the amount the Executive Director 
would receive if they achieve an on-target bonus level and 
awards under the Sustained Performance Plan vest in full. 
It would include both fixed and variable components of 
remuneration; and

• The maximum level is the maximum amount of remuneration 

each Executive Director can be awarded in the year. 
The maximum is subject to remuneration caps that have been 
established for each component. Within the scenario charts, 
the final scenario on the right hand side sets out the impact 
on the SPP award of a 50% appreciation in the Company’s 
share price during the relevant period. 

Chris Hill – Remuneration opportunity for 2022/23  
(£’000s)

Amy Stirling – Remuneration opportunity for 2022/23 
(£’000s)

4,500

3,000

1,500

0

£4,102k

9%

£4,284k

4%
9%

£2,642k

14%

55%

71%

68%

£817k

100%

31%

20%

19%

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

£2,687k

10%

£2,818k

5%
9%

68%

65%

£1,768k

15%

52%

£587k

100%

33%

22%

21%

Minimum

Mid

Maximum

Maximum +
share price
appreciation

Minimum

Mid

Maximum

Maximum +
share price
appreciation

Fixed pay

Bonus

SPP

Share price appreciation

Fixed pay

Bonus

SPP

Share price appreciation

Notes
1  Chart for Chris Hill shows that on-target bonus for the 2022/23 performance year will decrease to 200% and maximum bonus opportunity will increase slightly to 400% of applicable salary 

for 2022/23.

2  Chart for Amy Stirling shows that on-target and maximum bonus opportunity, based on applicable salary for 2022/23, remain the same for the 2022/23 performance year.

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Non-Executive Directors

Component/purpose  
and link to strategy

Base Salary
Supports the attraction and 
retention of high performing 
individuals, considering both 
the market value of the position 
and the individual’s skills, 
experience and performance.

Committee Chair fees
Recognises the additional time 
commitment and responsibility 
involved in chairing a 
Committee of the Board.

Senior Independent 
Director (SID) fee 
Recognises the additional time 
commitment and responsibility 
involved in holding the role of 
the SID.

Benefits and expenses
To appropriately reimburse 
the Chair and Non-Executive 
Directors for out-of-pocket 
expenses incurred in 
the fulfilment of their 
responsibilities and any 
tax and social costs arising.

Operation and performance measures

Non-Executive Directors are paid an annual base fee with fees for additional roles (for example, Senior Independent Director or Chair of a Board Committee and/or Chair 
or member of a Group company board).

The Chair’s and Non-Executive Directors’ basic fees are reviewed annually and any increases, if applicable, are normally effective from 1 July.

The fee levels are set taking into account relevant factors, such as time commitment and market data for comparable positions, and taking account of the time 
commitment required for the role.

All Non-Executive Directors’ fees including those below are paid in cash on a monthly basis or such other frequency as determined by the Board.

The Non-Executive Directors are not eligible for bonuses, pension or to participate in any Group employee share plan.

Each Non-Executive Director receives an additional fee for each Committee for which they are Chair.

The Committee Chair fees reflect the additional time and responsibility in chairing a committee of the Board, including time spent liaising with management and preparing 
for a committee of the Board.

The SID receives an additional fee for his or her role.

The fee reflects the additional time and responsibility in fulfilling the role of Senior Independent Director.

Non-Executive Directors may be eligible to receive benefits such as travel and other reasonable expenses.

Where costs are necessarily incurred in the performance of duties on behalf of the Company, those costs will be reimbursed in full, e.g. travel, accommodation, 
subsistence, relocation, and any tax and social costs arising.

Expenses may be claimed by the Chair and Non-Executive Directors in line with the Company’s expenses policy. 

Appropriate Director insurance and indemnity cover is provided by the Company.

Some Group services are provided at a reduced cost, on the same basis as for all other employees.

Where benefits are provided to Non-Executive Directors, they will be provided at a level considered to be appropriate, taking into account individual circumstances.

In accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association, the maximum aggregate remuneration for 
the Non-Executive Directors is £1,500,000 per annum. This limit will be reviewed by the Board from 
time to time to ensure that it remains appropriate.

External Board appointments
The Company recognises that external Non-Executive Directorships are beneficial to both the 
Director and the Company and that its Executive Directors may be invited to become Non-Executive 
Directors of other companies. Such non-executive duties can broaden experience and knowledge 
which can benefit the Company. Subject to approval by the Board, Executive Directors are allowed to 
accept two non-executive appointments (limited to one in the FTSE 100) and retain the fees received, 
provided that the appointment is not likely to lead to conflicts of interest.

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This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions 
of the Companies Act 2006 and the Large and Medium-Sized 
Companies and Groups Regulations 2013, as amended. It also 
meets the requirements of the UK Listing Authority’s Listing Rules 
and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules. The Remuneration 
Committee confirms throughout the financial year that the 
Company has complied with these governance rules and best 
practice provisions.

Role of the Remuneration Committee
The Board remains ultimately accountable for executive 
remuneration but has delegated this responsibility to the 
Remuneration Committee.

The Remuneration Committee is therefore responsible for 
determining the Remuneration Policy for the remuneration of 
the Executive Directors of the Company and of the subsidiary 
companies, the Chair, other members of executive management 
and all other employees who are deemed to be Material Risk 
Takers. The Committee shall also review workforce remuneration 
and related policies, and the alignment of incentives and rewards 
with the Group’s culture and defined behaviours, taking these 
into account when setting the policy for plc Executive Director 
remuneration. The policy is determined with due regard to the 
interests of the Company, the shareholders and the Group, 
with the objective of being able to attract, retain and motivate 
executive management of the quality required to run the Group 
successfully without paying more than is necessary.

The performance measurement of the Executive Directors and 
key members of senior management and the determination of 
their annual remuneration packages is also undertaken by the 
Committee. For individuals below the Executive Committee, 
there is a sub-committee (the Reward Governance Committee) 
for the review of remuneration structures and outcomes consisting 
of the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief People 
Officer, Group Chief Risk Officer and Group Head of Colleague 
Proposition and Capability, which reports and refers decisions 
to the Committee for final approval where relevant.

The Committee also ensures that the remuneration relationship 
between the Executive Directors and senior employees of the 
Group is appropriate and that the Remuneration Policy complies 
with the relevant FCA Remuneration Codes. Any exceptional 
remuneration arrangements for senior employees are approved 
by or advised to the Committee.

UK Corporate Governance Code
When considering the policy, the Committee was mindful of the 
UK Corporate Governance Code and believes that the executive 
remuneration framework addresses the following principles:

• Clarity – The Committee believes that the remuneration 

framework should be clear and transparent. In the Report and 
Financial Statements we have enhanced disclosure on variable 
pay and the performance measures for the annual bonus have 
been simplified, with attached weightings for each measure 
being disclosed going forward.

• Simplicity – The remuneration arrangements for Executive 
Directors are well understood by both participants and 
shareholders. The structure consists of fixed pay, annual bonus 
award (including deferral) and the SPP (restricted share award).

• Risk – The remuneration framework has been designed to 
mitigate risk where appropriate. The Committee reviews 
adherence to the Group’s risk parameters as part of its 
determination of variable pay outcomes and malus and clawback 
provisions apply to both the annual bonus and SPP award. In the 
current policy, these provisions have been enhanced to include 
corporate failure.

• Predictability – In the Report and Financial Statements, 

the potential value of the Executive Directors’ remuneration 
packages at threshold, target and maximum scenarios (plus with 
50% share price appreciation) have been provided. In addition, 
the Policy also states the maximum annual bonus and SPP 
opportunity as a percentage of salary.

• Proportionality – The Committee strongly believes that poor 

performance should not be rewarded. The annual bonus requires 
performance against stretching measures and the SPP award 
has a robust underpin. The underpin measures both financial 
and non-financial performance, reflecting the Group’s 
strategic priorities.

• Alignment to culture – The remuneration framework has been 
designed to support both the Group’s culture, purpose and 
values. The performance measures and underpins of the variable 
pay awards have been chosen to drive desired behaviours the 
HL Way and are aligned to the strategy of the business. 

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Meetings during the year
There were six scheduled meetings during the year and occasional 
ad hoc meetings where required. Meetings were chaired by Moni 
Mannings; other members were Deanna Oppenheimer and Dan 
Olley for the full year and John Troiano for part of year having 
joined the Committee on 26 January 2022.

None of the Committee has any personal financial interest 
(other than as shareholders), conflicts of interests arising from 
cross-directorships or day-to-day involvement in running 
the business.

Member

Moni Mannings

Deanna Oppenheimer

Dan Olley

John Troiano

Position

Chair

Non-Executive 
Director

Non-Executive 
Director

Non-Executive 
Director 

Eligible 
meetings

••••••

••••••

Attended
meetings

••••••

••••••

••••••

••••••

During the year the Committee has undertaken activities as set out 
below and, in doing so, confirm that there have been no deviations 
from the procedure for implementation of the policy in this 
financial year:

• Reviewing and implementing the Directors’ Remuneration Policy 

and considering our remuneration approach for 2022/23;

• Consideration of the Directors’ Remuneration Report in the 2021 
Report and Financial Statements, and the feedback received 
from shareholders and proxy agencies;

• Reviewing our approach to business and individual performance 
measures, targets and weightings, with a particular focus on 
ensuring they evidence delivery against our strategic priorities;

• Receiving and noting regulatory and governance updates 

to keep abreast of best practice;

• Considering a formal assessment of risk performance in relation 

to remuneration;

• Reviewing and agreeing performance bonuses for the Executive 

Directors as well as other Material Risk Takers (MRTs);

• Reviewing and approving Executive Directors’ objectives and 

performance measures;

• Reviewing the approach to the new Investment Firm Prudential 

Regime (IFPR) and the approach for the identification of, and pay 
out process for MRTs under IFPR, Alternative Investment Fund 
Managers (AIFMD) and Undertakings for the Collective 
Investment in Transferable Securities V (UCITS V);

• Reviewing the remuneration policy for the wider workforce, 
including assessing progress towards achieving Director 
shareholding requirements, and approving new policies in 
accordance with the IFPR requirements;

• Approving the annual Save As You Earn scheme invitation 

and terms;

recommendations made by the Reward Governance Committee;

• Reviewing and approving the required Remuneration Code 

disclosures;

• Reviewing colleague feedback on remuneration, culture and 

strategy via the Colleague Forum;

• Reviewing the gender pay gap reporting covering the snapshot 
date of 5 April 2021 and noting management’s action plan to 
address the gender pay gap; and

• Reviewing and approving an updated Terms of Reference 

for this Committee.

The detailed responsibilities of the Committee are set out in its 
terms of reference, which are available on the Group’s website 
at www.hl.co.uk/about-us/board-of-directors.

••

••

• Receiving reports and overseeing decisions and 

Advice to the Committee
During the year, the Committee has been supported by the 
Company Secretary, Chief People Officer, Group Head of 
Colleague Proposition & Capability, Head of Performance and 
Reward, and Chief Executive Officer who are invited to attend 
Committee meetings to provide further background information 
and context to assist the Committee in its duties. The Group 
Chief Risk Officer also provides a formal risk assessment to the 
Committee at mid-year and at the end of the financial year which 
assesses performance of the business against risk appetite, 
key risk indicators, and includes an assessment of risk events 
and conduct breaches to ensure second line input into proposed 
remuneration outcomes. No Director was involved in decisions 
regarding the determination of their own remuneration.

Deloitte LLP, a signatory to the Remuneration Consultants Group’s 
Code of Conduct were reappointed by the Committee during 2021 
and remain engaged for the provision of independent remuneration 
advice, and throughout the year the Committee has been advised 
by them. The advisers review all committee papers and provide 
input on matters directly to the Committee as well as attend 
committee meetings. As such, the Remuneration Committee 
is satisfied that the advice it has received was objective and 
independent. The fees payable to Deloitte for this advice were 
based on services provided against a scope of services approved 
by the Committee and amounted to £95,965 plus VAT on a time 
and material basis. Other services provided to Hargreaves 
Lansdown by Deloitte LLP during the year consisted of risk 
advisory, tax, financial advisory, consulting and internal audit 
services on a co-sourced basis. 

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Overview of activities during the financial year 2022

16%
Regulatory 
and governance

13%
Other including
management admin

18%
Business performance and
risk assessment review

17%
Wider workforce policy
and gender pay

36%
Executive remuneration
and policy

Consultation with employees
The HL Colleague Forum was set up to create a feedback channel 
directly between colleagues and the Board on matters of strategic 
importance. Over the year, this included HL’s culture, strategy 
and approach to pay and performance measurement, including 
Executive remuneration. The Forum discussed proposed changes 
to our approach to pay, the embedding of the strategy and ways 
to build on our general culture following the results of our biannual 
engagement surveys. 

Colleagues were generally excited about the direction of the 
strategy. However, they also expressed a desire for more granular 
detail so they could better understand their part in delivery 
against the strategy. At the following forum on the pay approach, 
similar themes came through with colleagues expressing a desire 
for greater clarity and transparency around objectives and 
performance expectations across all levels.

Consideration of employment conditions elsewhere 
in Company
The Committee considered the Company’s remuneration principles 
which apply across the Group when determining the Executive 
Director Policy outlined above. In particular, the approach taken 
to salary increases and that the structure of the annual bonus 
aligns closely to the approach generally taken across the wider 
workforce, and the same SPP structure is used for all participants 
within the plan. This year our pay review has focused more on 
increases to colleagues below our senior leadership who need it 
most and the average salary to colleagues in this population was 
5.88% for colleagues below senior leadership compared to 4.15% 
for senior leadership.

Over the year we have continued to practice our ‘Always Listening’ 
approach to enable us to better consider the voice of our 
colleagues when making decisions.

The Committee is regularly updated on the pay and employment 
conditions for the wider workforce through reports from the 
Reward Governance Committee and this provided context for 
its decisions regarding the remuneration policy.

The Committee also considers the wider salary increase, 
remuneration arrangements and employment conditions across 
the wider employee population when considering Directors’ 
pay and awards.

Executive Director Remuneration for 2022
Remuneration payable for the 2022 financial year (1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022) (Audited)
The remuneration policy operated as intended in the financial year with remuneration received by Executive Directors in relation 
to performance in 2022 set out below:

Single Total Figure Table

Name of Director

Chris Hill

Philip Johnson

Amy Stirling 

Gross Basic 
Salary
£’000

Other
taxable
benefits1
£’000

Annual Bonus

Upfront
cash
£’000

Deferred 
shares
£’000

Employer
Pension 
contribution3
£’000

LTIP/SPP2
£’000

700
648

477
459
187

1
1

1
1
5

578
1,175

170
785
143

385
783

114
523
95

161
–

114
–
–

77
71

49
50
7

Year

2022
2021

2022
2021
2022

Total
£’000

1,902
2,678

925
1,818
437

Total Fixed 
Remuneration
£’000

Total Variable 
Remuneration
£’000

778
720

527
510
199

1,124
1,958

398
1,308
238

Notes
1  This includes Medical, PMI and SAYE discount value over the term of the savings contract in respect of Amy Stirling.
2  Sustained Performance Plan (SPP) is our Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP), which was approved at the 2017 AGM and granted in November 2017. The formulaic outcomes of the 2017 SPP award 

has been assessed by the Committee to ensure it was appropriate and the Committee confirmed it will vest in full with no discretion applied. The value has been calculated using the share price 
of £8.482 as at 20 July 2022. As the SPP award was granted using a share price of £15.83, none of the SPP value is attributable to share price appreciation. See page 98 for further details of the 
assessment of the underpin conditions. 

3  This includes employer pension contributions and any pension allowance paid in lieu of pension contributions.

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Other than SAYE options (which are available to Executive Directors on the same basis as all 
employees and included in other cash benefits), and the awards made to Chris Hill on joining, 
no share options without performance criteria have been granted to Executive Directors since 
7 March 2012.

Where eligible, benefits in kind are available to Executive Directors on the same basis as other 
employees. For 2022, benefits include Life Insurance, Income Protection, Private Medical Insurance, 
Save As You Earn (SAYE) scheme, reduced platform fees for holding assets on the Group’s investment 
platform, reduced dealing charges for self and connected persons and access to a range of voluntary 
benefits such as Critical Illness cover.

No Executive Director has a prospective entitlement to a defined benefit pension by reference to their 
length of qualifying service.

Assessment of annual performance for the 2022 financial year  
(1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022)
The value of any bonuses payable to Executive Directors was determined by the Committee based on:

• An assessment of the performance of the Group against financial/growth and client and delivery 

measures, including an assessment of risk performance and risk events as detailed below; 

• Each individual’s performance against Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) measures, 

including progress against the specific objectives set for them as well as an assessment of risk 
management and compliance and their behaviours aligned to the Group’s values; and

• The Committee approved the retention of the simplified three key metrics for the 2021/22 award, 

with 50% of the award based on financial/growth metrics, 30% based on client and delivery metrics 
and 20% against individual objectives. However, given the importance of ESG, the individual 
objectives element has been focused on key personal and collective goals in this area for the 
relevant financial year. Further details are set out below.

For each Executive Director, the Committee determined their overall bonus, taking all factors into 
account and using all relevant information, by reference to the following target and maximum levels, 
as disclosed in the 2021 Report and Financial Statements:

On-target bonus opportunity
(% of base salary)

Maximum bonus opportunity
(% of base salary)

Governance

Chris Hill
Amy Stirling 
Philip Johnson

212.5%
175%
175%

375%
350%
350% 

Notes
1  The maximum bonus opportunity for Chris Hill is 375% for the 2021/22 performance year, and will increase to 400% for the 2022/23 

performance year.

2  The maximum bonus opportunity for Amy Stirling is 350% of salary. As Amy was appointed to the Board on 21 February 2022,  

her bonus has been pro-rated to reflect her time in role during the relevant performance year. 

3  The maximum bonus opportunity for Philip Johnson was 350% of salary for the 2021/22 performance year. As Philip stepped down  
from the Board on 31 January 2022, his bonus has been pro-rated to reflect his time in role during the relevant performance year.

Group performance has been considered in relation to the following measures:

Performance category

Weighting Objective Descriptor

Measure

Financial/growth

50%

Client and Delivery

30%

Define and shape the business to 
thrive at scale, deliver sustainable 
long-term financial results, and evolve 
our market-leading client service to 
exceed market expectations

Environment

Reduce our impact on the 
environment, evolve our sustainable 
and responsible investment 
proposition and provide the tools and 
information to enable clients to invest 
in line with their preferences

Social

l

a
n
o
s
r
e
P

20%

Evolve and communicate the strategy, 
and proactively manage the 
reputation of the Group across 
all stakeholders

Net New Business 
Client Numbers 
Profit Before Tax

Client retention 
Client Advocacy 
Strategic Delivery

Assess and develop 
the footprint of HL, 
agree with the Board 
steps to help clients be 
responsible investors 
and understand the 
footprint of their 
investment portfolio

Reputation/Strategy

Develop a diverse, inclusive and 
innovative culture with colleagues 
who are engaged, empowered, 
work together and live our values

Diversity & Colleague 
Engagement

Shape a well governed organisation 
that operates within the Board’s 
risk appetite

Effective controls 
and processes

Note 1 Assessment of performance will take account of both delivery (what) and demonstrations of behaviours aligned to HL’s values (how).

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Further details of performance in each of these areas is set out below:

Financial/Growth
(50% weighting)

Threshold

Target

Stretch

Actual

Achievement

Commentary

Net new business

£7.3bn

£8.0bn

£8.7bn

£5.5bn

0%

Client numbers

1,779,000

1,824,000

1,869,000

1,737,000

0%

Profit before tax

£272.25m

£302.5m

£366.0m

£269.2m

0%

Net new business targets were set at the beginning of the performance year in a different environment 
and, in setting them, the Committee recognised this was an ambitious stretch target based on prior year 
(£8.7bn). Although this year’s outcome fell short of threshold (and therefore no bonus was attributable to 
this metric), the Committee recognised this represented a good level of growth in an environment of low 
investor confidence and challenging market conditions, particularly in the second half of the year.

Similar to net new business, client growth targets were set at the beginning of the performance year against 
an environment of high investor confidence. Despite a very different landscape to that anticipated, this year 
has resulted in a further 92,000 net new clients, representing 6% growth in client numbers (although just 
below the threshold and therefore no bonus was attributable to this metric). 

The Committee recognised that PBT at £269.2m was close to threshold of £272.25m as a result of the 
strategic spend incurred during the year. As the targets were set at the beginning of the financial year, 
before the strategy was set and investment quantified, this spend was not taken into account in the target 
setting. However, the Committee determined that, despite this, threshold would not be adjusted and 
therefore no bonus would be attributable to this metric.

Overall achievement 0% of 50% weighting

Client, colleague and delivery
(30% weighting)

Threshold

Target

Stretch

Actual

Achievement

Commentary

Client retention

90%

92%

94%

92.1%

52.5%

Client satisfaction

79%

81%

83.0%

80.7%

46.3%

Strategic delivery

0%

50%

100%

100%

100%1

A very strong performance in the context of external factors. The Committee noted the significance of 
maintaining strong client retention reflecting our high quality client service and agreed that client retention 
is at a high level as we focus on the FY23 strategic initiatives. 

A strong performance supported by a reduction in complaints and an increase in external satisfaction 
measures. The Committee noted both the strong performance in client satisfaction and the broader 
indicators in support of this outcome. 

The Committee noted the success of Capital Markets Day in February and, although market conditions 
changed soon afterwards, the executive team have set out a clear and ambitious timeline of strategic 
delivery through the integrated plan and execution over the year has been outstanding. In addition, the 
Committee noted the excellent delivery of the FY22 priorities, including launch of the HL Growth Fund, 
partnering with two new banks in Active Savings, and driving operational resilience improvements in line 
with regulatory deadlines.

Overall achievement 19.9% of 30% weighting

Notes
1  As Philip Johnson stepped down as CFO on 31 January 2022, the Remuneration Committee considered strategic delivery against plan up to this date. It was determined that the objective was on track to achieve 75% against plan based on performance during this period,  

as opposed to the 100% achieved for the full financial year. Therefore, it was agreed that the overall outcome for the client, colleague and delivery objective should be 17.4% of 30% for Philip Johnson.

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The Committee assessed each individual Executive Director’s performance during the financial year, including against their personal objectives, as follows:

Chris Hill 

Personal (20% weighting)

Threshold

Target

Stretch

Actual

Achievement Commentary

Environmental – assess 
and develop the footprint 
of HL, agree with the 
Board steps to help clients 
be responsible investors 
and understand 
the footprint of their 
investment portfolio.

Social – reputation 
(dashboard)

Progress towards responsible business, 
responsible fund manager and responsible 
investment and savings provider.

Strong 
progress made

Above 
target

Significant progress made towards implementing the ESG strategy across:

1. Responsible Business – Continued progress towards becoming a net zero business through 
increasing the efficiency of our building operations and investing in greener transport options 
for colleagues.

2. Responsible Fund Manager – Assessed the carbon footprint of our portfolio to progress plans 
in FY23 for our net zero commitments and on track to launch ESG integrated building block and 
portfolio funds.

3. Responsible Investment and Savings provider – Launch in FY22 of Responsible Investment 
Hub and new ESG investment policy, and increased the number of research articles reflecting 
consumer interest trends.

Amber

Amber/Green

Green

Amber/Green

Target

Achieved an above target rating on our reputational risk scorecard assessment. 

Social – diversity

Progress towards 2025 gender 
and ethnicity targets. 

Strong 
progress made

Above 
target

Savings and Resilience Barometer (developed with Oxford Economics and covering managing debt, 
protecting your family, building emergency savings, pension provisions and managing broader 
investments) has received 19,500 engagements and 27 press mentions. 

Significant improvement across all brand metrics, with market-leading gains across the whole 
awareness-interest-desire-action brand funnel.

Trustpilot star rating increased from 3.1 (November 2020) to 4.3 (April 2022).

Significant increase in positive sentiment across all our core media targets. 

Material progress evidenced through improvements in gender diversity and the Gender Pay Gap. 
Women in Finance Charter data shows that we have improved representation of women at senior 
management level from 30.4% in August 2020 to 31.5% in August 2021. Female representation has 
increased to 44% on the Group Executive Committee. Our 2022 colleague survey response to ‘HL 
Values and promotes colleague diversity and inclusion’ was 83% favourable (up from 72% in 2021).

In addition, clear progress has been made in addressing broader inclusion and diversity, including 
ethnic diversity. Building on meeting the requirements of the Parker review, the Committee noted 
(amongst other initiatives) the launch of HL’s largest internship programme, with 10 interns coming 
through programmes which specifically focus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students.

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Personal (20% weighting)

Threshold

Social – colleague 
engagement

62%

Target

66%

Stretch

70%

Actual

64%

Achievement Commentary

Below 
target

Colleague engagement fell below target and slightly behind last year’s score (when it peaked) and 
sits alongside some strong scores in culture and also manager engagement. Taking account of 
significant changes in the colleague population and the management team, where we are on our 
transformation journey, alongside cost of living pressures and adapting to new ways of working 
post pandemic, the outcome was not unexpected and the Committee noted management plans 
to address this.

Governance – effective 
controls and processes

Improvement in control environment, processes, 
risk management and assurance actions.

Strong 
progress made

Below 
stretch

Very strong progress across audit actions, significant improvement in controls and risk 
effectiveness and positive interaction with our regulator. 

Overall assessment

The Committee concluded that the CEO had achieved strong delivery and contribution to performance and strategic direction against a challenging market environment, 
guided by vision, talent and a strong set of values. He should also be commended for building a strong Executive team and leading them to shape HL’s transformational 
strategy. The outcome reflects weightings on this as well as excellent stewardship of improvement in controls and risk effectiveness and notable progress in gender diversity 
statistics, in particular female pipeline. The Committee also noted his visible sponsorship of diversity and inclusion.

Overall achievement: 15% out of 20% weighting

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Amy Stirling 

Personal (20% weighting)

Threshold

Target

Stretch

Actual

Achievement Commentary

Environmental – assess 
and develop the footprint 
of HL, agree with the 
Board steps to help clients 
be responsible investors 
and understand 
the footprint of their 
investment portfolio.

Social – agreement of the 
Strategic and Financial 
plan and delivery of FY22 
plan. Investor outreach 
post Capital Markets Day.

Social – diversity

Progress towards responsible business, 
responsible fund manager and responsible 
investment and savings provider.

Good  
progress made

Above 
target

Significant progress made towards implementing the ESG strategy across:

1. Responsible Business – Continued progress towards becoming a net zero business through 
increasing the efficiency of our building operations and investing in greener transport options 
for colleagues.

2. Responsible Fund Manager – Assessed the carbon footprint of our portfolio to progress plans 
in FY23 for our net zero commitments and on track to launch ESG integrated building block and 
portfolio funds.

3. Responsible Investment and Savings provider – Launch in FY22 of Responsible Investment 
Hub and new ESG investment policy, and increased the number of research articles reflecting 
consumer interest trends.

Effective management of the strategic plan 
and positive engagement with shareholders.

Excellent 
progress 
and results

Stretch

Significant impact in delivery of the FY22 plan, with strong approach to cost control. Outstanding 
stewardship of the strategic plan and focus on FY23 priorities with the Executive team. Excellent 
outreach and dialogue with investors to articulate the commercial and financial strategy. 

Progress towards 2025 gender 
and ethnicity targets. 

Good  
progress made

Above 
target

Material progress evidenced through improvements in gender diversity and the gender pay gap. 
Women in Finance Charter data shows that we have improved representation of women at senior 
management level from 30.4% in August 2020 to 31.5% in August 2021. Female representation has 
increased 44% on the Group Executive Committee. Our 2022 colleague survey response to ‘HL 
Values and promotes colleague diversity and inclusion’ was 83% favourable (up from 72% in 2021).

In addition, clear progress has been made in addressing broader inclusion and diversity, including 
ethnicity diversity. Building on meeting the requirements of the Parker review, the Committee 
noted (amongst other initiatives) the launch of HL’s largest internship programme, with 10 interns 
coming through programmes which specifically focus on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students.

Social – colleague 
engagement

62%

66%

70%

64%

Below 
target

Colleague engagement fell below target and slightly behind last year’s score (when it peaked) and sits 
alongside some strong scores in culture and also manager engagement. Taking account of significant 
changes in the colleague population and the management team, where we are on our transformation 
journey, alongside cost of living pressures and adapting to new ways of working post-pandemic, 
the outcome was not unexpected and the Committee noted management plans to address this.

Governance – effective 
controls and processes

Improvement in control environment, processes, 
risk management and assurance actions.

Strong 
progress made

Below 
stretch

Very strong progress across audit actions, significant improvement in controls 
and risk effectiveness and positive interaction with our regulator. 

Overall assessment

The Committee concluded that the CFO has made an outstanding contribution to the business since joining, whilst also showing excellent leadership in engaging with investors 
and stakeholders to articulate the commercial and financial plan. The CFO has created a step change in the planning process and demonstrated a strong set of values, 
leadership and talent and the outcome also reflects weighting on strong improvements in internal processes and governance in particular. 

Overall achievement: 16.5% out of 20% weighting

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Philip Johnson 

Personal (20% weighting)

Threshold

Target

Stretch

Actual

Achievement Commentary

Environmental – assess 
and develop the footprint 
of HL, agree with the 
Board steps to help clients 
be responsible investors 
and understand 
the footprint of their 
investment portfolio.

Social – investor 
feedback, impact of 
engagement with 
shareholders and 
evolution of share register

Social – diversity

Progress towards responsible business, 
responsible fund manager and responsible 
investment and savings provider.

Good  
progress made

Above 
target

Significant progress made towards implementing the ESG strategy across:

1. Responsible Business – Continued progress towards becoming a net zero business through 
increasing the efficiency of our building operations and investing in greener transport options 
for colleagues.

2. Responsible Fund Manager – Assessed the carbon footprint of our portfolio to progress plans 
in FY23 for our net zero commitments and on track to launch ESG integrated building block and 
portfolio funds.

3. Responsible Investment and Savings provider – Launch in FY22 of Responsible Investment 
Hub and new ESG investment policy, and increased the number of research articles reflecting 
consumer interest trends.

Effective management of the strategic plan 
and positive engagement with shareholders.

Acceptable 
progress made 

Threshold Progress was evidenced prior to the date the CFO stepped down from the Board through 

a combination of individual meetings, conferences and other interactions. 

Progress towards 2025 gender and 
ethnicity targets.

Good  
progress made

Above 
target

Material progress evidenced through improvements in gender diversity and the gender pay gap. 
Women in Finance Charter data shows that we have improved representation of women at senior 
management level from 30.4% in August 2020 to 31.5% in August 2021. Female representation has 
increased 44% on the Group Executive Committee. Our 2022 colleague survey response to ‘HL 
Values and promotes colleague diversity and inclusion’ was 83% favourable (up from 72% in 2021).

In addition, clear progress has been made in addressing broader inclusion and diversity, including 
ethnicity diversity. Building on meeting the requirements of the Parker review, the Committee 
noted (amongst other initiatives) the launch of HL’s largest internship programme, with 10 interns 
coming through programmes which specifically focus on black, Asian and minority ethnic students.

Social – colleague 
engagement

62%

66%

70%

64%

Below 
target

Colleague engagement fell below target and slightly behind last year’s score (when it peaked) 
and sits alongside some strong scores in culture and also manager engagement. Taking account 
of significant changes in the colleague population and the management team, where we are on 
our transformation journey, alongside cost of living pressures and adapting to new ways of working 
post pandemic, the outcome was not unexpected.

Governance – effective 
controls and processes

Improvement in control environment, processes, 
risk management and assurance actions.

Good  
progress made

Above 
target

Good progress within the time period across audit actions and improvements in controls and 
risk effectiveness. 

Overall assessment

The Committee concluded that the CFO had made a valued contribution in the time period before stepping down from the Board, and thank him for his support during this time, 
and his support to the new CFO.

Overall achievement: 11% out of 20% weighting

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Overall assessment and bonuses awarded for the financial year  
(1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022) 
The Committee considered all of the above (including assurance against environmental, social and 
governance risk factors) in making their bonus determination for Chris Hill, Amy Stirling and Philip 
Johnson for the 2022 financial year.

In addition, it also considered the extent to which performance (both Group and individual) has 
been achieved within the agreed risk parameters, based on an assessment from the Group Chief Risk 
Officer, and the extent to which the bonus outcome reflects the overall performance of the business 
in the context of the client and shareholder experience (as discussed in the Remuneration Committee 
Chair’s letter). 

The Committee concluded that the bonus outcomes for Chris Hill, Amy Stirling and Philip Johnson 
reflect Company performance, effective management of costs, risks and governance, together with 
a strong focus on the strategic transformation plans. The Committee has also appropriately reflected 
the individual performance, contribution and behaviours in line with Company values.

The resulting bonuses determined by the Committee for the year ending 30 June 2022 are set out below: 
(Audited)

Chris Hill 2021
Chris Hill 2022

Philip Johnson 2021
Philip Johnson 2022
Amy Stirling 2022

Cash £’000

Deferred £’000

Total £’000

% of maximum

1,175
578

785
170
143

783
385

523
114
95

1,958
963

1,308
284
238

86%
 37%1

81%
28%2
36%3

Notes
1  Having applied the performance outcome to the CEO’s bonus opportunity (on a straight-line basis), this results in a bonus of 138% of salary 

which is 37% of his maximum opportunity.

2  Having applied the performance outcome to the prior CFO’s (Philip Johnson) bonus opportunity (on a straight-line basis), this results in a bonus 
of 99% of salary earned over the performance period (1 July 2021 to 31 January 2022) which is 28% of his maximum available opportunity and 
17% of the policy maximum.

3  Having applied the performance outcome to the CFO’s (Amy Stirling) bonus opportunity (on a straight-line basis), this results in a bonus of 127% 

of salary earned for FY22 which is 36% of her maximum available opportunity and 13% of the policy maximum.

Deferral of annual performance bonuses
40% of the annual performance bonus is subject to compulsory deferral into nil-cost options over 
shares which vest in equal tranches over a period of three years. Dividend alternatives will accrue 
on the deferred share element of bonuses up to the time of vesting and will be paid at exercise. 
Individuals have a right to exercise deferred awards after their respective vesting date provided 
they remained employed by the Group at exercise.

Assessment of 2017 Sustained Performance Plan (SPP) Awards  
(1 July 2017 to 30 June 2022) 
The Committee assessed the achievement of the following underpinning performance conditions 
over a period of five financial years as follows:

Condition

The average assets under administration (as determined by the 
Board) for the complete Financial Year prior to Vesting exceeds the 
average assets under administration (as determined by the Board) 
for the Financial Year immediately before the beginning of the 
Performance Period.

The Board determines that a satisfactory risk, compliance and 
internal control environment has been maintained during the 
Performance Period.

Achievement

Fully met

(FY17 average AuM: £71.8m, 

FY22 average AuM: £135.1m)

Fully met

Management has driven 
significant and continued 
improvement

The Board determines that the Participant’s personal performance 
has been satisfactory during the Performance Period.

Fully met for all participants 

The Committee concluded that all underpinning performance conditions were fully met and therefore 
they were satisfied that the awards should vest in full. (Audited)

Malus and clawback
Annual bonus and SPP awards are subject to malus and clawback provisions in exceptional 
circumstances. In addition, the Committee can defer a decision to award bonuses, or award and 
suspend payment of bonuses, and/or vesting of deferred bonus and/or SPP awards for any individual 
in scope of an investigation into their conduct or responsibility, accountability or knowledge and/or 
influence over any material risk event identified during or after the performance year. The triggers 
that apply to malus and clawback under all incentive plans are set out on page 81 of the 2020 Report 
and Financial Statements.

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Share awards made during the year ending 30 June 2022 (audited)

Name of Director

Chris Hill

Type of 
award

SPP3

Market 
value of 
maximum
award at 
date of 
grant
£

Share
price on
day of 
grant5
£

Number of
shares over 
which the 
award was 
granted5

Exercise 
price
£

Face value1 
of award
£

Fair value2 
at date 
of grant
£

% of face 
value that 
would vest 
at threshold

324,000 Nil cost 

14.29

22,673

323,997

323,997

n/a

option

Deferred 
bonus4

783,237 Nil cost 

14.29

54,810

783,235

783,235

n/a

option

Philip Johnson Deferred 

523,257 Nil cost 

14.29

36,617

523,257

523,257

n/a

bonus4

option

Performance 
period

1 July 2021 
to 30 June 
2024

n/a

n/a

Notes
1  Face value is calculated as the share price at grant date (being 20 September 2021) multiplied by the number of options granted.
2  Fair value is calculated as the difference between market value and the exercise price at the original date of grant.
3  Awards under the SPP were granted on 20 September 2021 as nil cost options, at 50% of base salary subject to the achievement 

of underpinning performance conditions assessed over a three-year performance period. The awards, once vested, will be subject 
to a two-year retention period. The underpinning performance conditions are:

  •  A requirement for average AUA for the last complete financial year prior to vesting to be above the average AUA for the last 

complete financial year prior to award;

  •  Maintenance of a satisfactory risk, compliance and internal control environment across the plan period; and
  •  Satisfactory personal performance throughout the plan period.
4  Awards under the deferred bonus were granted at 40% of bonus as nil cost options. The aggregate exercise price for awards under 

the deferred bonus scheme is £1 and awards were granted on 20 September 2021.

5  The number of shares to be awarded is calculated by reference to the average of the mid-market value of HL shares on the three 

days preceding the date of award.

All-employee share plans
The Company operates a SAYE share option scheme on the same terms for all employees. All employees are encouraged to become shareholders, both through direct ownership or through participation 
in the share scheme. At the end of the latest financial year, 22.6% of the Group’s employees owned shares in the Company. The CEO opted to participate in the 2020 cycle of the SAYE scheme and the CFO 
opted to join the 2022 cycle. 

Sourcing shares
The Investment Association guidelines on sourcing shares have been followed and, in line with the scheme rules, the Company has not issued shares under all employee schemes which, when aggregated 
with awards under all of the Company’s other schemes, exceed 10% of the issued ordinary share capital in any rolling 10-year period. The Company has also not issued new shares under executive 
(discretionary) schemes which exceed 5% of the issued ordinary share capital of the Company in any rolling 10-year period.

Executive Directors’ shareholding and share interests (audited)
The current guideline for Executive Directors to accumulate minimum personal holdings in Hargreaves Lansdown plc shares amounts to a value of three times base salary within six years of appointment 
to the Board. Current shareholdings are summarised in the following table:

Name of Director

Chris Hill

Amy Stirling

Philip Johnson5

Beneficially
owned
at 30 June 2021

Beneficially
owned
at 30 June 20221

51,639

0

40,348

67,908

9,126

49,889

Outstanding share options
subject to continued 
employment arising from 
SAYE scheme

Outstanding share options
subject to continued 
employment arising from 
deferred bonus

Outstanding share options 
subject to performance 
conditions and continued 
employment arising from 
sustained performance plan

No. of share options
exercised in year

No. of share
options vested
but unexercised
at 30 June 2022

Shareholding
guideline (multiple
of base salary)

Shareholding as 
a multiple of base
salary achieved
at 30 June 2022

Shareholding
guideline met2

1,547

2,227

06

54,421

0

37,184

71,678

0

34,703

30,6993

0

18,0043

9,8104

0

6,9494

Three Times 

149%

Three Times 

14%

Three Times 

151%

No

No

No

Notes
1  Includes shares held by the Executive Directors and their connected persons. 
2  Unaudited – at present the Executive Directors have not currently met their shareholding guideline. As the CFO only joined this financial year, she will continue to build her shareholdings during the relevant time period. It is noted that the CEO has not yet achieved the guideline level,  

which is largely attributable to the recent reduction in share price. The Committee has reflected upon this accordingly and determined it was appropriate to allow additional time to achieve the guideline. This approach will be reviewed over the coming year. 

3  Options exercised granted under 2018 Deferred Bonus Plan. The market value at the date of exercise was £14.20 per share and the option exercise price in aggregate was £1.00.
4  This relates to options awarded under the Sustained Performance Plan (SPP) granted in November 2017 and which have been assessed by the Committee to vest in full and are included since, as at 30 June 2022, they are no longer subject to performance conditions.
5  Philip Johnson’s share interests are shown as at 31 May 2022, being the date he left the Company. Following his departure, Philip Johnson’s continuing interest in performance shares have been pro-rated to the period he was employed during each performance period. SAYE options lapsed 

upon cessation of employment. 

6  SAYE options lapsed upon cessation of employment. 
All Executive Directors are subject to post-cessation shareholding requirements. See page 100 for details on Philip Johnson’s termination arrangements. 
There has been no subsequent change in Executive Directors’ shareholding and share interests as of 4 August 2022.

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Pension
No Directors or employees participate in a defined benefit pension scheme.

The Group operates its own Group Self Invested Personal Pension (the GSIPP) which applies to 
Executive Directors and employees. The Company requires a minimum employee contribution of 5% 
of reference salary and in exchange the Company will contribute 5%. Employees who contribute up to 
3% more than the 5% receive double matching. This means that for an 8% employee contribution the 
Company contribution is 11%.

Colleagues wishing to make additional contributions to the GSIPP can do so via salary exchange or 
bonus waiver ensuring that they benefit from the maximum, immediate relief from income tax and 
National Insurance.

Additionally the Group has introduced a pension redirection mechanism from July 2020 where 
colleagues who have maximised their pension tax relief can contribute, on a post-tax basis, to a Fund 
& Share Account and continue to receive matching in the same way as the current pension matching, 
up to a maximum 11% employer contribution, net of appropriate taxes. Where a colleague, who has 
maximised their pension tax relief does not wish to contribute to a savings vehicle, the Group will 
make an additional monthly payment equivalent to the employer’s pension contribution amount 
forsaken up to a maximum of 5% of reference salary. The Committee confirms that no excess 
retirement benefits have been paid to current or past Executive Directors.

Payments to third parties
The Committee confirms that no amounts have been paid to third parties in respect 
of Directors’ services.

Payments to past Directors/loss of office
As announced on 29 July 2021, Philip Johnson stepped down from the Board as Chief Financial 
Officer on 31 January 2022 for personal reasons. In order to ensure an orderly handover of 
responsibility, it was agreed that Philip would remain available to assist the business up to the end 
of his notice period and he left the Company on 31 May 2022. He continued to receive his salary 
and contractual benefits up to this date. In line with the shareholder approved Remuneration Policy, 
the Remuneration Committee approved good leaver status for Philip in relation to his outstanding 
deferred bonus and SPP awards. Accordingly, his unvested SPP awards will vest on their original 
vesting dates to the extent that performance conditions are met. His deferred bonus awards will also 
vest in full and in accordance with their original time frames. Unvested awards will remain subject to 
the terms of their plan rules and to malus and clawback provisions. For the FY22 annual bonus, Philip 
was eligible to receive a pro-rated bonus for the period worked during his notice period. The award 
was determined in line with the bonus framework set out in the 2021 Directors’ Remuneration Report 
and further details of the performance assessment are provided on page 97. In accordance with the 
Remuneration Policy, the award will be subject to deferral and released at the normal time. 

As Philip had not reached his in-employment shareholding guideline at the point of departure, he is 
currently required to retain a shareholding equal to the number of shares actually held on departure 
for twenty-four months post-cessation. His shareholding during this period will be monitored by the 
Company, and shares may only be sold with the prior consent of the Board Chair or by compulsory 
purchase. There were no further payments made for loss of office.

Remuneration in context 
Total shareholder return
The following graph shows the Company’s performance measured by total shareholder return (TSR), 
which is the capital growth and dividends paid. This is compared with the performance of the FTSE 
350 Financial Services Index for the last 10 years.

This chart shows the value of £100 invested in the Company on 1 July 2012 compared with the value 
of £100 invested in the FTSE 350 Financial Services Index for each of our financial year ends to 
30 June 2022. We have chosen the FTSE 350 Financial Services Index as we believe it is the most 
appropriate comparator for benchmarking our corporate performance over the 10-year period.

500

400

300

200

100

0

Hargreaves Lansdown

FTSE 350 Financial Services Index

2012

2022

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Chief Executive Officer remuneration for the past ten years

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022 

CEO

Ian Gorham

Ian Gorham

Ian Gorham

Ian Gorham

Total remuneration

£6,751,557

£10,608,359

£2,058,642

£2,070,861

(£1,500,000)3

60% (£1,350,000)

52% (£1,170,000)

78% (£1,550,000)

Ian Gorham1/Chris Hill2

£1,167,549/£1,035,211

43%/81% (£600,000/£790,625)

Chris Hill

Chris Hill

Chris Hill

Chris Hill

Chris Hill 

£2,454,048

£648,278

£2,739,520

£2,678,581

£1,902,406

81% (£1,700,000)

0% nil

94% (£2,072,000)

86% (£1,958,092)

37% (£963,375)

100%

100%

nil

nil

66%

39%

nil

nil

nil

100%

Annual bonus as a percentage of maximum

Shares vesting as a percentage of maximum4

Notes 
1  Emoluments for Ian Gorham for 2017 are shown for the period to 9 February 2017 when he stepped down as Chief Executive Officer.
2  Emoluments for Chris Hill for 2017 reflect his emoluments for the period from 9 February 2017, and exclude his earnings as Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer prior to that date.
3  Prior to 2014, there was no individual cap on annual bonus payable, other than the overall bonus pool cap as a percentage of profit before tax. Bonus figures shown are gross of any sacrifice into pension and before any compulsory deferral.
4  Options vesting in 2014 and 2013 pre-dated the LTIP and therefore had no performance criteria. The 2017 SPP award was assessed to vest at 100% based on assessment of performance conditions over the performance period 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2022.

Percentage change of all Directors and all employees
The table below shows the average percentage change in remuneration of each Executive and Non-Executive Director against the Group’s employees as a whole for the last three years,  
between the year ended 30 June 2020 and the year ended 30 June 2021, and between the year ended 30 June 2021 and the year ended 30 June 2022.

Element of pay

Base Salary

Benefits

Annual Bonus

2022 

2021

2020

2022

2021

2020

2022 

2021

2020

Average employee 
(% change)1

6.59%

6.85%

6.41%

-11.13%7

-7.15%

2.82

-6.7%

0.8%

11.8%

Executive Directors (% change)

Non-Executive Directors (% change)

C Hill

8.02%

2.86%

2.9%

0%

-78.72%3

0%

-50.82%

-5.50%

–

A Stirling2

P Johnson

D Oppenheimer

J Troiano

M Mannings

A Blance

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

4.03%

2.91%

2.9%

0%

0%

2.92%

0%

1.92%

103.64%

–

-86.08%3

-100%4

-100%4

366%

-78.29%

-9.78%

–

–

N/A

N/A

–

N/A

N/A

27.01%

31.99%

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

A Collins

55.15%

–

–

–

–

–

–

R Perkin5

-2.30%

11.33%

4.3%

D Olley

2.99%

2.86%

0%

-100%4

-100%4

–

N/A

N/A

–

N/A

N/A

P James2

–

N/A

N/A

Notes
1  This table shows the average percentage change in salary, benefits and bonus (on a full-time equivalent basis) delivered to eligible colleagues in the last three years.
2  The table includes Penny James who was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 September 2021 and Amy Stirling who was appointed as an Executive Director on 21 February 2022. It is therefore not possible to reflect a percentage change figure. 
3  The decrease in benefits for C Hill and P Johnson is due to the exclusion of the SAYE discount value over the full three-year contract term which was reported last year (in accordance with the single figure methodology). 
4  As there were no taxable expenses reimbursed for the Non-Executive Directors for the 2020/21 performance year, it is not possible to show the percentage change to the 2021/22 performance year. 
5  As Roger Perkin stepped down as interim SID on 31 August 2021, total base salary has decreased. 
6  This table includes Philip Johnson who stood down an Executive Director on 31 January 2022.
7   The decrease in average taxable benefit percentage change is due to an increased number of employees but no increase to benefit take-up, and rates remained the same.

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CEO pay ratio 
The table below sets out the ratio at median, 25th and 75th percentile of the total remuneration 
received by the CEO for the last three years compared to the total remuneration received by our 
UK colleagues. For the past three years, we have published our CEO pay ratio using the same 
methodology as set out below.

Year

2020

2021

2022 

Method

Option A

Option A

Option A

Lower Quartile

Median

Upper quartile

Change in median

103:1

101:1

73:1

73:1

73:1

52:1

47:1

47:1

32:1

n/a

0%

-29%

Notes to the calculations:
1  The median, 25th and 75th percentile colleagues were determined based on calculating total annual remuneration up to and including 

30 June 2022 for colleagues employed at 30 June 2022. 

2  Basic salary for part-time colleagues and new joiners within the calculation year have been converted into full-time annualised equivalent 

values for the purposes of the calculations.

3  ‘Option A’ was chosen from the options available in the reporting regulations since it is the most robust and statistically accurate method.
4  Benefits are provided on the same terms to Executive Directors and all employees alike and as such are not included within the table above. 
The methodology used in these calculations is consistent with those in the single figure table, with the same approach being taken for 2020 
and 2021.

5  Set out separately in the table below is the basic salary and total remuneration figures (including bonus) for each of the percentiles in each year.
6  2020 and 2021 calculations have been included to allow for a relative comparison of the 2022 outcomes to be evaluated.

The pay ratio has reduced due to the impact of business performance on the CEO’s bonus award. 
There have been no material changes in pay or benefits of UK employees nor changes in the 
proportion of employees working outside the UK or employed under contracts for service.

The remuneration policies and practices at HL are consistent across both our Executive Directors 
and the wider workforce and are designed to promote the long-term success of the Company, 
promoting both high individual and team performance. The same considerations and criteria apply 
across a consistent framework during the assessment of performance and pay outcomes, noting 
that the quantum of (risk-based) variable pay is higher for the CEO than across the wider workforce.

Having overseen the application of performance and pay policies, and reviewed reports from the 
Reward Governance Committee and Colleague Forum throughout the period, the Committee is 
satisfied that our 2022 median pay ratio is consistent with the Company’s wider pay, reward and 
progression policies for our UK employees.

Relative importance of the spend on remuneration
The table below shows the actual expenditure of the Group in terms of total employee remuneration, 
profit before tax, and total dividends for this and the previous year together with the percentage 
change between the years. Profit before tax has been chosen as a metric in this instance to 
demonstrate the profits generated for shareholders and the relationship between this and the overall 
cost of employee remuneration.

Year

2021

2022

Pay element

UK employee lower quartile UK employee Median

UK employee upper quartile

Basic salary
Total remuneration

Basic salary
Total remuneration

21,600
26,422

21,890
25,973

28,619
36,796

28,500
36,497

45,000
57,055

46,428
58,977

Total dividend paid
£m

2022
2021

% change

241.1
263.5

-8.5%

Profit
before tax
£m

269.2
366.0

-26.4%

Employee costs
£m

Total dividend declared
(pence per share)

155.5
119.8

29.8%

39.7p
50.5p

-21.4%

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All employees across the Group are subject to the same process in respect of annual salary reviews. 
Consideration is given to the scope of each role, the level of experience, responsibility, progress in 
role, and pay levels for similar roles in comparable companies. The performance and potential of the 
individual is also considered.

All permanent employees employed on or before 1 April of the performance year are considered for 
an annual performance bonus, or equivalent, with individual performance metrics used to determine 
awards and similar metrics to those used for the Executive Directors guiding the overall bonus pool. 
All eligible employees (under the rules of the scheme) may also participate in the Group’s Save As 
You Earn.

External Directorships of Executive Directors in the year
On appointment, Amy Stirling held two non-executive directorships. She stepped down from RIT 
Capital Partners Plc on 4 May 2022 and from Virgin Money UK Plc on 5 May 2022 as a result of her 
appointment to the HL plc Board.

Chair and Non-Executive Director remuneration
Fees for Non-Executive Directors are structured with a base fee payable to all Non-Executive 
Directors, with additional fees paid for the role of Senior Independent Director and for the Chairs 
of Board sub-committees.

Fees for Non-Executive Directors for the 2022 financial year are as follows: 

Fee policy

Fees from 1 July 2022 (£ p.a.)

Fees from 1 July 2021 (£ p.a.)

Chair
Base fee for Non-Executives
Senior Independent Director
Chair of Audit Committee
Chair of Remuneration Committee
Chair of Risk Committee
Chair of Nomination Committee1

£334,500
£74,150
£15,850
£21,100
£21,100
£21,100
£10,000

Note
1  Under current arrangements the Chair fulfils this role for no additional fee.

Fees have not been increased this year.

£334,500
£74,150
£15,850
£21,100
£21,100
£21,100
£10,000

Remuneration payable for the 2021 financial year (1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022) (audited)
The remuneration received by Non-Executive Directors in 2022 is set out below.

D Oppenheimer
S Garrood1
F Clutterbuck2
S Robertson2
R Perkin
D Olley
J Troiano
A Blance
M Mannings
A Collins
P James3 

2021 fees 
(£)

334,500
53,950
30,833
39,833
100,200
72,000
112,000
72,166
74,992
47,793
–

2021 Taxable 
Benefits i.e. 
expenses 
(£)4

2021 Total 
(£)

2022 fees 
(£)

2022 Taxable 
Benefits i.e. 
expenses
(£)

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

334,500
53,950
30,833
39,833
100,200
72,000
112,000
72,166
74,992
47,793
–

334,500
–
–
–
97,892
74,150
114,150
95,250
95,250
74,150
75,000

28,100
–
–
–
1,008
905
1,242
3,986
2,109
1,012
1,102

2022 Total 
(£)

362,600
–
–
–
98,900
75,055
115,392
99,236
97,359
75,162
76,102

Notes
1  Stood down 31 December 2020.
2  Stood down 31 October 2020.
3  Joined 1 September 2021.
4  No expenses were claimed during the year due to ongoing travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19. 

Non-Executive Directors received no other benefits or other remuneration other than reimbursement 
of all reasonable and properly documented travel, subsistence and other incidental expenses incurred 
in the performance of their duties and any tax and social costs arising thereon, the benefit of officers’ 
liability insurance and reduced fees for the use of Hargreaves Lansdown services for themselves and 
connected persons, on the same basis as all other Hargreaves Lansdown employees.

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The table below shows, as at 30 June 2022; the Company shares held by the Non-Executive 
Directors and connected persons:

D Oppenheimer
M Mannings
A Blance
A Collins
R Perkin
D Olley
J Troiano
P James

Shares

30,572
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
Nil
14,400
Nil

Note
1  There has been no subsequent change in current Non-Executive Directors’ shareholdings as of 4 August 2022.

Consideration of shareholder views
The Committee recognises that Director remuneration is an area of particular interest to our 
shareholders and in setting and considering changes to remuneration, it is critical that we listen to, 
and take into account, their views.

The Committee considers shareholder feedback received in relation to the AGM each year at its first 
meeting following the AGM. This feedback, as well as any additional feedback received during any 
other meetings with shareholders, is then considered as part of the Company’s annual review of the 
implementation of the Remuneration Policy. We also regularly engage with our largest shareholders 
to ensure we understand the range of views which exist on remuneration issues.

When any material changes are made to the Policy or its implementation, the Committee will discuss 
these in advance with our major shareholders wherever practical. The Committee will also consult 
with professional advisers to ensure we consider regulatory requirements and current market and 
industry practices, where appropriate.

Non-Executive Directors’ Service Contracts
Details of the Non-Executive Directors’ terms of appointment are set out below

We will be engaging again with our major shareholders during the forthcoming financial year to hear 
reflections on our approach to executive remuneration.

D Oppenheimer
M Mannings
A Blance
A Collins
R Perkin
D Olley
J Troiano
P James

Commencement  
of appointment

2 February 2018
1 September 2020
1 September 2020
2 November 2020
1 September 2017
1 June 2019
1 January 2020
1 September 2021

Date of contract

2 February 2021
1 September 2020
1 September 2020
2 November 2020
1 September 2020
1 June 2022
1 January 2020
1 September 2021

Expiry/review date  
of current contract

1 February 2024
31 August 2023
31 August 2023
1 November 2023
31 August 2023
31 May 2025
31 December 2022 
31 August 2024

Non-Executive Directors are appointed for a three-year term, subject to confirmation by shareholders 
at the following annual general meeting (AGM) and annual re-election at each subsequent AGM.

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Implementation of the Remuneration Policy in 2022/23 – Executive Directors
Salary
The Executive Directors’ base salaries were reviewed in June 2022. In reviewing base salaries 
the Committee takes into account salaries paid elsewhere across the Group, relevant market data 
and information on remuneration practices in peer companies in the financial services sector. 

The performance assessment will include the following measures:

Weighting Strategic Pillar

Shared Objective 

Measure

20%

Growth

Develop our client proposition to retain 
and attract clients and accelerate our 
growth. 

Net New Business (NNB)* (10%)

Total Clients* (10%)

In accordance with the two-stage salary proposal set out to shareholders in 2021, the Committee 
has determined it remains appropriate to award the CEO the second of this two-stage salary increase 
of 4.3% for 2022/23. This increase is lower than the wider workforce average. 

27.5%

Client Service 
and Efficiency

Improve our client experience efficiently 
enabling us all to add more value and 
reduce our costs.

Client Service NPS (10%)

Underlying Cost* (17.5%) 

The CFO was appointed in February 2022. In determining her remuneration package, the Committee 
took into consideration the calibre of the candidate and the experience she brings to the role. As a 
result, her salary was set at £525,000. 

25%

Digital Backbone

Use new tech and data to improve our 
client and colleague proposition, 
becoming product led to empower us all 
to innovate. 

Strategic Delivery (20%) 

Client Retention (5%)

Given her time in role, the Committee has determined that no salary increase will be awarded 
for 2022/23. 

Name of Director

Salary as at 1 July 2021 (£)

Salary as at 1 July 2022 (£) 

% increase

Chris Hill
Amy Stirling 

700,000
n/a

730,000
525,000

4.3%
0.0%

5%

People and Culture Make HL a great place to work for 

everyone with clear ways of working, 
joined up thinking and a focus on our 
own development. 

Colleague engagement and Diversity 
(2.5%)

ESG (2.5%)

22.5% Foundations

Work together to improve our resilience 
as a business, support our growth, drive 
efficiency and embrace lessons learned. 

Profit Before Tax (Statutory)* (17.5%)

Risk and Controls (5%)

Annual bonus
At the Capital Markets Day in February, we set out our strategic plan to transform the savings 
and investment experience, combine the best of human expertise augmented by digital capability, 
and deliver a uniquely personalised service to management of our clients’ health and wealth. 

Delivery of the strategy will be focused around five strategic pillars with the management team 
setting out their priorities against these pillars each year. The committee has therefore determined 
that it would be more appropriate to align the assessment of annual bonus awards against the 
strategic pillars whilst maintaining a strong focus on financial performance (55% across profit before 
tax, underlying costs, total clients and net new business). 

*  These are financial or growth measures and make up 55% of the overall performance assessment. 

The assessment of any award will include an overlay that takes account of the conduct, behaviours 
and culture evidenced by each Executive Director in line with the Hargreaves Lansdown values. 

Risk and compliance considerations will also be taken into account at both Company and 
individual levels. 

In addition, performance will be assessed against how they have demonstrated behaviours aligned 
to our values: Put the client first | Go the extra mile | Make it easy | Do the right thing | Do it better.

Targets have been set at the start of the financial year based (where applicable) on agreed operating 
plan and taking account of consensus. The targets set in relation to these measures are considered 
to be commercially sensitive, but will be disclosed in next year’s Annual Remuneration Report.

In making an assessment of performance, the Committee will give due consideration to market 
movements, investor sentiment, interest rates and the impact of regulation, all of which are beyond 
the control of the Executive Directors. They will also consider the extent to which management has 
operated within the agreed risk parameters and the extent to which the bonus outcome reflects the 
overall performance of the business in the context of client and shareholder experience. Details of 
the Committee’s assessment will be given in the Annual Remuneration Report next year.

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As referred to on page 92, the maximum bonus opportunity for the CEO was increased to 400% 
of salary which was approved by shareholders at the 2020 AGM. The Committee agreed that this 
increase would be introduced in phased increments, with the on-target opportunity also reducing 
to 50% of maximum over the life of the policy. 

For 2022/23, in line with the Remuneration Policy, the following on-target and maximum bonus 
opportunities will therefore apply:

Chris Hill
Amy Stirling 

200%
175% 

400% 
350%

On-target bonus opportunity
(% of base salary)

Maximum bonus opportunity
(% of base salary)

In line with the approved policy, any bonus awarded to each Executive Director will be delivered in a 
combination of cash and shares as required by regulation and following the end of the financial year 
with a minimum of 40% of any bonus deferred over HL plc shares vesting in equal tranches over a 
period of three years, subject to continued employment and relevant post-vesting retention period. 

In line with the policy, dividend alternatives will accrue on the deferred share element of bonuses 
up to the time of vesting and will be paid at exercise. Bonus awards are subject to a formal malus 
mechanism until vesting and clawback until the later of three years from the date of award or until 
the end of any post vesting retention period. The Committee can defer a decision to award bonuses 
or award and suspend payment of bonuses for any individual in scope of an investigation into their 
conduct or responsibility, accountability or knowledge and/or influence over any material risk event 
identified during or after the performance year. For further details of the relevant malus/clawback 
triggers, please see page 81 of the 2020 Report and Financial Statements.

Sustained Performance Plan (SPP)
For 2022/23, each Executive Director is to receive an award over HL plc shares with a face value 
of 50% of base salary, subject to satisfactory personal performance in the period prior to grant.

Awards will vest, subject to the achievement of the following underpinning performance conditions 
assessed over a three year period:

• A requirement for average AUA for the last complete financial year prior to the third anniversary 

of grant to be above the average AUA for the last complete financial year prior to award;

• Maintenance of and continued management focus to improve risk, compliance and internal control 

environment across the performance period; and

• Satisfactory personal performance throughout the performance period. 

The Committee will review performance against these underpinning conditions in the round, 
giving due consideration to market movements, client and shareholder experience, and the impact of 
regulation, all of which are beyond the control of the Executive Directors. They will also consider the 
extent to which management has operated within the agreed risk parameters in assessing the extent 
to which awards should vest. The Committee retains discretion to make adjustments to the vesting 
outcome if it is not considered to be appropriate taking into account overall financial and non-financial 
performance of the business over the period or share price performance including consideration of 
any windfall gains arising and any other significant events which may have impacted the Company’s 
share price or the market as a whole. 

Dividend alternatives will accrue up to the time of vesting and will be paid at exercise.

Awards are subject to a formal malus mechanism until vesting. Awards are subject to a two-year 
holding period and clawback until the end of this post-vesting retention period.

Under the Group’s variable pay plans, the Committee can defer a decision to award bonuses or award 
and suspend payment of bonuses or suspend vesting of deferred bonuses or SPP awards for any 
individual in scope of an investigation into their conduct or responsibility, accountability or knowledge 
and/or influence over any material risk event identified during or after the performance year. For 
further details of the relevant triggers, please see page 81 of the 2021 Report & Financial Statements.

Statement of voting at the AGM
At the AGM held in 2021, votes cast by proxy and at the meeting in respect of the Directors’ 
remuneration report were as follows:

Resolution

Approve Directors’ 
Report on 
Remuneration

Approve Directors’ 
Remuneration 
Policy

Votes for (including 
discretionary votes) % for

Votes 
against

% against

Total votes 
cast excluding 
votes withheld

Votes 
withheld

Total votes 
cast including 
votes withheld

393,010,235

95.52

18,443,239  4.48

411,453,474  46,945

411,500,419

386,802,133

96.30

14,850,824 3.70

401,652,957 1,516,450

403,169,407

We will be reviewing the remuneration policy in advance of submitting to shareholders at the 2023 
AGM, three years since shareholders approved the policy in 2020.

Moni Mannings
Chair of the Remuneration Committee

4 August 2022

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SIGNIFICANT AND  
POSITIVE CHANGE

The Group’s objective is to build a 
diverse workforce at all levels and 
create an inclusive culture for all.

Deanna Oppenheimer
Chair of the Nomination Committee

Composition and meeting attendance
At the date of this report, Committee members are Deanna 
Oppenheimer (Chair), Andrea Blance, Penny James, Moni Mannings 
and Roger Perkin, each of whom are independent Non-Executive 
Directors. With the exception of Penny James, who has been 
a member since her appointment in September 2021, all have 
been members throughout the period under review. The Code 
requirement that a majority of members are independent 
Non-Executive Directors has therefore been satisfied throughout 
the period under review.

Committee appointments are made for three-year terms and can 
be extended for no more than two additional three-year terms, 
provided that the member still meets the criteria for membership 
and annual re-election at the AGM by shareholders. The Board 
regularly reviews the composition of the Committee and makes 
appointments accordingly. 

Dear Shareholder
As Chair of the Nomination Committee, I am pleased to present 
this report on the Committee’s activities in the year under review. 

The Committee has overseen another year of significant and 
positive change both at Board level and within the Group’s senior 
management. The Committee continues to ensure that there is 
alignment with the Group’s overall Strategy resulting in oversight 
of a number of high calibre appointments. 

Role of the Nomination Committee
The Committee plays a key role in reviewing and monitoring 
the composition of the Board and its Committees to ensure that 
each has the right balance of skills, knowledge and experience 
to function effectively and support the Group in achieving its 
strategic objectives. In doing so, it conducts ongoing succession 
planning to ensure there is a diverse pipeline of talent for 
appointments to the Board and senior management to meet 
the Group’s current and anticipated future business needs. 
The Committee leads the process for appointments to the Board 
and re-election of Directors, having regard to the skills and 
experience required and the need to promote diversity throughout 
the Group. Our recruitment during the year demonstrates the 
effectiveness of the processes we have implemented.

As part of its role in ensuring the Board and its Committees are 
functioning effectively, the Committee also oversees the annual 
evaluation of the Board’s performance and monitors the Group’s 
progress in implementing recommendations. Other areas of 
responsibility covered by the Committee are detailed over the 
following pages.

The detailed responsibilities of the Committee are set out in its 
terms of reference, which are available on the Group’s website 
at www.hl.co.uk/about-us/board-of-directors.

This report provides an overview of how the Committee has 
discharged its responsibilities during the period under review.

107

Attendance at Committee meetings  
during the year to 30 June 2022

Member

Position

Deanna Oppenheimer Chair

Andrea Blance

Penny James

Moni Mannings

Roger Perkin

Independent 
Non-Executive Director

Independent 
Non-Executive Director

Independent 
Non-Executive Director

Independent 
Non-Executive Director

Eligible 
meetings

• • • •

• • • •

Attended
meetings

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

• • • •

Committee meeting attendance shown for all scheduled meetings 
during the year noting that on occasion ad-hoc meetings also took 
place to deal with timely matters.

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The Committee held four scheduled meetings in the period under 
review. The attendance of members is set out in the table on page 
107. Other individuals attend Committee meetings at the request 
of the Committee Chair and usually include the Chief Executive 
Officer and Chief People Officer and, where relevant, the Group’s 
external advisers. The Committee has access to the Group 
Company Secretary, who also acts as secretary to the Committee. 
The Committee is authorised to obtain independent professional 
advice where it considers it necessary.

Committee activities during the period under review
Succession planning
The Committee has responsibility for ensuring appropriate 
succession planning for both the Board and the Group’s senior 
management. During the year the Committee has:

• Worked with external advisers to focus on succession planning 

for the Executive Director roles.

• Further developed the succession planning and talent pipeline 

for members of the Executive Committee who hold Senior 
Manager Functions (SMFs) to ensure there is increased 
resilience in these key areas.

• Taken account of key drivers such as recommendations 

from Board evaluations, feedback from meetings with key 
stakeholders including the FCA, investors, the Committee’s 
own reviews of Board size, structure and composition, and 
developments in corporate governance good practice.

• Actively considered mechanisms for staggering Board tenure 

to manage evenly the distribution of change amongst the Board.

• Received and reviewed reports on short-term contingency 

planning to prepare for unexpected periods using existing talent. 
This has comprised of an annual report on Non-Executive 
Director contingency planning, as well as in-depth contingency 
planning for the Senior Management Functions across the 
Group’s regulated subsidiaries that are subject to the SMCR 
regime, which includes plans for the Executive Directors on 
the Board.

Board size, structure and composition (incl. skills matrix)
During the year the Committee has:

• Regularly reviewed the size, structure and composition of the 

Board, as well as conducting annual reviews of the composition 
of its Committees. This resulted in John Troiano being appointed 
to the Remuneration Committee, to increase its resilience. His 
extensive industry experience will be particularly beneficial in the 
functioning of this committee – particularly with the introduction 
of the Investment Firms Prudential Regime (IFPR).

• Considered the tenure of the Non-Executive Directors. Potential 
gaps in skills, knowledge and experience when Directors rotate 
off are taken into account when developing succession planning 
for both the Board and its Committees.

• Reviewed the detailed skills matrix to aid it in identifying the 
present and future needs of the Board, taking into account 
findings of the Board Effectiveness Review to help identify 
the skills and expertise needed in future Board members. 

• Enhanced the recognition given to skills acquired outside the 
corporate board environment and refined the analysis of ESG 
skills to ensure better alignment with the needs of the Group.

• Taken an active role in considering the development of talent 
and balance of skills within the Group’s subsidiary boards.

Board induction and training
• The Board recognises that the breadth and depth of knowledge 

and experience required for the boards of listed companies 
continues to expand. 

• Newly appointed Directors receive robust induction and training. 

Further details are provided on page 72.

• Directors attend collective training events on topics of interest 

for the Board as a whole, such as key regulatory changes, 
business developments, cyber security and market updates, 
and have access to bespoke training events for individuals based 
on specific development needs, background or changing roles. 
For example, this has included detailed ICARA training for Risk 
Committee members.

• Training is offered via a range of mediums such as deep dives at 
Board or Committee meetings, group or one-on-one sessions at 
the office or remotely, as well as more formal courses or training 
sessions offered by third-party providers.

• Details of the training provided to the Board during the period 

under review are provided on page 72.

Diversity
The Board believes that building a diverse and inclusive 
workforce is important not just because it is the right thing to do, 
but because it is good for the Group’s clients, its business and 
its people. The Group’s objective is to build a diverse workforce 
at all levels and create an inclusive culture for all. The Board is 
committed to creating a culture where people treat each other 
with dignity and are encouraged to realise their full potential.

The Group’s inclusion and diversity policy supports this by making 
clear the Group’s aspirations and commitment to inclusion and 
diversity, and by defining the roles and responsibilities that will 
support it in attaining its objectives. The Group’s inclusion and 
diversity strategy outlines the priority areas of focus which 
are currently:

• To build a culture of inclusion where colleagues feel safe, 

respected and like they belong.

• To increase ethnic minority representation, recognising the 

need to accelerate progress in this area to better align to the 
local demographic.

• To maintain our commitment to increase female representation 

and close the gender pay gap.

During the period, the Committee reviewed progress against the 
Group’s inclusion and diversity strategy and action plan including 
a number of key achievements details of which can be found on 
pages 26 to 30 of the Strategic Report.

Gender balance
The Board continues to focus on gender diversity both at Board 
level and in the Group’s senior management. The Committee has 
overseen the development of specific strategic initiatives in this 
respect, including to hire more, promote more and lose less women 
in senior positions.

As at 30 June 2022, the Board numbered ten in total, five of 
whom are women with three of the four senior Board positions 
(defined as Chair, Senior Independent Director Chief, Chief 
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer) being held 
by women. 

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The Board is proud to have met the targets set out in the revised 
Listing Rules (LR 9.8.6R(9) and LR 14.3.33R(1)) which came into 
force on 20 April 2022 and has revised its Diversity Policy to take 
account of these targets. The Board recognises that there is 
always more to do with regards to diversity in all its elements 
and continues to focus on promoting diversity as part of its 
recruitment processes.

The Group continues to promote diversity across the organisation 
and is proud to be a signatory to the Women in Finance Charter, 
a government initiative to promote inclusion and diversity. As at 
30 June 2022, female representation across the Group’s senior 
management (as per the Code definition) was 37.5%. For these 
purposes ‘senior management’ comprises members of the Group 
Executive Committee, the Group Company Secretary, and each of 
their direct reports (including administrative staff). If administrative 
staff are removed then female representation across the Group’s 
senior management as per the Companies Act 2006 definition 
(which only includes those responsible for planning, directing 
or controlling the activities of the Group or a strategically significant 
part) was 33.3%. Further information on how the Group is seeking to 
promote diversity can be found on page 27 of the Strategic Report.

Ethnic diversity
The Committee is pleased to report that the Company continues 
to meet the recommendation from the Parker Review that there 
should be at least one Director of colour on the Board by 2021. 
During the period under review, the Committee implemented 
new ethnicity targets and embedded them into the senior 
leadership team’s personal objectives. The launch of the Strive 
programme, participation in the 10,000 Black interns programme, 
our award-winning involvement in the Stepping Up programme 
alongside our ongoing support for St Pauls Carnival, all help to 
promote HL as a potential employer to a more diverse slate of 
candidates, alongside the continuation of internal mentoring and 
sponsorship initiatives. For more information about the Group’s 
approach to ethnic diversity please see the People section 
on page 27.

Board effectiveness
The Committee oversees progress on the implementation of 
recommendations and actions from the annual evaluation of the 
performance of the Board and its Committees. During the period, 
an externally led Board evaluation was carried out, facilitated by 
Independent Audit, an external consultancy with no connection 
to the Group, who were appointed following a tender process.

In carrying out its review Independent Audit undertook four main 
strands of work:

• A review of board and committee papers.

• Interviews with all members of the Board, the Group Company 

Secretary, members of the executive team and external advisors.

• Observation of Board Committee meetings in June 2021.

• The drafting of a report with quality assurance by an 

independent individual from within Independent Audit which was 
then shared with the Chair of the Board before being presented 
at the August 2021 Board meeting.

Key priorities and outcomes from the 2021 external evaluation, 
identified in Independent Audit’s report included the following: 

• Oversight of management. Further strengthening senior 

management within the Company to ensure a full complement of 
skills with clarity over accountabilities and areas of responsibility.

• Strategy. Oversight of the development of a revised Group 

Strategy with deep dives into key areas such as product, pricing 
and services to support thinking. The need for clarity of targets 
and milestones to track execution was also identified with the 
importance of supporting papers highlighted.

• Risk. Continued oversight of the development of the Risk 
Function and the Risk & Control Framework and the need 
to hold the First Line to account within this framework. 

• Subsidiary governance. It was suggested that the Group’s 

structure be reviewed to identify opportunities for streamlining 
and clarification of responsibilities. 

• Other. A number of other suggestions were made in relation 

to the number of Board meetings per year and the size of the 
Company Secretariat Team to support the Group’s governance. 

The report also recognised that there had been much positive 
change since the last externally led review with the Board 
having undergone a substantial refresh and strengthening of 
the Executive Team. Independent Audit also highlighted that 
the Board and Committees worked effectively together, with the 
Board being well chaired and embodying HL’s positive culture. 

During the period under review, the Committee has overseen the 
implementation of recommendations relating to its effectiveness 
from the externally facilitated 2021 evaluation. This has included 
increasing the clarity of roles, responsibilities and governance 
within the organisation, which has supported the development 
of the revised Strategy and associated execution plans to improve 
effective Board oversight of the Executive.

Approach to recruitment
The Committee leads the process for appointments to the Board 
other than for the Nominated Director (Adrian Collins) whose 
appointment nonetheless requires Board approval. It uses the 
output of its detailed succession planning, contingency planning 
and regular assessment of Board and Committee composition 
to identify the skills, knowledge and experience required in 
candidates to meet the Group’s current and future requirements. 
The Committee engages external search firms for all Board 
appointments (other than for the Nominated Director), using 
their networks and expertise to identify a list of candidates that 
meet the capability requirements developed by the Committee. 
Shortlisted candidates are invited to interview with various 
members of the Board and senior management. Summaries of 
the outcome of interviews, along with candidate CVs, are then 
provided to the Committee for detailed consideration.

In line with the Group’s Board diversity policy, the Committee 
reviews broader aspects of diversity as part of its reviews of Board 
composition and succession planning, and when searching for 
candidates, the Committee takes into account a number of factors, 
including the benefits of diversity and balance of composition of 
the Board, including in terms of ethnicity and gender. The Group’s 
policy is to work with search firms who have signed up to the 
Standard Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms 
on diversity and best practice, and reject candidate lists that are 
not suitably diverse without sufficient reason. The overriding 
requirement is that recommendations for appointments are based 
on merit against objective criteria, and that the best candidates 
are put forward for consideration. Such criteria will usually include, 
but is not limited to: previous experience within financial services 
experience in a regulated environment, consumer business being 
preferred; a track record of success in a senior leadership role of 
a substantial company; prior non-executive director experience 
or equivalent; strong regulatory relationships and understanding 
of key themes and trends; experience of large scale transformation 
programmes – specifically relating to technology; and the ability 
to contribute broadly at a strategic and commercial level.

The Committee recommends its preferred candidate to the Board 
for approval. 

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Search for a new independent Non-Executive Director 
During the period under review, the Committee carried out a 
detailed search for one new Non-Executive Director (with the 
search for Penny James having been carried out in the previous 
reporting year). The focus of this search was to further build 
resilience into the membership of the Board’s Committees and 
aid succession planning.

The Committee engaged the Lygon Group, an independent 
external search agency who are signatories to the Voluntary Code 
of Conduct for Executive Search Firms, to assist with the search.

Following a rigorous process involving initial interviews with 
a range of potential candidates, Darren Pope was identified 
as the preferred candidate. Further interviews were conducted 
by all members of the Board and selected senior management. 
Having received detailed feedback from the interview process 
the Company was pleased to announce the appointment of 
Darren Pope as Non-Executive Director with effect from 
1 September 2022. He will also join the Board’s Audit and 
Risk Committees from the same date as Audit Chair designate.

Search for a new Executive Director
Following a rigorous process involving initial interviews with 
a range of potential candidates, Amy Stirling was identified 
as the preferred candidate. Further interviews were conducted 
by all members of the Board and selected senior management. 
Having received detailed feedback from the interview process, 
the Committee was pleased to recommend Amy’s appointment 
to the Board. Amy was appointed as Executive Director with effect 
from 21 February 2022. The Committee engaged Spencer Stuart, 
an independent external search agency who are signatories to the 
Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms, to assist 
with the search.

Director independence, time commitment and re-election 
The Committee conducted its annual review of the independence 
of the Non-Executive Directors, and time commitments of the 
Directors generally, at its June meeting. In reviewing the 
independence of the Non-Executive Directors, the Committee 
considered in detail whether any circumstances have arisen, 
including those set out in Provision 10 of the Code, which are 

likely to impair, or could appear to impair the independence of 
each Non-Executive Director. This included consideration of length 
of tenure, existing and proposed external directorships and other 
similar appointments, and any other conflicts recorded by the 
Company in respect of each Non-Executive Director.

The Committee concluded that it considered each of the 
Non-Executive Directors other than the Nominated Director to 
be independent under the provisions of the Code. As an appointee 
of a shareholder, the Nominated Director is not considered to be 
independent but he is considered to be a valuable addition to the 
Board because he provides a link to Peter Hargreaves’ experience 
as well as his own wealth of experience in the fund management 
industry. The Nominated Director does not sit on any of the 
Committees and given that the majority of the Non-Executive 
Directors are independent, the Committee considers this 
adequately compensates for any potential imbalance that 
may arise from the presence of the Nominated Director.

In concluding that each of the Non-Executive Directors has 
sufficient time available to allocate to the Company as set out 
in their letters of appointment, the Committee considered the 
detailed requirements of the Code and the Senior Management 
Arrangements, Systems and Controls (SYSC), attendance records 
for each Director and responsiveness to Company business, 
as well as the confirmations given to the Chair by each of the 
Non-Executive Directors that they continue to have sufficient 
time to discharge their responsibilities effectively. In addition to 
each Non-Executive Director’s current responsibilities, the Chair 
has reviewed and discussed plans and timing for adding new or 
deleting current responsibilities to ensure each individual’s time 
commitment remains consistent.

As part of its review of the size, structure and composition of the 
Board, and taking into account its assessment of independence 
and time commitments, the Committee is satisfied that the Board 
continues to be effective. Based on its assessment of each 
Director’s performance and ability to continue to contribute to the 
Board in light of the knowledge, skill and experience they possess, 
the Committee has recommended to the Board that each of the 
Directors is put forward for election or re-election at the 2022 
AGM as appropriate.

Overview of the Committee’s activities  
in the year to 30 June 2022

14%
Board composition
and effectiveness

20%
Governance 
and other

25%
Recruitment

41%
Talent, leadership,
succession, diversity
& inclusion

Nomination Committee priorities for 2022/23
Looking ahead to the next financial year, it is anticipated that the 
Committee will focus in particular on:

• Succession planning for the Group’s Executive Director and ExCo 
membership with a key focus on further developing a diverse 
talent pipeline.

• Continuing with the ‘evergreen’ approach to succession planning 
at the Board level to proactively anticipate successional demands 
and to develop a pipeline of talent with the skills and capabilities 
that align to the future strategic needs of the business.

• Overseeing the implementation of recommendations from the 

2021 external Board evaluation and overseeing the 2022 process. 

• Continuing to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.

• Developing the Committee from a Nomination Committee into 

a Nomination & Governance Committee.

Deanna Oppenheimer
Chair of the Nomination Committee

4 August 2022

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RISK COMMITTEE REPORT

CONTINUOUS DRIVE 
FOR IMPROVEMENT

Dear Shareholder
As Chair of the Risk Committee, I am pleased to present this 
report on the Committee’s activities in the year under review. 

The Group’s approach to risk management and how it evaluates 
and manages the principal risks and uncertainties the Group 
faces are set out within the risk management section of the 
Strategic Report.

The Committee has reviewed continued evidence of 
enhancements to risk management and maturity, particularly 
in operational resilience. The Committee has also overseen the 
Group’s 2021 Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process 
(ICAAP) and the Group’s response to the introduction of 
Investment Firm Prudential Regime (IFPR).

Role of the Risk Committee
The Board as a whole remains responsible for the Group’s risk 
management and strategy, and for determining an appropriate 
risk appetite. The Committee assists the Board in its oversight 
of risk within the Group. It has a particular focus on reviewing 
and advising the Board on changes to the Group’s risk appetite, 
and monitoring the effectiveness of, and improvements being 
made to, the Group’s risk management framework. The Committee 
also advises the Board on changes to the Group’s risk profile and 
future risk strategy. 

The Committee plays a key role in overseeing the management 
of capital adequacy and liquidity through the ICAAP and from 
2022 the Internal Capital Adequacy and Risk Assessment (ICARA). 
The Committee advised the Remuneration Committee on risk 
considerations to be taken into account when determining 
Executive remuneration. 

Strong risk management 
is central to sustainable 
performance.

Andrea Blance
Chair of the Risk Committee

This year the Committee has reviewed the Group’s updated 
strategy. The Committee reviewed core mobilisation priorities 
to ensure scalable growth and noted the planned investment 
in technology and infrastructure which would enable HL to further 
support clients. As part of its review of the ICAAP and ICARA 
capital adequacy documentation the Committee ensured HL 
has sufficient capital for its future growth strategy.

In October 2021, the main compliance responsibilities were 
transferred from the Audit Committee to this Committee. The 
detailed responsibilities are available on the Group’s website.

Composition and meeting attendance
As at the date of this report, the members of the Committee are 
Andrea Blance (Chair), Penny James, Moni Mannings, Dan Olley, 
Roger Perkin and John Troiano, each of whom are independent 
Non-Executive Directors. With the exception of Penny James, 
who has been a member since her appointment in September 
2021, all those listed have been members throughout the period 
under review. Ongoing training is provided to assist Committee 
members in performing their duties. This year the training included 
sessions on ICARA and the FCA’s new Consumer Duty.

The Committee met six times in the period under review. 
The attendance of members is set out in the table opposite. 
Other individuals attend Committee meetings at the request 
of the Committee Chair. 

111

Attendance at Committee meetings  
during the year to 30 June 2022

Member

Position

Andrea Blance

Chair

Penny James

Moni Mannings

Dan Olley

Roger Perkin

John Troiano

Independent  
Non-Executive Director 
(from 1 September 2021)

Independent  
Non-Executive Director

Independent  
Non-Executive Director

Independent  
Non-Executive Director

Independent  
Non-Executive Director

Eligible 
meetings

••••••

•••••

Attended
meetings

••••••

•••••

••••••

••••••

••••••

••••••

••••••

••••••

••••••

••••••

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RISK COMMITTEE REPORT 
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Committee activities during the period under review
Risk management framework and risk appetite
• Oversaw the continued strengthening of the risk management 
framework, including greater use of the Group risk taxonomy 
and increased integration of emerging and strategic risk analysis 
in risk profile reporting. 

• Reviewed the further development of the risk appetite 

framework with specific focus on metrics related to strategy. 

• Reviewed and challenged the Group’s strategic risk appetite 

statements, which bring together the core risk profile, including 
strategic, operational and financial risk. 

• Supported the strengthening of risk management responsibilities 
in the operational teams in the first line, to enable the Group’s 
Risk function to further focus on oversight. 

• Reviewed and challenged reporting for evidence of continued 
evolution of risk management in the first line and received 
assurance on risk management via updates to the risk profile 
from the Group Chief Risk Officer (GCRO).

ICAAP/ICARA
• Reviewed and challenged the ICAAP results in December 2021 
prior to recommending to the Board for approval. This included 
the assumptions and scenarios used, including those used 
to calculate the Pillar 2 capital requirement and the risk 
assessments aligned to business risks such as regulatory 
compliance, data management, technology and financial crime. 

• Oversaw the introduction of the new IFPR regime including 
preparation, mapping and delivery of new requirements to 
the Group’s ICARA process regime together with provisional 
arrangements. 

Information security and fraud risk
• Received a report on the current compliance position with 

respect to GDPR and investments in people, processes and 
technology as part of the Data Strategy. 

• Reviewed an update on IT security and the cyber risk control 
environment, including a view on the cyber threat landscape 
in light of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.

• Oversaw the continued improvement of risk management 
responsibilities via the Risk Transformation Plan to ensure 
continuous improvement of the Group’s risk maturity, aligned 
to the scale and complexity of an organisation the size of HL. 

• Received regular updates on enhancement activities within 

the Group’s financial crime framework and controls to enable 
continued compliance with the legislative requirements and 
the efficient management of increasing client volumes. 

• Received the annual report from the GCRO on the adequacy 
and operating effectiveness of risk management, the internal 
control environment, and risk embedding across the Group. 

• Monitored a robust assessment of the principal and emerging 

risks facing the Group which included those that could threaten 
its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity. 

• Received regular updates on the status of the Group’s risk 
profile supported by reference to the Board approved risk 
appetite, reviews of risk and compliance events and status 
of control effectiveness.

• Considered the annual report from the Money Laundering 
Reporting Officer (MLRO) which specifically addressed the 
adequacy and effectiveness of the Group’s anti-money 
laundering and counter terrorist financing systems and controls.

Operational resilience 
• Considered areas of focus to deliver compliance with the 

FCA’s policy statement on operational resiliency expectations. 
Recommended the operational resiliency thresholds for approval 
by the Board. 

• Scrutinised the Group’s approach to operational resilience and 

crisis management planning, including management preparations 
for tail risk events. Management’s response to the conflict 
between Russia and the Ukraine, enabled the Committee to 
monitor and oversee the Group’s preparedness to emerging risks 
and stress tests completed as part of the ICARA were considered 
and challenged as part of understanding possible impacts.

Compliance monitoring
• Received reports from the Compliance Monitoring function on 
the effectiveness of measures designed to ensure compliance 
with the Group’s regulatory obligations. This included the annual 
report from the Compliance Director on the adequacy and 
effectiveness of the Compliance function. 

• Oversaw the management review of Compliance effectiveness 
and the defined enhancement plan to ensure the continuous 
improvement of Compliance capabilities aligned to the size 
and complexity of the Group.

Oversight of Risk function 
• Reviewed and approved the Group’s second line Risk Charter 

and assurance plan. 

• Received regular updates from the GCRO on resourcing and 

workload, and a detailed report on the operational effectiveness 
of the function.

Remuneration and risk
• Reviewed the GCRO’s paper to the Remuneration Committee 
relating to risk adjustments to senior management reward 
based on accountability for risk events. The paper covered 
the Group, Clients, compliance issues and audit findings.

Disclosures and attestations
The Committee reviewed the Director attestation process 
which has been refocused to specifically serve the Corporate 
Governance Code requirement. It also reviewed and approved 
the disclosures and statements in the Report and Financial 
Statements relating to risk management. 

Systems outages and oversight of lessons learned
During the period under review the Group experienced a brief 
outage on the Group’s platform on 21 December and a brief period 
of certain holdings not being viewable on the mobile app on 
31 January.

Committee members were briefed on the investigations into 
platform outages in December and January. Lessons have been 
learned and actions identified to improve change controls to 
mitigate the risk of similar procedural issues occurring again. 

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Risk assessment of updated strategy
The Committee reviewed an independent second line assessment 
of the updated strategy looking at the target state, the risk profile 
and planning required to achieve the target state. 

Execution risk was scrutinised and the Committee encouraged 
management to ensure the financial assumptions were robust, the 
key capabilities were in place and planned for and the focus areas 
were clearly defined. The Committee has been provided with an 
update on mobilisation of the strategy and is particularly focused 
on overseeing the management of any heightened change 
execution risks.

Risk maturity
The Committee continues to encourage the enhancement of the 
Group’s risk maturity, aligned to the scale and complexity of an 
organisation the size of HL. 

Areas of improvement during the period included improved 
use of risk data and reporting, the introduction of an enhanced 
risk taxonomy, continued evolution of the Group’s governance 
structures and horizon scanning to ensure a proactive approach 
to the management of emerging risks.

The final phase of the Risk Transformation Plan which the 
Committee will oversee will focus on delivering further maturity 
in risk management, including implementation of a Group 
Governance, Risk and Compliance tool. This will support the 
creation of a single source for risk data, risk events and issues, 
risk appetite monitoring and reporting.

The reporting and escalation of specific matters or risk events 
through the GCRO’s report enabled the Committee to request 
reports on areas such as the transfer of investments to assess 
how management deal with any issues identified, including root 
cause analysis.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
HL is managing ESG from a corporate, investment, client and 
regulatory perspective. HL has enhanced the governance around 
ESG and in particular with the implementation of a dedicated Task 
Force and the collation of a dedicated ESG dashboard. The key 
risks associated with ESG were covered during the year through 
an assessment of emerging risks that identified key vulnerabilities 
and their impacts.

Committee performance
The Committee is required to undertake a review of its 
performance at least annually to ensure it is operating effectively 
and in line with its terms of reference. This review was undertaken 
in April and confirmed that activities during the period have been 
in line with its remit. 

Risk Committee priorities for 2022/23
Looking ahead to the next financial year, it is anticipated that 
the Committee will focus in particular on:

• Delivering further maturity in risk management and 

compliance controls;

• Approval of the first full ICARA report under the new IFPR regime;

• Oversight and challenge of the transformation plans to support 

HL’s strategic objectives;

• Ensuring an enhanced change management framework 
is embedded and governance in place to manage the 
transformation;

• The Group’s response to the FCA’s new Consumer Duty; and

• Oversight of the Group’s risk management approach to 

climate risk.

Overview of the Committee’s activities  
in the year to 30 June 2022

Andrea Blance
Chair of the Risk Committee

4 August 2022

33%
Risk maturity,
management
and framework

13%
ICAAP 
and ICARA

38%
Risk exposures
and reporting

16%
Governance
and other

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DIRECTORS’ REPORT

The Directors present their report on the affairs of the Group, 
together with the audited consolidated financial statements for 
the year ended 30 June 2022.

The Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report together form 
the Management Report for the purposes of DTR 4.1.8R. For the 
purposes of DTR 7.2.1R:

The Company is the holding company for the Group. The Group’s 
regulated operating subsidiaries carry out its business of providing 
financial products and services, principally to retail clients. The 
Group operates predominantly in the United Kingdom, with one 
operating subsidiary (HL Tech) located in Poland that provides 
IT development services to the rest of the Group. 

• A statement as to the Company’s compliance with the Code and 
details of where the Code is publicly available can be found in 
the Chair’s Introduction to Corporate Governance on page 62;

• A description of the main features of the Group’s internal control 

and risk management systems in relation to the financial 
reporting process can be found on page 73;

The Directors’ Report for the period under review comprises pages 
114 to 117 of the Report and Financial Statements, as well as other 
sections incorporated by reference.

As permitted by legislation, certain information required to be 
included in the Directors’ Report has instead been included in 
the Strategic Report, on the basis that the Board consider those 
matters to be of strategic importance. Commentary on the 
development and performance of the Group’s business, including 
in the field of research and development, and an indication of 
likely future developments can be found on pages 1 to 50 of the 
Strategic Report. Disclosures relating to the Group’s greenhouse 
gas emissions, energy consumption and the measures being taken 
to increase energy efficiency can be found on pages 37 to 43 of 
the Strategic Report.

Details of how the Group engages with its key stakeholders, 
including its shareholders, can be found on pages 24 to 25 of 
the Strategic Report and on page 66 and 67 of the Corporate 
Governance Report. Details of how the interests of stakeholders 
are considered in the Board’s decision making can be found in 
the Section 172 Statement on pages 118 to 121.

• Information regarding significant shareholders, special rights 

regarding control of the Company, restrictions on voting rights, 
the appointment and replacement of Directors and changes to 
the Company’s articles of association, and the powers of the 
Directors can be found on pages 114 to 117;

• A description of the composition and operation of the 

Group’s corporate governance framework can be found on 
pages 67 to 69; and

• A description of the Group’s diversity and inclusion policy, 

its objectives, how it has been implemented and the results 
in the period under review can be found on pages 27 to 30 
and 108 to 109.

Information to be disclosed under LR 9.8.4R
Listing Rule 9.8.4R requires listed companies to include in their 
annual financial report all information required under Listing Rule 
9.8.4R in a single identifiable section, or otherwise in a cross 
reference table indicating where that information is set out. 
The following cross reference table sets out where the relevant 
disclosures can be found in the Report and Financial Statements.

Listing Rule

Disclosure

Page reference

LR 9.8.4R (1) 
to (11) 

Not applicable

Not applicable

LR 9.8.4R (12) Current year 

dividend waiver 
agreements

LR 9.8.4R (13) Future dividend 

waiver agreements

Note 3.2 to consolidated 
financial statements on 
page 148

Note 3.2 to consolidated 
financial statements on 
page 148

LR 9.8.4R (14)

Information 
regarding 
controlling 
shareholder 

The Company does not have 
a Controlling Shareholder. 
Details of the ongoing 
relationship with the 
Company’s former 
Controlling Shareholder 
can be found under the 
heading Shareholder 
Agreement on page 116 

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Share capital structure
The Company’s share capital consists of a single class of ordinary 
shares of 0.4p each. As at 30 June 2022 and the date of this 
report, there were 474,318,625 ordinary shares in issue, each of 
which is fully paid up, amounting to an aggregate nominal share 
capital of £1,897,274.50. Each ordinary share is listed on the 
Official List maintained by the FCA and admitted to trading on 
the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Further details 
of the Company’s share capital can be found in note 3.1 to the 
consolidated financial statements on page 148. There were no 
changes to the Company’s share capital during the period 
under review.

Rights attaching to shares and restrictions on transfer
The ordinary shares have attached to them full voting, dividend 
and capital distribution rights, and rank pari passu in all respects.

Save for deadlines for voting by proxy, there are no restrictions 
on voting rights attaching to, or on the transfer of, the Company’s 
ordinary shares. Full details regarding the exercise of voting rights 
at the 2022 AGM, whether in person or by proxy, will be set out 
in the Notice of AGM. To be valid, the appointment of a proxy to 
vote at a general meeting must be received not less than 48 hours 
before the time of the meeting.

The Company is not aware of any agreements between the 
holders of ordinary shares that may restrict their transfer or the 
voting rights attaching to them.

None of the Company’s ordinary shares carry any special rights 
regarding control of the Company.

Authority to allot or buy back shares
The Company was granted authority at the 2021 AGM to purchase 
in the market its own shares up to an aggregate nominal value 
of 10% of its issued ordinary share capital. No shares were 
purchased under this authority in the year to 30 June 2022 and 
up to the date of this report. This authority expires at the end 
of the 2022 AGM, at which a special resolution will be proposed 
for its renewal. This is a standard authority that the Directors 
have no present intention of exercising.

The Directors were granted authority at the 2021 AGM to allot 
relevant securities up to an aggregate nominal amount of 
£632,424.83, representing approximately one third of the 
Company’s issued ordinary share capital. No shares were allotted 
under this authority in the year to 30 June 2022 and up to the date 
of this report. This authority expires at the end of the 2022 AGM, 
at which an ordinary resolution will be proposed for its renewal. 
This is a standard authority that the Directors have no present 
intention of exercising.

Shares held in trust for employee share schemes
Hargreaves Lansdown EBT Trustees Limited (the EBT Trustee) 
holds ordinary shares in the Company in trust under the terms of 
the Hargreaves Lansdown Employee Benefit Trust (the EBT) to 
satisfy the exercise of options granted to the Group’s employees 
under its approved and unapproved share option schemes. Under 
the rules of the EBT, the EBT Trustee has discretion as to the 
exercise of voting rights attaching to ordinary shares held within 
the EBT. As at 30 June 2022, the EBT Trustee held 424,035 
ordinary shares, equating to approximately 0.09% of the 
Company’s issued ordinary share capital.

Hargreaves Lansdown Trustee Company Limited (the SIP Trustee) 
holds ordinary shares in the Company in trust under the terms of 
the Hargreaves Lansdown plc Share Incentive Plan (the SIP) to 
satisfy the exercise of options granted to the Group’s employees 
under the SIP. Save where the Company notifies it that such 
waiver does not apply, the SIP Trustee must refrain from exercising 
the voting rights attaching to ordinary shares held in the SIP trust 
that have been allocated to employees. The SIP Trustee has no 
express power under the terms of the SIP to exercise voting rights 
attaching to ordinary shares held in the SIP trust that have not 
been allocated to employees. As at 30 June 2022, the SIP Trustee 
held 33,475 ordinary shares, equating to approximately 0.007% 
of the Company’s issued ordinary share capital.

Substantial shareholdings
Notifications received by the Company in accordance with DTR 5 
are published on a Regulatory Information Service and on the 
Company’s website. As at 30 June 2022, the Company had been 
advised of the following voting interests in the Company’s ordinary 
shares amounting to more than 3% of the Company’s issued 
share capital.

Name

Ordinary shares

Percentage holding

Peter Hargreaves 

Lindsell Train Limited

Stephen Lansdown

Baillie Gifford

Blackrock, Inc

93,838,474

60,568,590

27,087,419

23,888,812

35,222,041

19.78%

12.77%

5.71%

5.04%

7.41%

In the period between 30 June 2022 and the date of this report, 
the Company received no further notifications. 

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Shareholder Agreement
The Company announced on 7 February 2020 that Peter 
Hargreaves had reduced his shareholding to 24.35% and therefore 
ceased to be a controlling shareholder of the Company. Peter 
Hargreaves has since reduced his shareholding further and now 
holds 19.78%.

In October 2020, the Board announced that in order to reflect 
Peter Hargreaves’ continuing interest in the Company whilst 
respecting the strong independent governance principles of the 
Board, the Company had agreed with Peter Hargreaves to enter 
into a new shareholder agreement (the Agreement) to govern their 
ongoing relationship. Pursuant to the Agreement, Peter Hargreaves 
is entitled to nominate one non-independent, Non-Executive 
Director for appointment to the Board, subject to the applicable 
regulatory and governance framework that is observed by the 
Company. Peter Hargreaves exercised this right and Adrian Collins 
was appointed to the Board on 2 November 2020. This Agreement 
and nomination right shall remain in place for so long as Peter 
Hargreaves and his Associates’ (as such term is defined in the 
Listing Rules) control or are entitled to control the exercise of 
at least 10 per cent of the Company’s voting rights.

The Agreement intends to ensure that any transactions or 
arrangements with him are conducted at arm’s length and on 
commercial terms, and that neither he nor his associates would 
prevent the Company complying with its obligations under the 
Listing Rules or propose or procure a shareholder resolution 
intended to circumvent the proper application of the Listing Rules.

Dividends
The Board recommends a final ordinary dividend of 27.44 pence 
per ordinary share to be paid in respect of the period ending 
30 June 2022. Subject to shareholder approval at the 2022 AGM, 
it is proposed that this ordinary dividend is paid on 24 October 
2022 to all shareholders on the register at close of business on 
23 September 2022.

For further information on the dividend, including the suspension 
of the special dividend see page 50 of the Strategic Report.

Board of Directors 
Powers of the Directors
The Company’s articles of association (the Articles) set out the 
powers of the Directors. Subject to UK company law, the Articles 
and any directions given by special resolution of the Company, 
the Directors have been granted authority to exercise all the 
powers of the Company.

Name

Role

Date of appointment/departure

Penny James

Philip Johnson

Amy Stirling

Independent 
Non-Executive Director

Chief Financial Officer 
and Executive Director

Chief Financial Officer 
and Executive Director

Appointed 1 September 2021

Resigned 31 January 2022

Appointed 21 February 2022

The Articles may only be amended by special resolution 
at a general meeting of the Company’s shareholders.

Appointment and replacement of Directors
The appointment and replacement of Directors is governed 
by the Articles, the Code and the Companies Act 2006 and 
related legislation.

Under the Articles, Directors may be appointed, either to fill 
a vacancy or as an addition to the existing Board, by ordinary 
resolution of the Company or by resolution of the Board. 
If appointed by the Board, a Director must retire and, if willing 
to act, seek election at the next AGM following appointment.

In addition, the Articles require all Directors to retire at each AGM 
and, if willing to do so, offer themselves for re-election. This aligns 
to the requirements of provision 18 of the Code. Further details 
can be found on page 72 of the Corporate Governance Report.

In addition to the powers set out in the Companies Act 2006, the 
Articles provide for the removal of a Director before the expiration 
of their period of office by ordinary resolution of the Company.

The Board
The names of the Directors of the Company as at the date of this 
report, along with their biographies, are set out on pages 63 to 65.

Appointments to and departures from the Board during the period 
under review are set out in the table below.

In June 2022, the Company announced that Darren Pope would 
join as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 
1 September 2022. Darren brings extensive financial services and 
risk expertise, strategic thinking, governance and regulatory 
experience with strong leadership skills. He is currently a Director 
of Virgin Money UK PLC, Network International PLC, Silicon Valley 
Bank UK Ltd and formerly a Director of Equiniti PLC. 

Directors’ interests
Details of the Directors’ interests in the Company’s ordinary shares 
can be found on pages 99 and 104 of the Annual Report on 
Remuneration.

During the period under review, no Director had any material 
interest in a contract to which the Company or any of its subsidiary 
undertakings was a party (other than their own service contract) 
that required disclosure pursuant to the Companies Act 2006.

Directors’ indemnities
As permitted by the Articles, the Directors have the benefit of an 
indemnity which is a qualifying third-party indemnity provision as 
defined by Section 234 of the Companies Act 2006. The indemnity 
was in place throughout the period under review and remains in 
place as at the date of this report.

The Company also maintains Directors’ and Officers’ liability 
insurance cover to protect the Directors from loss resulting from 
claims against them in relation to the discharge of their duties.

This cover was in place throughout the period under review 
and remains in place as at the date of this report.

Compensation for loss of office
There are no agreements in place between the Company and 
its Directors or employees for compensation for loss of office 
or employment as a result of a takeover bid. 

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Financial instruments and financial risk management
Details of the Group’s financial risk management policies and 
objectives in relation to the use of financial instruments, and its 
exposure to market, liquidity and credit risk, can be found in note 
5.7 to the consolidated financial statements on pages 152 to 158.

Change of control
There are no significant agreements to which any member of the 
Group is a party that take effect, alter or terminate upon a change 
of control of the Company following a takeover bid.

Employee engagement and involvement
The Group is committed to engaging and communicating with 
colleagues to ensure they understand the Group’s purpose, vision 
and priorities and how they each play their part in the development 
of its business. Information on action taken to ensure colleagues 
are provided with information on matters that concern them 
and to promote awareness of the factors affecting the Group’s 
performance can be found on page 30 of the Strategic Report. 
Details of how the Group engages with colleagues and how their 
interests are considered in decision making can be found on pages 
25 and 30 of the Strategic Report and in the Group’s Section 172 
Statement on pages 118 to 121.

Further details of how we encourage colleague involvement 
in the Group’s performance, including by way of participation in 
share schemes, can be found on page 29 of the Strategic Report.

Details of the Group’s policies for the recruitment, continuing 
employment and career development of disabled persons can 
be found on pages 29 of the Strategic Report.

Post-balance sheet events
Details of important events affecting the Group that have 
occurred since the end of the period under review can be found 
in note 5.5 to the consolidated financial statements on page 151.

Political donations
The Group did not make any political donations or contributions 
or incur any political expenditure during the period under review.

Annual General Meeting
The Board looks forward to welcoming shareholders to the 
Company’s AGM in October 2022. Further information, along 
with details of all resolutions to be proposed to the Company’s 
shareholders and how to vote, will be set out in the Notice of 
AGM that will be circulated ahead of the meeting.

Electronic communications and dividend payments 
Shareholder communications are only sent in paper format 
to shareholders who have elected to receive documents in this 
way. This approach enables the Company to reduce printing 
and distribution costs and the impact of the documents on the 
environment. Shareholders who wish to receive email notification 
instead of paper copies can register online at www.shareview.co.uk.

Shareholders can also request that dividends are paid directly into 
their bank or building society account via Shareview. This saves 
time and is more secure than receiving dividends by cheque, 
which could arrive late or be lost in the post.

Going concern
In adopting the going concern basis for preparing the financial 
statements, the Directors have considered the Group’s business 
activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future 
development, performance and position, including the Russian 
invasion of Ukraine, the increase in inflation and the associated 
cost-of-living crisis. This includes the Group’s principal risks 
and uncertainties, details of which can be found in the Strategic 
Report. The Operating and Financial Review on pages 45 to 50 of 
the Strategic Report describes the Group’s robust balance sheet, 
managed to internal risk appetite and regulatory capital limits, 
and a business with a high conversion of operating profit to cash 
and a strong net cash position.

Having regard to the Company and Group’s financial, liquidity 
and capital position, the Board has concluded that it remains 
appropriate to adopt the going concern basis of accounting 
in preparing the Company and Group’s financial statements.

Long-term viability
In accordance with Provision 31 of the Code, the Directors have 
assessed the prospects of the Group over a longer period than 
the 12 months required by the going concern provision. Details of 
this assessment can be found on page 54 of the Strategic Report.

Disclosure of information to external auditor
Each of the persons who are Directors at the time when this report 
is approved confirms that:

• So far as they are aware, there is no relevant audit information 

of which the Company’s external auditor is unaware; and

• They have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken 

as a Director to make themselves aware of any relevant audit 
information and to establish that the Company’s external auditor 
is aware of that information.

This confirmation is given and should be interpreted in accordance 
with Section 418 of the Companies Act 2006.

Approved by and signed by order of the Board.

Claire Chapman
Group Company Secretary

4 August 2022

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Understanding the views and interests of our stakeholders helps 
the Group to make better decisions with the aim of generating 
long-term value for the Company’s shareholders whilst contributing 
to wider society by building strong and lasting relationships with 
our other key stakeholders.

Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires the Directors 
to act in a way they consider will promote the success of the 
Company for the benefit of its shareholders as a whole. In doing 
so, the Directors must have regard (amongst other matters) to:

• The likely consequences of any decision in the long term;

• The interests of the Group’s employees;

• The need to foster business relationships with the Group’s 

suppliers, clients and others;

• The impact of the Group’s operations on the community 

and the environment;

• The desirability of the Group maintaining a reputation 

for high standards of business conduct; and

•  The need to act fairly as between the Company’s shareholders. 

You can read more about how we engage with and respond to 
the interests and needs of our key stakeholders on pages 24 to 25 
of the Strategic Report.

How the Board has discharged its Section 172 duties
The Directors are briefed on their duties as directors as part 
of the Group’s induction programme and the Board, as a whole, 
periodically receives refresher training. Each Director also has 
access to the Group Company Secretary for advice on the 
application of those duties.

The Directors’ awareness of their duties to the Company, 
combined with the knowledge and insights they obtain on the 
views and interests of the Group’s key stakeholders and the impact 
of the Group on wider society, enables them to make decisions 
that promote long-term sustainable value for the Company’s 

shareholders. In practice, the Group operates within a corporate 
governance framework whereby responsibility for day-to-day 
decision making is appropriately delegated. In considering their 
duties under Section 172 when setting the Group’s strategy, values 
and framework of policies, the Board aims to ensure that the 
consideration of stakeholder interests and the Group’s long-term 
success is embedded across its business.

The Board recognises that the impact of each decision made 
by it, and elsewhere in the Group’s governance framework, will 
be different for each of its key stakeholders and understands 
the importance of considering the impact on each of those 
stakeholders when making decisions.

The Group’s Board and Committee paper templates encourage 
paper authors to consider and highlight the impact on the Group’s 
stakeholders of the matters covered. In addition to acting as an 
aid to the Board in discharging its duties and facilitating focused 
debate, this is intended to provide an additional layer of comfort 
that paper authors have properly considered and taken into 
account the interests of stakeholders.

Further details of how the Board considers each of the specific 
matters set out in Section 172 is set out below, along with some 
examples of how those considerations have influenced decisions 
taken by the Board and Group more widely.

Considering the long term
The Board sets the strategy, values and culture, and develops and 
oversees the Group’s framework of governance, risk management 
and internal controls to promote and safeguard the Group’s 
long-term success. The strategic goals and objectives it sets are 
focused around developing the Group’s proposition and service to 
fulfil the long-term needs of its clients. You can read more about 
the Group’s strategy on pages 12 to 17 of the Strategic Report. 
Details of how stakeholder considerations influenced the Board’s 
decision making regarding the strategy can be found in the case 
study on page 120.

The Group provides an essential service to its clients in a highly 
regulated environment. The identification, management and 
mitigation of risks to the Group’s business is key to ensuring the 
delivery of its strategy over the longer term, and the consideration 
of risk plays an important part in decision making. You can read 
more about how the Group evaluates and manages risk along 
with a description of the principal and non-financial risks relating 
to the Company’s operations on pages 51 to 59 of the 
Strategic Report.

Our employees
The Board recognises that understanding the needs of the 
Group’s people is essential in developing a workplace and culture 
in which they can reach their full potential and, in turn, ensure 
the long-term success of the Group.

The Group’s workplace advisory panel, the HL Colleague Forum, 
provides a feedback channel directly between colleagues and 
the Board on matters of strategic importance. It is chaired by 
the Chief People Officer and each meeting is attended by at 
least one Non-Executive Director and a broad range of colleagues 
from across the Group’s business. In addition to the direct Board 
and Group Executive Committee representation on the Forum, 
details of the issues raised and outcomes are reported to the 
Remuneration Committee, with onward escalation to the Board 
where appropriate. You can read more about the Forum on page 
30 of the Strategic Report.

The views of colleagues are also obtained via regular colleague 
surveys. Detailed results are shared with the Group Executive 
Committee, with key themes and issues escalated to the Board 
for consideration.

You can read more about how we engage with colleagues and 
the actions we have taken as a result of that engagement on 
page 25 of the Strategic Report. Details of how engagement with 
colleagues has influenced the Board’s decision making can be 
found in the case studies on pages 120 and 121. 

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Our clients
The Group’s clients are at the heart of its strategy and their 
interests are a key consideration in everything that the 
Group does.

Both the Group Executive Committee and the Board regularly 
receive updates on client proposition and service metrics. 
The consideration and determination of current and future 
needs of clients drives the Group’s innovation and the 
prioritisation of activities within the Group’s annual operating 
plan and long-term strategy.

You can read more about how we engage with our clients and 
the actions we have taken as a result on page 24 of the Strategic 
Report. You can read more about how consideration of our clients’ 
interests have shaped some of the Board’s decisions this year 
in the case studies on pages 120 and 121.

Our regulator
The FCA regulates the financial products and services provided 
by the Group. The Group’s continued compliance with its 
regulatory obligations and the interests and views of the FCA 
are primary considerations in decision making across the Group. 
The Board is regularly briefed on regulatory developments 
and expectations, and the Board’s Risk, Audit and Remuneration 
Committees receive detailed insights into specific areas such 
as the ICAAP/ICARA, CASS and Consumer Duty. The Board also 
receives updates in relation to specific matters, such as areas 
of interest to the FCA including operational resilience.

The Group maintains regular contact with the FCA to ensure 
awareness of its concerns, expectations and agenda, and this 
informs the prioritisation of activities within the Group’s annual 
operating plan. The Group also engages with the FCA to help 
ensure that the position of retail investors in the UK is understood, 
including establishing a Savings and Resilience Sounding Board 
to explore options for supporting clients with financial resilience, 
of which the FCA is a member. Further details can be found 
on page 25.

Our suppliers
Fostering good relationships with the Group’s suppliers is an 
important factor in ensuring it is able to continue to service its 
clients effectively and efficiently over the long term. The Group 
continues to develop, enhance and embed a vendor management 
framework across the business, in line with business, market and 
regulatory expectations. We aim to pay our suppliers promptly and 
within 30 days of payment being requested and have maintained 
the increased frequency of our payment runs introduced last year 
to support suppliers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our average 
payment days during the period under review was approximately 
21 days. 

Acting fairly between shareholders
Information on how we engage with our shareholders and how 
the Board is made aware of shareholder sentiment and interests 
can be found on pages 24 to 25 of the Strategic Report and 
page 66 of the Corporate Governance Report.

The views and interests of the Company’s shareholders are key 
considerations when the Board determines the level of dividend 
payments (further details of which can be found on page 50 of 
the Strategic Report), and when setting the Group’s strategy 
and business priorities.

Impact on the community and the environment
The Board is conscious of the impact of the Group’s operations 
on the community and environment, and understands the 
importance of being a good corporate citizen. 

The Board recognises ESG as an increasingly important 
consideration to many of its key stakeholders and ESG matters 
have been the subject of a full deep-dive again this year, alongside 
the Chief Executive Officer’s regular updates to the Board on the 
Group’s approach. You can read more about our ESG practices on 
pages 31 to 44 of the Strategic Report and the key considerations 
of the Board when reviewing our ESG strategy on page 121.

Details of how consideration of our wider community has shaped 
some of our recent initiatives, e.g. our Savings and Resilience 
Barometer can be found on page 25 of the Strategic Report.

Maintaining a reputation for high standards 
of business conduct 
The Board supports the Chief Executive Officer in embedding a 
culture that encourages the Group’s colleagues to live our values 
and help the Group deliver on its strategic objectives. The Group 
encourages colleagues to ‘do the right thing’ to ensure that, as a 
business, we act with integrity in all our dealings and decisions 
with the aim of being clear, fair and transparent. The HL Way, 
launched last year, has been further developed this year to focus 
on helping colleagues understand how best to fulfil their personal 
responsibilities, making clear what we stand for, the principles 
to follow, why it’s important and what’s expected of us. You can 
find more information about the HL Way on page 27 of the 
Strategic Report. 

The Board approves and oversees the Group’s adherence to 
policies that promote high standards of conduct and receives 
regular updates on the Group’s culture through KPIs that form 
part of the Chief Executive Officer’s business performance update.

Key decisions and consideration of stakeholder interests
The table below summarises how the Board and the wider Group 
have had regard to the duties under Section 172 when considering 
specific matters. 

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Setting the new strategy

Return to the office

In February 2022, the management team delivered the Capital Markets Day 
announcing to key stakeholders the next phase of HL’s strategic development 
and digital transformation. The Board were closely involved in defining this 
next phase, including approving the strategic investment required to deliver. 
In developing the multi-year strategy outlined at the Capital Markets Day, 
the Board has paid particular regard to:

• Our clients through the identification of opportunities to further enhance our 
client proposition and transform our service to continue to meet their current 
and long-term needs and to promote good client outcomes;

• The views and interests of colleagues to ensure they are motivated and 

empowered to play their part in the transformation of HL and the successful 
delivery of the strategy, including introducing regular CEO updates 
on progress;

• Our shareholders and their appetite to invest for the long term to benefit from 
the significant opportunities that exist to grow the business, coupled with the 
need to fund that investment including by suspending the payment of any 
special dividends through FY22 and FY23; 

• The requirements of the FCA, our regulator, and the expectations of our 

shareholders and clients in relation to our ability to provide effective oversight 
of the delivery of the strategy, e.g. through appropriate governance and 
reporting structures and risk management and controls; and

• The likely long-term consequences for the Group of the decision to adopt the 
new strategy and make the investment needed to deliver when compared 
with alternative options. 

As COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased, the Board oversaw a ‘test and learn’ 
approach to the Group’s return to the office and adoption of hybrid working 
arrangements. In deciding this approach the Board paid particular regard to:

• The variety of views expressed by colleagues. A colleague-led ‘test and learn’ 
approach recognises the need to balance safety and continued support for 
colleagues, both in the office and working from home, with colleagues’ desire 
to increase engagement and collaboration by meeting in person; and

• Our clients, by ensuring any return to office or hybrid working plans minimise 

and mitigate disruption to clients.

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ESG Strategy

The Group has maintained its focus on delivering its ESG strategy this year 
and ensuring ESG considerations are embedded in all that we do. The Board 
oversaw the introduction of an ESG dashboard of key metrics, developments 
in the ownership of the ESG strategy to help drive results across the business; 
and proposals to expand the client proposition to enable clients to make 
investment decisions aligned to their ESG preferences. In these matters, 
the Board has paid particular regard to:

• Understanding the Group’s impact on the environment and the steps needed 

to meet its commitment to achieving net zero by at least 2050;

• The importance of ESG to our colleagues and potential benefits in terms 

of improving colleague retention and recruitment;

• The views of our major shareholders and other key stakeholders who 

continue to highlight the importance of clear communication on ESG matters, 
resulting in the Company publishing its first SASB disclosure in June 2022; 
and

• The growing importance of ESG factors to our clients and the wider 

community and the need to maintain a reputation for high standards of 
business conduct in this area, to be a responsible business and to seek 
to embed climate considerations into our investment management and 
stewardship activities.

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STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPECT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The directors are responsible for preparing the Report 
and Financial Statements 2022 and the financial statements 
in accordance with applicable law and regulation.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial 
statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors 
have prepared the group and the parent company financial 
statements in accordance with UK-adopted international 
accounting standards.

Under company law, directors must not approve the financial 
statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and 
fair view of the state of affairs of the group and parent company 
and of the profit or loss of the group for that period. In preparing 
the financial statements, the directors are required to:

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of 
the parent company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom 
governing the preparation and dissemination of financial 
statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Directors’ confirmations
The directors consider that the Report and Financial Statements 
2022 and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and 
understandable and provides the information necessary for 
shareholders to assess the group’s and parent company’s position 
and performance, business model and strategy.

Each of the directors, whose names and functions are listed 
in the Board of Directors profiles on pages 63 to 65, confirm that, 
to the best of their knowledge:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them 

• the group, and parent company financial statements, which have 

been prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international 
accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, 
liabilities and financial position of the group and parent company, 
and of the profit of the group; and

• the Strategic Report includes a fair review of the development 
and performance of the business and the position of the group 
and parent company, together with a description of the principal 
risks and uncertainties that it faces.

consistently;

• state whether applicable UK-adopted international accounting 

standards have been followed, subject to any material 
departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable 

and prudent; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis 

unless it is inappropriate to presume that the group and parent 
company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the 
group and parent company and hence for taking reasonable steps 
for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The directors are also responsible for keeping adequate 
accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the 
group’s and parent company’s transactions and disclose with 
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the group 
and parent company and enable them to ensure that the financial 
statements and the Directors’ Remuneration Report comply with 
the Companies Act 2006.

In the case of each director in office at the date the directors’ 
report is approved:

• so far as the director is aware, there is no relevant audit 

information of which the group’s and parent company’s auditors 
are unaware; and

• they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken 

as a director in order to make themselves aware of any relevant 
audit information and to establish that the group’s and parent 
company’s auditors are aware of that information.

By order of the Board

Amy Stirling
Chief Financial Officer

4 August 2022

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FINANCIAL 
STATEMENTS

Independent auditors’ report
Section 1: Results for the year
Section 2: Assets and liabilities
Section 3: Equity
Section 4: Consolidated statement of cash flows
Section 5: Other notes
Section 6: Company financial statements

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Report and Financial Statements 2022

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INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT 
TO THE MEMBERS OF HARGREAVES LANSDOWN PLC

Report on the audit of the financial statements 
Opinion
In our opinion, Hargreaves Lansdown plc’s group financial statements and parent company financial 
statements (the “financial statements”):

• give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the parent company’s affairs as at 

30 June 2022 and of the group’s profit and the group’s and parent company’s cash flows for the 
year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international accounting standards; 

and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

We have audited the financial statements, included within the Report and Financial Statements 2022 
(the “Annual Report”), which comprise: the consolidated statement of financial position and the parent 
company statement of financial position as at 30 June 2022; the consolidated income statement, the 
consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the consolidated statement of changes in equity, 
the consolidated statement of cash flows, the parent company statement of changes in equity and 
the parent company statement of cash flows for the year then ended; and the notes to the financial 
statements, which include a description of the significant accounting policies.

Our opinion is consistent with our reporting to the Audit Committee.

Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) 
and applicable law. Our responsibilities under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ 
responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe that the 
audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Independence
We remained independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are 
relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard, 
as applicable to listed public interest entities, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities 
in accordance with these requirements.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, we declare that non-audit services prohibited by the FRC’s 
Ethical Standard were not provided.

Our audit approach
Overview

Audit scope

• The financial statements comprise the consolidation of 20 individual components, each of which 

represents a legal entity within the group or consolidation adjustments.

• We assessed each component and considered the contribution it made to the group’s performance 
in the year, whether it displayed any significant risk characteristics and/or whether it contributed 
a significant amount to any individual financial statement line item.

• The above assessment resulted in us identifying two financially significant components that 
required audit procedures for the purpose of the audit of the group financial Statements.

• The two financially significant subsidiaries are based in the UK and were audited by the PwC 

UK audit team.

• By performing audit procedures on these two components, the consolidation adjustments 

and by audit of specific balances in the components with large individual balances, we achieved 
coverage greater than 90% of each material financial statement line item within the group’s 
financial statements.

• We also performed a full scope audit of all material line items in the parent company’s 

financial statements.

• In planning our audit, we considered the extent to which climate change is impacting the group 

and how it impacted our risk assessment for the audit of the group’s financial statements.  
In making these considerations we:

  a) Enquired of management in respect of their own climate change risk assessment, including 

associated governance processes and understood how these have been implemented.

  b) Obtained the latest Task Force for Climate Related Financial Disclosures (“TCFD”) report for the 
group and checked it for consistency with our knowledge of the group based on our audit work.

  c) Considered management’s risk assessment and the TCFD report in light of our knowledge of 

the wider asset management and wealth management industries.

• Our conclusion was that the impact of climate change does not give rise to a key audit matter for 
the group and it did not impact our risk assessment for any material financial statement line item 
or disclosure.

Other than those disclosed in the Audit Committee report, we have provided no non-audit services 
to the parent company or its controlled undertakings in the period under audit.

Key audit matters

• Revenue recognition (group) 

Materiality

• Overall group materiality: £13,400,000 (2021: £18,300,000) based on 5% of consolidated profit 

before tax.

• Overall parent company materiality: £12,200,000 (2021: £9,800,000) based on 5% of profit before tax.

• Performance materiality: £10,050,000 (2021: £13,700,000) (group) and £9,150,000 (2021: £7,300,000) 

(parent company).

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The scope of our audit
As part of designing our audit, we determined materiality and assessed the risks of material 
misstatement in the financial statements.

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in the auditors’ professional judgement, were of most 
significance in the audit of the financial statements of the current period and include the most 
significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified by the 
auditors, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy; the allocation 

of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. These matters, and any 
comments we make on the results of our procedures thereon, were addressed in the context of our 
audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not 
provide a separate opinion on these matters.

This is not a complete list of all risks identified by our audit.

Impact of COVID-19, which was a key audit matter last year, is no longer included because of the 
reduced uncertainty of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Otherwise, the key audit matters below 
are consistent with last year.

Key audit matter

Revenue recognition (group)

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Revenue is material to the group and is an important determinant of the group’s results. Revenue 
may be misstated due to errors in system calculations and/or manual processes, for example, arising 
from incorrect securities’ prices or levels of assets held used in such calculations and/or processes. 
Further, there are incentive schemes in place for Directors and staff which are in part based on the 
group’s revenue performance. Where there are incentives based on financial performance, there is 
an inherent risk of fraud in revenue recognition in order to misstate revenue. This may arise through 
unauthorised changes to key data inputs or system calculations used in the revenue recording 
processes and/or posting journal entries to manipulate revenue. Our assessment in this regard in 
respect of each of the group’s revenue streams concluded that relevant areas of risk related to the 
three areas described below. 

The accuracy of, and potential manipulation of, key data inputs used in the automated calculation 
of platform fees (e.g. number of units held) or fees on stockbroking transactions (e.g. fee rates) 
in the administration system.

In order to address these areas, including risk of fraud in revenue recognition, we evaluated 
the design and implementation of key controls as well as performing the following procedures:

We tested relevant IT controls over the administration system, as well as the systems which capture 
and transmit customer transactions to the administration system.

We identified and tested relevant IT dependencies (e.g. the interface between the front end systems 
and the administration system) in the revenue reporting process.

In addition to this we tested management’s controls over the relevant data in the administration 
system (for example over the recording of customer holdings, and matching of transactions to third 
party records). We identified a number of exceptions from our testing of controls and therefore 
performed additional work to address these including consideration of mitigating controls, with no 
further issues arising. We tested samples of key data inputs held and used in the administration 
system to supporting documentation, with no exceptions being noted from this testing.

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Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

The potential manipulation of the calculation logic within the administration system to increase 
reported revenue from platform fees and stockbroking commission, or the potential manipulation 
of key data inputs used or manipulation of the manual spreadsheet calculations of interest on 
client money.

Posting journals to manipulate reported revenue amounts.

Given that revenue is material to the group and is an important determinant of the group’s results we 
also performed testing to address other aspects of revenue recognition, where we had concluded that 
the risk of misstatement was not heightened. These related to other revenue streams such as fund 
management fees calculated by the third-party fund administrator, as well as characteristics such as 
whether revenues had occurred, been completely recorded, and recorded in the correct period.

How we tailored the audit scope
We tailored the scope of our audit to ensure that we performed enough work to be able to give an 
opinion on the financial statements as a whole, taking into account the structure of the group and 
the parent company, the accounting processes and controls, and the industry in which they operate.

The group operates primarily in the UK, and has one Polish based subsidiary. There were 5 key 
operating subsidiaries during the year, all of which operate in the UK. We considered two subsidiaries 
to be financially significant reporting units, Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited and 
Hargreaves Lansdown Fund Managers Ltd., for which we performed an audit of their complete 
financial information. Together these two financially significant reporting units represent 106% 
of the group’s consolidated profit before tax (before considering the impact of intercompany 

We used our data analytics software to reperform the platform fees and fees on stockbroking 
transactions calculations, using source data extracted from the administration system. 
We independently performed the calculation of interest on client money using source data extracted 
from records held by the group. We then compared our independent recalculations to the amounts 
reported. With respect to the recalculations, we noted differences which in quantitative terms 
were immaterial. We investigated these differences and did not consider them to require further testing.

We tested a risk-based sample of revenue related journals as part of our overall response to the risk 
of management override of controls. No exceptions were noted from this testing.

We recalculated fund management fees using confirmations of daily net asset values provided by 
the third-party fund administrator and published annual management charge rates. We reviewed 
the third-party fund administrator’s annual controls report considering key controls over the net 
asset values we had used in our testing. We tested whether revenue had been completely recorded 
and recorded in the correct period, by selecting a sample of transactions around the period end to 
assess whether the effective date was correct within the administration system revenue calculations. 
We obtained evidence in respect of the occurrence of revenue recorded by the group from testing 
a sample of transactions to corroborating evidence such as client instructions and third party 
settlement records, and from our testing of selected bank reconciliations. No exceptions were 
noted from this testing.

eliminations) and 96% of the group’s consolidated revenue. A reporting unit was considered to be 
financially significant if it contributed more than 10% of consolidated profit before tax. Specific audit 
procedures were also performed over consolidation adjustments, balances that could be tested 
centrally which included intangible assets, staff costs, cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and 
material movements through the consolidated statement of changes in equity. All of the group audit 
work was performed by the group engagement team in the UK.

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Materiality
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. We set certain quantitative 
thresholds for materiality. These, together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the 
scope of our audit and the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures on the individual financial 
statement line items and disclosures and in evaluating the effect of misstatements, both individually 
and in aggregate on the financial statements as a whole.

Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements 
as a whole as follows:

Financial statements – group

Financial statements – parent company

£13,400,000 (2021: £18,300,000).

£12,200,000 (2021: £9,800,000).

Overall 
materiality

How we 
determined it

5% of consolidated profit 
before tax

5% of profit before tax

Rationale for 
benchmark 
applied

Based on the benchmarks used 
in the Annual Report, profit before 
tax is a key measure used by 
the shareholders in assessing 
the financial performance of 
the group, and is a generally 
accepted auditing benchmark. 
Our approach is consistent 
with that used in the prior year.

Based on the benchmarks used in the 
Annual Report, profit before tax is a 
key measure used by the shareholders 
in assessing the financial performance of the 
group, and is a generally accepted auditing 
benchmark. We have applied a consistent 
approach in calculating the parent company’s 
materiality. Our approach is consistent with 
that used in the prior year.

For each component in the scope of our group audit, we allocated a materiality that is less than 
our overall group materiality. The range of materiality allocated across components was between 
£3,600,000 and £12,060,000. Certain components were audited to a local statutory audit materiality 
that was also less than our overall group materiality.

We use performance materiality to reduce to an appropriately low level the probability that the 
aggregate of uncorrected and undetected misstatements exceeds overall materiality. Specifically, 
we use performance materiality in determining the scope of our audit and the nature and extent of 
our testing of account balances, classes of transactions and disclosures, for example in determining 
sample sizes. Our performance materiality was 75% (2021: 75%) of overall materiality, amounting 
to £10,050,000 (2021: £13,700,000) for the group financial statements and £9,150,000 
(2021: £7,300,000) for the parent company financial statements.

In determining the performance materiality, we considered a number of factors – the history of 
misstatements, risk assessment and aggregation risk and the effectiveness of controls – and concluded 
that an amount in the middle of our normal range was appropriate.

We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified during 
our audit above £670,000 (group audit) (2021: £945,000) and £610,000 (parent company audit) 
(2021: £533,000) as well as misstatements below those amounts that, in our view, warranted 
reporting for qualitative reasons.

Conclusions relating to going concern
Our evaluation of the directors’ assessment of the group’s and the parent company’s ability to continue 
to adopt the going concern basis of accounting included:

• Obtaining, evaluating and challenging management’s going concern assessment (specifically 
covering operational resilience, current and projected capital and liquidity positions, and the 
appropriateness of downside scenarios) using our knowledge of the group’s business performance 
and review of regulatory correspondence.

• Agreeing cash flow forecasts to the Board approved operating plan (which is used in management’s 
assessment) and performing lookback testing over budgeted versus actual results for the previous 
year to assess the historical accuracy of management’s forecasting.

• Considering information obtained during the course of the audit and publicly available market 

information to identify any evidence that would contradict management’s assessment of the impact 
of COVID-19.

• Enquiring and understanding the actions taken by management to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, 

including review of Risk and Audit Committee meeting minutes.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to 
events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group’s and the 
parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from 
when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors’ use of the going concern 
basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this conclusion is not 
a guarantee as to the group’s and the parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

In relation to the directors’ reporting on how they have applied the UK Corporate Governance Code, 
we have nothing material to add or draw attention to in relation to the directors’ statement in the 
financial statements about whether the directors considered it appropriate to adopt the going 
concern basis of accounting.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern 
are described in the relevant sections of this report.

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Reporting on other information
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial 
statements and our auditors’ report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information, 
which includes reporting based on the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) 
recommendations. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, 
accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated 
in this report, any form of assurance thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other 
information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with 
the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially 
misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required 
to perform procedures to conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements 
or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, 
we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report 
that fact. We have nothing to report based on these responsibilities.

With respect to the Strategic report and Directors’ report, we also considered whether the disclosures 
required by the UK Companies Act 2006 have been included.

Based on our work undertaken in the course of the audit, the Companies Act 2006 requires us also 
to report certain opinions and matters as described below.

Strategic report and Directors’ report
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit, the information given in the 
Strategic report and Directors’ report for the year ended 30 June 2022 is consistent with the financial 
statements and has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and parent company and their environment 
obtained in the course of the audit, we did not identify any material misstatements in the Strategic 
report and Directors’ report.

Directors’ Remuneration
In our opinion, the part of the Directors’ Remuneration report to be audited has been properly 
prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.

Corporate governance statement
The Listing Rules require us to review the directors’ statements in relation to going concern, 
longer-term viability and that part of the corporate governance statement relating to the parent 
company’s compliance with the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our 
review. Our additional responsibilities with respect to the corporate governance statement as other 
information are described in the Reporting on other information section of this report.

Based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have concluded that each of the following 
elements of the corporate governance statement, included within the Strategic Report and Directors’ 
Report is materially consistent with the financial statements and our knowledge obtained during the 
audit, and we have nothing material to add or draw attention to in relation to:

• The directors’ confirmation that they have carried out a robust assessment of the emerging 

and principal risks;

• The disclosures in the Annual Report that describe those principal risks, what procedures are in 

place to identify emerging risks and an explanation of how these are being managed or mitigated;

• The directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether they considered it appropriate 
to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing them, and their identification of any 
material uncertainties to the group’s and parent company’s ability to continue to do so over a period 
of at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements;

• The directors’ explanation as to their assessment of the group’s and parent company’s prospects, 

the period this assessment covers and why the period is appropriate; and

• The directors’ statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation that the parent 

company will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period 
of its assessment, including any related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary 
qualifications or assumptions.

Our review of the directors’ statement regarding the longer-term viability of the group was 
substantially less in scope than an audit and only consisted of making inquiries and considering the 
directors’ process supporting their statement; checking that the statement is in alignment with the 
relevant provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code; and considering whether the statement 
is consistent with the financial statements and our knowledge and understanding of the group and 
parent company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit.

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In addition, based on the work undertaken as part of our audit, we have concluded that each of the 
following elements of the corporate governance statement is materially consistent with the financial 
statements and our knowledge obtained during the audit:

• The directors’ statement that they consider the Annual Report, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced 

and understandable, and provides the information necessary for the members to assess the group’s 
and parent company’s position, performance, business model and strategy;

• The section of the Annual Report that describes the review of effectiveness of risk management 

and internal control systems; and

• The section of the Annual Report describing the work of the Audit Committee.

We have nothing to report in respect of our responsibility to report when the directors’ statement 
relating to the parent company’s compliance with the Code does not properly disclose a departure 
from a relevant provision of the Code specified under the Listing Rules for review by the auditors.

Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit
Responsibilities of the directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ responsibilities, the directors are responsible for 
the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being 
satisfied that they give a true and fair view. The directors are also responsible for such internal control 
as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from 
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the group’s and the 
parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to 
going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to 
liquidate the group or the parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but 
to do so.

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole 
are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report 
that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee 
that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement 
when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually 
or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users 
taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design 
procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in 
respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting 
irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Based on our understanding of the group and industry, we identified that the principal risks of 
non-compliance with laws and regulations related to breaches of UK regulatory principles, governed 
by the Financial Conduct Authority, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might 
have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that 
have a direct impact on the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006. We evaluated 
management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements 
(including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to 
posting inappropriate journal entries and the potential manipulation of key data or calculation logic 
within the administration system to increase reported revenue for the group. Audit procedures 
performed by the engagement team included:

• Discussions with the Risk and Compliance functions, Internal Audit and the company’s legal counsel, 

including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and 
regulation and fraud;

• The assessment of the susceptibility of the entity’s financial statements to being materially 

misstated, including how fraud might occur;

• Obtaining an understanding of, and assessing management’s controls designed to prevent and 

detect irregularities and the policies and procedures on fraud risks;

• Reading the Audit Committee papers in which whistle blowing matters are reported and 

consideration of the impact of these matters on the group’s compliance with laws and regulations;

• Reading key correspondence with the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to compliance with 

laws and regulations;

• Reviewing relevant meeting minutes including those of the Board, Risk and Audit Committees;

• Reviewing data regarding customer complaints and the company’s register of litigation and claims, 

in so far as they related to potential non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud;

• Identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal entries posted with unusual account 

combinations increasing reported revenues of the group

• Designing audit procedures to incorporate unpredictability around nature, timing or extent of our 

testing; and

• Reviewing the Report and Financial Statements 2022 disclosures and testing to supporting 

documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

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There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become 
aware of instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that are not closely related to 
events and transactions reflected in the financial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting a material 
misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud 
may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, 
or through collusion.

Our audit testing might include testing complete populations of certain transactions and balances, 
possibly using data auditing techniques. However, it typically involves selecting a limited number 
of items for testing, rather than testing complete populations. We will often seek to target particular 
items for testing based on their size or risk characteristics. In other cases, we will use audit sampling 
to enable us to draw a conclusion about the population from which the sample is selected.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located 
on the FRC’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of 
our auditors’ report.

Appointment
Following the recommendation of the Audit Committee, we were appointed by the members on 
25 October 2013 to audit the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2014 and subsequent 
financial periods. The period of total uninterrupted engagement is 9 years, covering the years ended 
30 June 2014 to 30 June 2022.

Other matter
In due course, as required by the Financial Conduct Authority Disclosure Guidance and Transparency 
Rule 4.1.14R, these financial statements will form part of the ESEF-prepared annual financial report 
filed on the National Storage Mechanism of the Financial Conduct Authority in accordance with the 
ESEF Regulatory Technical Standard (‘ESEF RTS’). This auditors’ report provides no assurance over 
whether the annual financial report will be prepared using the single electronic format specified in the 
ESEF RTS.

Use of this report
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the parent company’s members 
as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and for no other 
purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose 
or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where 
expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.

Darren Meek (Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP  
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors  
London

4 August 2022

Other required reporting 
Companies Act 2006 exception reporting
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:

• we have not obtained all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

• adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent company, or returns adequate 

for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• the parent company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration report 

to be audited are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns.

We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility.

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT 
For the year ended 30 June 2022

Revenue
Fair value gains on derivatives
Operating costs

Operating profit
Finance income
Finance costs
Profit before tax
Tax

Profit for the financial year

Attributable to:
Owners of the parent
Non-controlling interest

Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share (pence)
Diluted earnings per share (pence)

The results relate entirely to continuing operations.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
For the year ended 30 June 2022

Profit for the financial year

Total comprehensive income for the financial year

Attributable to:
Owners of the parent
Non-controlling interest

The results relate entirely to continuing operations.

Note

1.1

1.3

1.6
1.7

1.8

1.9
1.9

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

583.0
–
(313.0)

270.0
–
(0.8)
269.2
(53.4)

215.8

216.3
(0.5)

215.8

45.6
45.6

631.0
0.6
(266.0)

365.6
1.4
(1.0)
366.0
(69.7)

296.3

296.7
(0.4)

296.3

62.6
62.5

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

215.8

215.8

216.3
(0.5)

215.8

296.3

296.3

296.7
(0.4)

296.3

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
INCOME STATEMENT

1.1  Revenue 
Revenue represents fees receivable from financial services provided to clients, net interest income 
on client money and management fees charged to clients. It relates to services provided in the UK 
and is stated net of value added tax.

Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, and represents 
amounts receivable for services provided in the normal course of business, net of commission 
payable, discounts, VAT and other sales related taxes.

Ongoing Revenue
The largest source of revenue for the Group encompasses ongoing revenue, which includes 
platform fees, fund management fees, interest on client money and ongoing advisory fees and 
renewal commission. This is revenue predominantly earned over time.

Platform fees are received for the provision of custody and administration of products on the 
HL platform and are charged monthly in arrears for the service provided in the period, recognised 
on an accruals basis as they fall due. The consideration due is based on the value of clients’ 
underlying assets under administration.

Fund management fees are calculated as a proportion of the net asset value of the funds under 
management in each of the HL Multi-Manager and Select funds for the management services 
provided by the Group’s fund management subsidiary. They are charged monthly in arrears and 
are recognised on an accruals basis in the period during which the service is provided.

Interest earned on client money is the net interest margin earned on money held within Group 
products by clients and is recognised over time, based on the client money balances under 
administration and by reference to the effective interest rate applicable.

Renewal commission is earned on third-party agreements entered into by clients, as a result of 
advice provided to them and is recognised on an accruals basis as it becomes due and payable 
to the Group.

Ongoing advice charges are levied monthly in arrears for the period during which the service is 
provided and are calculated as a percentage of the assets under management within the Group’s 
Portfolio Management Service.

The Portfolio Management Service is provided to clients who prefer a managed service. 
This service encompasses the HL platform custody and administration, fund management 
and ongoing advice services. All revenue streams are as described above. Additionally, initial 
advice charges are levied on taking the product up or on any advised deposit into the product, 
as described in transactional revenue below. Each stream is separately charged in relation to the 
product. Each stream can also be taken by HL clients who do not use the Portfolio Management 
Service, either as separate services or in any combination as required.

Although most ongoing revenue is based on the value of underlying benefits, these are not 
considered to constitute variable income in which significant judgement or estimation is involved. 
The calculations are based on short timelines or point in time calculations that represent the end 
of a quantifiable period, in accordance with the contract. These are charged to and paid by the 
client on the same value, constituting the transaction price for the specified period. At any time 
during the period a client may choose to remove their assets from a service and no further 
revenue is received.

All obligations to the customer are satisfied at the end of the period in which the service 
is provided for ongoing revenue, with payment being due immediately.

Transactional
The other source is revenue earned on individual transactions and is primarily made up of 
stockbroking commission and advisory event driven fees, referred to as initial advice charges 
in the table on the next page. The price is determined in relation to the specific transaction type 
and are frequently flat fees. There is no variable consideration in relation to transactional revenue.

The Group earns fees on stockbroking transactions entered into on behalf of clients. The fee 
earned is recorded in the accounts on the date of the transaction, being the date on which 
services are provided to clients and the Group becomes entitled to the income.

Initial advice charges are made to clients for providing advice to clients on specific financial 
matters or in relation to amounts deposited into the Portfolio Management Service. This can 
take the form of ad hoc advice on a specific pool of assets or initial advice about taking managed 
services. The transaction price is determined at the point advice is accepted based on the 
final value of assets that are being advised upon. Revenue is recognised at the point at which 
acceptance of the advice is made by the client and payment is taken on the implementation 
of advice. The average time between acceptance and implementation is 30 days, if advice is 
not accepted then no charge will be taken. If the client is advised to take a managed service, 
ongoing advice charges are levied separately.

132

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
INCOME STATEMENT CONTINUED

1.1  Revenue continued

Timing and judgements made in relation to revenue
As at year end, the Group has discharged all of its obligations in relation to contracts with 
customers, other than in relation to those services that are billed in advance or arrears. 
These amounts are not material and where an obligation still exists at year end and the payment 
exceeds the services rendered a contract liability is recognised, as deferred income in trade 
payables and spread across the period of the transaction evenly. At the end of the period the 
longest period of liability in relation to deferred income is three months.

None of the revenue streams contain financing components.

1.2  Segmental reporting 
Under IFRS 8, operating segments are required to be determined based upon the way the Group 
generates revenue and incurs expenses and the primary way in which the Chief Operating Decision 
Maker (CODM) is provided with financial information. In the case of the Group, the CODM is 
considered to be the Executive Committee.

It is the view of the Board and of the Executive Committee that there is only one segment, being the 
direct wealth management service administering investments in ISA, SIPP and Fund & Share accounts, 
and providing cash management services for individuals and corporates. Given that only one segment 
exists, no additional information is presented in relation to it, as it is disclosed throughout these 
financial statements.

There are no judgements made in relation to the timing or determination of transaction price 
of any revenue streams.

The Group does not rely on any individual customer and so no additional customer information 
is reported.

Ongoing revenue
Platform fees
Fund management fees
Ongoing advice charges
Interest earned on client money
Renewal commission

Transactional revenue
Fees on stockbroking transactions 
Initial advice charges
Other transactional income

Total Revenue

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

1.3  Operating costs

289.1
60.3
8.3
51.8
4.6

164.6
4.0
0.3

583.0

263.7
60.8
9.0
51.9
5.1

231.6
5.1
3.8

631.0

Operating costs
Operating costs represent those arising as a result of our operations and include depreciation 
and amortisation. All amounts are recognised on an accruals basis.

Leasing
Leases that are considered short-term or low value under IFRS 16 are charged to the Income 
Statement on a straight-line basis over the term of the relevant lease. Benefits received and 
receivable as an incentive to enter into a lease are also spread on a straight-line basis over 
the lease term.

Marketing and distribution costs
Marketing and distribution costs include advertising and marketing costs, as well as the cost 
of providing statements and information to clients.

Dealing and financial services costs
Dealing and financial services costs are those costs associated with the cost of doing business 
in relation to stockbroking and volume related transactions.

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
INCOME STATEMENT CONTINUED

1.3  Operating costs continued
Operating profit has been arrived at after charging:

1.5  Staff costs

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

Staff costs represent amounts paid to employees, contractors and NEDs in respect of services 
provided in the year including wages and salaries, share-based payment expenses, bonuses, 
payments to a defined contribution retirement benefit scheme and related social security costs. 
Amounts are recognised as the services are provided.

Depreciation of owned plant and equipment and right-of-use assets 
(note 2.3)
Amortisation of other intangible assets (note 2.2)
Impairment of intangible assets (note 2.2)
Marketing costs
Operating lease rentals payable – property
Office running costs – excluding operating lease rents payable
FSCS costs
Dealing and financial services costs
Data and technology costs
Legal and professional costs2
Other operating costs1
Staff (including contractors) costs (note 1.5)

Operating costs

8.9
6.2
1.0
25.8
–
4.9
12.1
24.6
29.7
33.1
11.2
155.5

313.0

9.0
6.1
1.1
28.3
0.1
4.9
13.9
35.6
22.8
16.7
7.7
119.8

266.0

1  Included in other operating costs are fair value movements on investments as disclosed in note 2.4. Also included are compensation 

and compliance costs, other finance costs and insurance costs.

2  Legal and professional fees has been separated from the Other operating costs line in the current year and as a result the comparative 

has been moved in the prior year.

1.4  Auditors’ remuneration
The analysis of auditors’ remuneration is as follows:

Audit fees
Fees payable to the Company’s auditors for the statutory audit  
of the Company’s annual financial statements
Fees payable to the Company’s auditors and its associates  
for the audits of the Company’s subsidiaries
Audit related assurance services

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

0.2

0.4
0.5

1.1

0.1

0.4
0.4

0.9

Audit and related services provided by the auditors are discussed further in the Audit Committee 
report on page 76.

The average monthly number of employees of the Group  
(including Executive Directors and contractors) was:
Operating and support functions
Administrative functions

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Share-based payment expenses
Other pension costs

Total costs paid for staffing 

Capitalised in the year

Staff (including contractors) costs

Year ended
30 June 2022
No.

Year ended
30 June 2021
No.

1,533
576

2,109

£m

122.2
14.2
8.4
13.2

158.0

(2.5)

155.5

1,360
479

1,839

£m

97.5
10.8
4.5
11.6

124.4

(4.6)

119.8

The staff (including contractors) costs of £155.5 million (2021: £119.8m) are net of costs capitalised 
under intangible assets. In total, £2.0 million of wages and salaries (2021: £3.9m), social security 
costs of £0.2 million (2021: £0.4m) and pension costs of £0.3 million; (2021: £0.3m) were capitalised. 
See note 2.2 for further detail of the amounts capitalised.

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
INCOME STATEMENT CONTINUED

1.6  Finance income

1.8  Tax

Interest on bank deposits
Other finance income

1.7  Finance costs

Commitment fees
Interest incurred on lease payables

Finance costs

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

–
–

–

1.1
0.3

1.4

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

0.3
0.5

0.8

0.3
0.7

1.0

The finance costs relate to the commitment fees paid in respect of a revolving credit facility available 
to the Group. The facility allows the Group to draw up to £75 million (2021: £75m) and is undrawn 
as at 30 June 2022. The facility incurs interest charges, consisting of a margin of 0.85% plus SONIA 
per annum when drawn. 

Interest incurred on lease payables is in relation to the right-of-use assets arising due to the leases 
of the Group accounted for under IFRS 16 and the incremental borrowing rate implied in the lease. 
The incremental borrowing rate for each lease is considered based on the relevant terms of the lease 
taking into account factors such as length of lease, the location and economic factors impacting the 
asset and the credit rating of the Group company entering into the lease. The rates range between 
2.5% and 4.4%, with a weighted average incremental borrowing rate of 2.8%.

Taxation
The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax. The tax 
currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as 
reported in the Income Statement because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable 
or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. 
The Group’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or 
substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period.

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable on differences between the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the corresponding tax bases used 
in the computation of taxable profit, and is accounted for using the balance sheet liability method. 
Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable temporary differences and deferred 
tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be available 
against which deductible temporary differences can be utilised. Such assets and liabilities are 
not recognised if the temporary difference arises from the initial recognition of goodwill or from 
the initial recognition (other than in a business combination) of other assets and liabilities in a 
transaction that affects neither the tax profit nor the accounting profit.

Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for taxable temporary differences arising on investments 
in subsidiaries and associates, except where the Group is able to control the reversal of the 
temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse in the 
foreseeable future.

Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the year when the liability 
is settled or the asset is realised. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the Income Statement, 
except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred 
tax is also dealt with in equity. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally 
enforceable right to set off current tax assets against current tax liabilities and when they relate 
to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the Group intends to settle its current 
tax assets and liabilities on a net basis.

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
INCOME STATEMENT CONTINUED

1.8  Tax continued

The charge for the year can be reconciled to the profit per the Income Statement as follows:

Current tax: on profits for the year
Current tax: adjustments in respect of prior years
Deferred tax (note 2.7)
Deferred tax: adjustments in respect of prior years (note 2.7)

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

52.3
(0.4)
1.0
0.5

53.4

70.4
(0.1)
(0.6)
–

69.7

Corporation tax is calculated at 19% of the estimated assessable profit for the year to 30 June 2022 
(2021: 19%).

In addition to the amount charged to the Consolidated Income Statement, certain tax amounts have 
been charged or (credited) directly to equity as follows:

Profit before tax

Tax at the standard UK corporation tax rate of 19.0% (2021: 19.0%)
Non-taxable income
Items not allowable for tax
Additional deduction for tax purposes
Adjustments in respect of prior years
Foreign tax suffered
Impact of the change in tax rate

Tax expense for the year

Effective tax rate

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

269.2

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

366.0

51.1
0.1
2.3
(0.2)
0.1
0.1
(0.1)

53.4

19.9%

69.5
–
0.5
–
(0.1)
–
(0.2)

69.7

19.0%

Deferred tax relating to share-based payments
Current tax relating to share-based payments

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

The additional deduction for tax purposes only arises from enhanced capital allowances available 
from the super deduction on qualifying plant and machinery purchased within the financial year ended 
30 June 2022.

(0.6)
0.1

(0.5)

(0.2)
1.1

0.9

Factors affecting future tax charge
Any increase or decrease to the share price of Hargreaves Lansdown plc will impact the amount 
of tax deduction available in future years on the value of shares acquired by staff under share 
incentive schemes.

Factors affecting tax charge for the year
It is expected that the ongoing effective tax rate will remain at a rate approximating to the standard 
UK corporation tax rate in the medium term, except for the impact of deferred tax arising from the 
timing of exercising of share options which is not under our control. Following the enactment of 
Finance Act 2021 the standard UK corporation tax rate will remain at 19% before increasing to 25% 
from 1 April 2023. Accordingly, the Group’s taxable profits for this accounting year are taxed at 19%. 
Deferred tax has been recognised at either 19% or 25% depending on the rate expected to be in force 
at the time of the reversal of the temporary difference. 

136

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
INCOME STATEMENT CONTINUED

1.9  Earnings per share (EPS)
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit attributable to equity holders of the 
Company by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in free issue during the year, including 
ordinary shares held in the Hargreaves Lansdown Employee Benefit Trust (HL EBT) and Hargreaves 
Lansdown SIP Trust (SIP) reserve which have vested unconditionally with employees.

Diluted earnings per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary shares 
outstanding to assume conversion of all potentially dilutive ordinary shares.

The weighted average number of anti-dilutive share options and awards excluded from the calculation 
of diluted earnings per share was 429,519 at 30 June 2022 (2021: nil).

1.10  Share-based payments

The Group issues equity settled share-based payments to certain employees. Equity settled 
share-based payments are measured at fair value (excluding the effect of non-market based 
vesting conditions) at the date of grant. Share options are expensed on a straight-line basis over 
the vesting period, based on management’s best estimate of awards vesting and adjusted for the 
impact of non-market-based vesting conditions. Annual revisions are made to the estimate of 
awards vesting, based on non-market-based vesting conditions. The impact of the revision is 
recognised in the Income Statement such that the cumulative expense reflects the revised 
estimate, with a corresponding adjustment to reserves.

Earnings
Earnings for the purposes of basic and diluted EPS – net profit 
attributable to equity holders of parent company

Number of shares
Weighted average number of ordinary shares
Weighted average number of shares held by HL EBT and SIP
Weighted average number of shares held by HL EBT and SIP 
that have vested unconditionally with employees

Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purposes 
of basic EPS
Weighted average number of dilutive share options held by HL EBT 
and SIP that have not vested unconditionally with employees
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the purposes 
of diluted EPS

Earnings per share

Basic EPS
Diluted EPS
Underlying basic EPS*
Underlying diluted EPS*

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

Fair value is measured by use of the Black-Scholes model. The expected life used in the model 
has been adjusted, based on management’s best estimate, for the effects of non-transferability, 
exercise restrictions and behavioural considerations.

216.3

296.7

Any gains or losses on the sale of the Company’s own shares held by the EBT are credited 
or debited directly to the EBT reserve.

474,318,625
(444,685)

474,318,625
(532,185)

74,702

4,335

473,948,642

473,790,775

579,869

754,901

474,528,511

474,545,676

Pence

45.6
45.6
50.4
50.4

Pence

62.6
62.5
62.6
62.5

Equity settled share option schemes
The Group seeks to facilitate equity ownership by employees, principally through schemes that 
encourage and assist the purchase of the Company’s shares.

The Group operates three share option and share award plans: the Employee Savings Related Share 
Option Scheme (SAYE), the Hargreaves Lansdown plc Share Incentive Plan (SIP) and the Hargreaves 
Lansdown Company Share Option Scheme (the Executive Option Scheme).

Awards granted under the SAYE scheme vest over three or five years. Awards granted under the 
Employee Share Incentive Plan vest over a three-year period. Awards granted under the Executive 
Option Scheme range between vesting at grant date and a maximum of 10 years. Options are 
exercisable at a price equal to the market value of the Company’s shares on the date of grant. 
There are currently no performance conditions attached to any options granted under any of the 
schemes, with the exception of the Sustained Performance Plan (SPP) – a part of the Executive 
Option Scheme, although options are forfeited (in most circumstances) if the employee leaves the 
Group before the options vest. 

*  Underlying basic EPS and underlying diluted EPS are calculated after deducting strategic costs as outlined in the Glossary of Alternative 

Performance Measures on page 168.

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SECTION 1: RESULTS FOR THE YEAR 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
INCOME STATEMENT CONTINUED

1.10  Share-based payments continued
Details of the share options and share awards outstanding during the year are as follows:

The share options outstanding at the end of each year have exercise prices and expected remaining 
lives as follows:

SAYE
Outstanding at beginning of the year
Granted during the year
Exercised during the year
Lapsed during the year
Forfeited during the year

Outstanding at the end of the year

Exercisable at the end of the year

Executive Option Scheme
Outstanding at beginning of the year
Granted during the year
Exercised during the year
Lapsed during the year
Forfeited during the year

Outstanding at the end of the year

Exercisable at the end of the year

SIP
Outstanding at beginning of the year
Exercised during the year

Outstanding at the end of the year

Exercisable at the end of the year

Year ended 30 June 2022

Year ended 30 June 2021

Share options
No.

Weighted average 
exercise price
Pence

Share options
No.

Weighted average 
exercise price
Pence

792,726
716,660
(18,034)
(9,453)
(503,576)

978,323

–

1,340,013
517,721
(359,939)
–
(13,705)

1,484,090

563,287

34,885
(1,410)

33,475

33,475

1,223.9
808.0
1,340.5
1,262.7
1,218.5

919.5

–

572.6
–
653.7
–
–

358.5

944.6

23.5
23.5

23.5

23.5

826,006
217,196
(133,947)
(1,362)
(115,167)

792,726

9,555

1,525,442
263,284
(430,901)
–
(17,812)

1,340,013

638,671

34,885
–

34,885

34,885

1,238.6
1,232.0
1,290.9
1,057.0
1,268.3

1,223.9

1,377.0

674.9
–
608.4
–
–

572.6

1,093.6

23.5
23.5

23.5

23.5

The weighted average market share price at the date of exercise for options exercised during the year 
was 1,373.5 pence (2021: 1,653.7 pence).

Weighted average expected  
remaining life
0-1 years
1-2 years
2-3 years
3-4 years
4-5 years

Year ended 30 June 2022

Year ended 30 June 2021

Share options
No.

Weighted 
average options
exercise price
Pence

Share options
No.

Weighted 
average options
exercise price
Pence

1,050,667
413,388
857,299
86,784
87,749

2,495,887

719.7
240.9
671.7
0.0
0.0

573.6

989,867
582,258
429,274
79,440
86,784

2,167,623

986.2
853.0
616.7
0.0
0.0

801.6

The fair value at the date of grant of options awarded during the year ended 30 June 2022 and the 
year ended 30 June 2021 has been estimated by the Black-Scholes methodology and the principal 
assumptions required by the methodology were as follows:

Weighted average share price
Expected dividend yields

SAYE
Weighted average exercise price
Expected volatility
Risk free rate
Expected life
Fair value

Executive scheme
Weighted average exercise price
Expected volatility
Risk free rate
Expected life
Fair value

At 30 June 2022

At 30 June 2021

1,260.37
2.41%

8.08p
41%
1.58%
3 years
253.0p

0.00p
34%
0.37%
2.6 years
1,473.1p

1,597.37
1.61%

1,232p
39%
0.15%
3 years
441.0p

0.00p
35%
(0.09)%
4.4 years
1,607.6p

The expected volatility
The expected Hargreaves Lansdown plc share price volatility was determined by calculating 
the historical volatility of the Group’s share price since flotation in May 2007. Prior to 15 May 2007, 
the Company’s shares were not listed on a stock exchange and therefore no readily available market 
price existed for the shares. Since 15 May 2007, a quoted market price has been available for the 
Company’s shares.

The Group recognised total expenses related to equity settled share-based payment transactions 
as shown in note 1.5.

138

Strategic reportGovernanceOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Financial statements 
SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
As at 30 June 2022

ASSETS
Non-current assets
Goodwill
Other intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Deferred tax assets

Current assets
Investments
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Current tax assets

Total assets

LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables

Net current assets

Non-current liabilities
Provisions
Non-current lease liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

EQUITY
Share capital
Shares held by EBT reserve
EBT reserve
Retained earnings

Total equity, attributable to the owners  
of the parent

Non-controlling interest

Total equity

The consolidated financial statements on pages 131 to 158 were approved by the Board and authorised for issue on 4 August 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

Amy Stirling
Chief Financial Officer

Note

At 30 June 2022
£m

At 30 June 2021
£m

2.1
2.2
2.3
2.7

2.4
2.5
2.6

2.8

2.9
2.10

3.1

3.1

1.3
37.3
22.5
1.9

63.0

0.8
523.5
488.3
0.6

1,013.2

1,076.2

488.3

488.3

524.9

2.6
11.8

502.7

573.5

1.9
(3.6)
(2.4)
579.2

575.1

(1.6)

573.5

1.3
33.6
28.6
3.7

67.2

0.9
869.2
445.3
1.5

1,316.9

1,384.1

774.0

774.0

542.9

2.7
15.0

791.7

592.4

1.9
(4.8)
(3.1)
599.5

593.5

(1.1)

592.4

139

Strategic reportGovernanceOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Financial statements 
SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION CONTINUED

2.1  Goodwill 

2.2  Other intangible assets 

Goodwill arising on consolidation represents the excess of the cost of acquisition over the Group’s 
interest in the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of a subsidiary at the date of 
acquisition. Goodwill is initially recognised as an asset at cost and is subsequently measured at 
cost less any accumulated impairment losses. For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill 
acquired in a business combination is allocated to the cash generating unit expected to benefit 
from the synergies of the combination.

Cash generating units to which goodwill has been allocated are reviewed for impairment 
at least annually as a matter of course, and whenever an event or change in circumstances 
occurs which indicates potential impairment. The carrying value of goodwill is compared to the 
recoverable amount, which is the higher of value in use and the fair value less costs of disposal. 
Any impairment is recognised immediately in profit or loss and is not subsequently reversed.

On disposal of a subsidiary, the attributable amount of goodwill is included in the determination 
of the profit or loss on disposal.

Cost – at beginning and end of year

Accumulated impairment losses
At beginning and end of year

Carrying amount – at end of year

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

1.5

0.2

1.3

1.5

0.2

1.3

The net carrying value of goodwill relates entirely to the acquisition of Hargreaves Lansdown 
Pensions Direct Limited (HLPD) now named Hargreaves Lansdown Advisory Services Limited (HLAS).

The Group has prepared financial forecasts for the business for the period to June 2026 that show 
the Group as a whole is expected to remain profitable and cash generative. HLAS made a loss in 
the financial year, but has a net asset position as at 30 June 2022 and forecasts to June 2026 show 
a return to profitability. As a result there are no significant indicators that goodwill is impaired.

Other intangible assets comprise customer lists, computer software and the Group’s key 
operating system, which are stated at cost less amortisation and any recognised impairment loss. 
Amortisation is provided, where material, on all intangible assets excluding goodwill at rates 
calculated to write off the cost or valuation, less estimated residual value, of each asset evenly 
using a straight-line method over its estimated useful life as follows:

Customer list – eight years
The customer list relates to acquired books of business and does not include internally generated 
client lists. The carrying value of the assets is reviewed for impairment at least every 12 months, or 
when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.

Computer software – over three to eight years
Computer software relates to purchases of licences and software, in line with the requirements 
of IAS 38. The carrying values of computer software are reviewed for impairment when events 
or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The gain 
or loss arising on the disposal or retirement of an asset is determined as the difference between 
the sales proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognised in the Consolidated 
Income Statement.

Internally developed software – eight years
IT development costs are capitalised only to the extent that they have led to the creation 
of enduring assets, which deliver benefits at least as great as the amount capitalised and 
in accordance with the recognition criteria of IAS 38 intangible assets.

When assessing projects for capitalisation we apply IAS 38’s recognition and measurement criteria 
for internally generated intangible assets to development expenditure that is both propositional 
in nature (as opposed to regulatory or administrative), and which is, or is expected to be, material 
over the life of the project.

Development work has been undertaken in house by IT staff and management to enhance the 
key operating system. The key operating system is fundamental to the operation of the platform, 
which holds client assets, enabling revenue to be earned.

In-house development work has also been undertaken in Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited 
to develop a digital cash savings product. Development commenced in the year to 30 June 2016. 
The Group launched the service in December 2019 to a limited number of clients and is committed 
to providing the financial resources required to see it through to expected profitability.

Costs relating to an asset that is not yet fully available for use by the business, are classified as 
internally developed software and are reviewed for impairment at least annually. No issues have 
been noted in the current year with assets in development other than those referred to within this 
note. In accordance with the provisions of IAS 38 the costs are capitalised as an intangible asset 
and subsequently amortised over the estimated useful life of the systems of eight years, starting 
from the date at which the assets are put into use.

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SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION CONTINUED

2.2  Other intangible assets continued

Impairment of intangible assets excluding goodwill
At the end of each reporting period, the Group reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and 
intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an 
impairment loss. If any indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order 
to determine the extent of the loss. Where the asset does not generate cash flows, independent 
from other assets, the Group estimates the recoverable amount of the cash generating unit to 
which the asset belongs. Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value, less costs to sell, and 
value in use.

If the recoverable amount of an asset is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying 
amount of the asset is reduced to its recoverable amount and an impairment loss is recognised as 
an expense immediately.

The amortisation charge above is included in operating costs in the Income Statement.

The impairment incurred in the year relates to the write-off of a portion of internally developed 
software, for which there is no longer an intended future use. It has been written off in part and net 
book value of £1.0m has been recorded in operating costs in the Income Statement. This impairment 
and write-off of a portion of the asset does not impact the remaining element of the asset and 
was performed due to a change in development method. The asset was not in use at the time 
of impairment.

The customer lists are a separately acquired intangible asset and do not include any internally 
generated element. The remaining amortisation period for these assets is six to eight years.

Computer software includes externally acquired licences and internally generated system 
improvements. Commitments in respect of intangible assets are shown in note 5.3.

2.3  Property, plant and equipment

Cost
At 1 July 2020
Asset reclassification
Additions
Disposals
Impairment

At 30 June 2021
Asset reclassification
Additions
Disposals
Impairment
At 30 June 2022

Accumulated amortisation
At 1 July 2020
Charge
Disposals
Impairment

At 30 June 2021
Asset reclassification
Charge
Disposals
Impairment
At 30 June 2022

Carrying amount 
At 30 June 2022
At 30 June 2021
At 30 June 2020

Customer
list
£m

Computer 
software
£m

Internally 
developed 
software
£m

4.6
–
–
–
–

4.6
–
–
–
–
4.6

0.8
0.4
–
–

1.2

0.6
–
–
1.8

2.8
3.4
3.8

18.1
(2.8)
1.2
(0.7)
–

15.8
1.5
1.5
–
–
18.8

13.9
1.6
(0.7)
–

14.8
1.4
1.1
–
–
17.3

1.5
1.0
4.2

26.4
2.8
11.6
(0.4)
(1.3)

39.1
(1.5)
9.4
–
(1.0)
46.0

6.4
4.1
(0.4)
(0.2)

9.9
(1.4)
4.5
–
–
13.0

33.0
29.2
20.0

Total
£m

49.1
–
12.8
(1.1)
(1.3)

59.5
–
10.9
–
(1.0)
69.4

21.1
6.1
(1.1)
(0.2)

25.9
–
6.2
–
–
32.1

37.3
33.6
28.0

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any 
recognised impairment loss. Cost includes the original purchase price of the asset and the costs 
attributable to bringing the asset to working condition for its intended use.

Property, plant and equipment now includes both owned and leased assets. Owned assets 
are measured initially at cost and subsequently at cost less accumulated depreciation. Leased, 
or right-of-use assets are measured initially at the present value of all future lease payments, 
less any prepaid or accrued rent or incentives and any expected dilapidation cost being the 
initial value.

Subsequently, leased assets are measured at initial value less accumulated depreciation.

Depreciation is charged based on the estimates of useful economic lives and expected residual 
values, which are reviewed annually, for all plant and equipment, except for leased assets which 
are depreciated on a straight-line basis over their economic lives. Management determines the 
useful lives and residual values for assets when they are acquired, based on experience with 
similar assets and taking into account other relevant factors, such as any expected changes in 
technology. The charge is calculated to write off the cost or valuation, less estimated residual 
value, of each asset evenly using a straight-line method over its estimated useful life as follows:

Computer hardware – over three to ten years.
Office equipment (includes fixtures and leasehold improvements) – over three to ten years. 
Right-of-use assets – over the term of the associated lease.

The carrying values of plant and equipment are reviewed for impairment when events or changes 
in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The gain or loss arising 
on the disposal or retirement of an asset is determined as the difference between the sales 
proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognised in the Income Statement.

141

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SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION CONTINUED

2.3  Property, plant and equipment continued
Property, plant and equipment

2.4  Investments 

Cost
At 1 July 2020
Additions
Disposals

At 30 June 2021
Additions
Disposals
At 30 June 2022

Accumulated depreciation
At 1 July 2020
Charge
Disposal

At 30 June 2021
Charge
Disposal
At 30 June 2022

Carrying amount
At 30 June 2022
At 30 June 2021
At 30 June 2020

Right-of-use
assets
£m

Computer 
hardware
£m

Office 
equipment
£m

20.2
1.3
(1.1)

20.4
–
–
20.4

2.9
3.0
(0.1)

5.8
3.1
–
8.9

11.5
14.6
17.3

39.9
3.6
(0.9)

42.6
1.9
(0.6)
43.9

28.0
4.7
(0.9)

31.8
4.8
(0.6)
36.0

7.9
10.8
11.9

11.6
0.5
–

12.1
0.9
–
13.0

7.6
1.3
–

8.9
1.0
–
9.9

3.1
3.2
4.0

Total
£m

71.7
5.4
(2.0)

75.1
2.8
(0.6)
77.3

38.5
9.0
(1.0)

46.5
8.9
(0.6)
54.8

22.5
28.6
33.2

Investments are recognised in the Group’s Statement of Financial Position, on trade date, when 
the Group becomes party to the contractual provisions of an instrument and are initially measured 
at fair value.

Investments by default are designated as being held at fair value through profit or loss and 
are subsequently measured at fair value. Fair value being the quoted market price of the listed 
investment, with any gain or loss reported within the Income Statement. An investment is 
classified in this category if it is held principally for the purpose of selling in the short-term 
mandatorily, in accordance with IFRS 9.

The Group derecognises financial assets only when the contractual rights to the cash flows, 
or substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership from the asset are transferred or expire. 
On derecognition of a financial asset in its entirety, the difference between the asset’s carrying 
amount and the sum of the consideration received and receivable is recognised in profit or loss.

At beginning of year
Purchases
Disposals

At end of year

Comprising:
Current asset investment – UK-listed securities valued at quoted market price

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

0.9
0.7
(0.8)

0.8

0.8

0.6
2.1
(1.8)

0.9

0.9

Leases recognised in property, plant and equipment

Right-of-use assets
Buildings

At
30 June 2022
£m

At
30 June 2021
£m

£0.8 million (2021: £0.9m) of investments are classified as held at fair value through profit and loss, 
being deal related short-term investments. Fair value movements on investments are included in other 
operating costs, as disclosed in note 1.3. 

11.5

14.6

Leases expense recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement

Depreciation charge on right-of-use assets
Buildings

Lease expense recognised in finance costs

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

3.1

0.5

3.0

0.7

Note

1.3

1.7

Investment balances are short-term positions the Group takes as a result of deals placed either 
in error or due to having to take positions where clients are no longer able to hold an investment. 
The gross gains and losses in relation to fair value include movements where no investment position 
is taken and are as shown below:

Fair value movements on investments

Gross gains
Gross losses

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

0.4
(1.3)

(0.9)

1.5
(8.1)

(6.6)

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In accordance with market practice and accounting standards on trade date accounting, certain 
balances with clients, Stock Exchange member firms and other counterparties totalling £409.5 million 
(2021: £704.8m) are included in trade receivables. These balances are presented net where there is 
a legal right of offset and the ability and intention to settle net. The gross amount of trade receivables 
is £532.6 million (2021: £936.0m) and the gross amount offset in the Statement of Financial Position 
with trade payables is £130.1 million (2021: £231.1m). Other than counterparty balances, trade 
receivables primarily consist of fees and amounts owed by clients and renewal commission owed by 
fund management groups. There are no balances where there is a legal right of offset but not a right 
of offset in accordance with accounting standards, and no collateral has been posted for the balances 
that have been offset.

Given the short-term nature of the Group’s receivables and the expectation of the Group in relation to 
its counterparties, there has been no material expected credit loss recognised in the year – see note 
5.7 for further details.

The Group does not have any contract assets in respect of its revenue contracts with customers 
(2021: nil).

SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION CONTINUED

2.5  Trade and other receivables 

Financial assets are recognised in the Group’s Statement of Financial Position when the Group 
becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument and are initially measured at 
fair value.

Trade and other receivables
Trade and other receivables comprise fees due from clients and counterparty positions. They are 
subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method less any expected 
credit losses. The financial assets are held in order to collect the contractual cash flows and those 
cash flows are payments of interest and principal only. The Group recognises Expected Credit 
Losses (ECLs) relating to trade receivables in line with the simplified approach per IFRS 9 and 
calculated based on the historic information available from the preceding years alongside factors 
impacting the individual debtors, economic conditions and forecast expectations. Impairment 
losses are recognised immediately in the Income Statement.

Term deposits
Term deposits comprise cash deposits held by UK licensed banks for a period of greater than 
three months, over which there is no recall during the term of the deposit. The amounts are 
measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method in line with IFRS 9.

Accrued income
Accrued income relates to amounts earned by the Group, for which the Group has provided 
services, but balances are collected in arrears. The amount relates to fund management fees, 
interest on deposits and services direct to clients.

Financial assets: 
Trade receivables
Term deposits
Accrued income
Other receivables

Non-financial assets:
Prepayments

At
30 June 2022
£m

At
30 June 2021
£m

432.6
20.0
49.0
3.7

505.3

18.2

523.5

744.5
60.0
46.7
4.1

855.3

13.9

869.2

143

Strategic reportGovernanceOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Financial statements 
SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION CONTINUED

2.6  Cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and demand deposits that are readily 
convertible to a known amount of cash, subject to insignificant changes in value and are 
considered to be holdings of less than three months or those over which the Group has an 
immediate right of recall. The carrying amount of these assets is approximately equal to their 
fair value.

Term deposits held by the Group on unbreakable terms greater than three months are classified 
as financial assets and are shown in note 2.5.

At 30 June 2022, segregated deposit amounts held by the Group on behalf of clients in accordance 
with the client money rules of the Financial Conduct Authority amounted to £8,665 million (2021: 
£7,243m). In addition, there were pension trust and Active Savings cash accounts held on behalf of 
clients not governed by the client money rules of £6,533 million (2021: £5,621m). The client retains 
the beneficial interest in both these deposits and cash accounts, and accordingly, they are not 
included in the Statement of Financial Position of the Group.

Restricted cash balances relate to the balances held within the HL Employee Benefit Trust. These 
are strictly held for the purpose of purchasing shares to satisfy options under the Group’s share 
option schemes.

Cash and cash equivalents:
Group cash and cash equivalent balances
Restricted cash – balances held by HL EBT

At
30 June 2022
£m

At
30 June 2021
£m

488.0
0.3

488.3

443.5
1.8

445.3

2.7  Deferred tax assets 
Deferred tax assets arise because of temporary differences only. The following are the major deferred 
tax assets recognised and movements thereon during the current and prior reporting years. Deferred 
tax has been recognised at either 19% or 25% depending upon the rate expected to be in force at the 
time of the reversal of the temporary difference. A deferred tax asset in respect of future share option 
deductions has been recognised based on the Company’s share price as at 30 June 2022.

At 1 July 2020

Credit to income
Credit/(charge) to equity

At 30 June 2021
(Charge)/credit to income
Credit/(charge) to equity

At 30 June 2022

Deferred tax expected to be recovered 
or settled:
Within 1 year after reporting date
>1 year after reporting date

Fixed asset 
tax relief
£m

Share-based
 payments
£m

Other deductible
temporary
differences
£m

0.1

0.2
–

0.3
(0.8)
–

(0.5)

–
(0.5)

(0.5)

2.4

0.3
(0.2)

2.5
(0.7)
(0.3)

1.5

0.4
1.1

1.5

0.6

0.1
0.2

0.9
–
–

0.9

0.8
0.1

0.9

Total
£m

3.1

0.6
–

3.7
(1.5)
(0.3)

1.9

1.2
0.7

1.9

144

Strategic reportGovernanceOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Financial statements 
SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION CONTINUED

2.8 Trade and other payables 

Financial liabilities are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements 
entered into.

Trade payables are measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. In accordance 
with market practice, certain balances with clients, Stock Exchange member firms and other 
counterparties are included as creditors.

Current elements of lease liabilities are included within other payables, being initially calculated 
in line with IFRS 16. On inception a lease liability is measured as the present value of future lease 
payments, discounted at the incremental borrowing rate implied within the lease. The future lease 
payments of the Group are fixed, except for those that relate to leases in a currency other than 
GBP, which may vary due to exchange rate movements.

Other payables principally comprise amounts owed to staff as a bonus and rebates due to the 
regulated funds operated by the Group. Accruals and deferred income principally comprise amounts 
outstanding for trade purchases and receipts from clients, where cash is received in advance for 
certain services.

All balances classified as Deferred income in the prior year have been recognised in revenue in the 
current year.

2.9  Provisions 

Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present obligation as a result of a past event, 
and it is probable that the Group will be required to settle that obligation. Provisions are measured 
at the Directors’ best estimate of the expenditure required to settle the obligation at the end of 
the reporting period, and are discounted to present value where the effect is material.

Financial liabilities
Trade payables
Current lease liabilities
Other payables

Non-financial liabilities
Deferred income
Accruals
Social security and other taxes

At
30 June 2022
£m

At
30 June 2021
£m

406.7
4.6
31.0

442.3

0.3
38.5
7.2

488.3

712.5
4.8
28.9

746.2

0.4
21.1
6.3

774.0

In accordance with market practice, certain balances with clients, Stock Exchange member firms 
and other counterparties totalling £404.9 million (2021: £694.6m) are included in trade payables, 
similar to the treatment of trade receivables. As stated in note 2.5, where we have a legal right of 
offset and the ability and intention to settle net, trade payable balances have been presented net.

Included within non-current liabilities
At 1 July 2020
Charged during the year

At 30 June 2021
Released in the year
Charged during the year

At 30 June 2022

£m

0.8
1.9

2.7
(1.7)
1.6

2.6

The provision brought forward relates to property related costs representing the Group’s future 
committed lease payments on non-cancellable leases and other contractual obligations that arise 
on the surrendering of leases, in relation to the head office in Bristol. These property provisions are 
not expected to be fully utilised until 2026.

Also included in the current year was a provision in relation to historic transactions that was reduced 
by £1.7 million upon review of the obligations present.

Provisions recognised in the current year are not expected to be paid within 12 months of the date 
of the Statement of Financial Position and are costs in relation to historic transactions that are now 
considered more likely than not to be incurred.

145

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SECTION 2: ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION CONTINUED

2.10  Long-term liabilities 
Lease liabilities are included within current other payables and non-current lease liabilities, being 
initially calculated in line with IFRS 16. On inception a lease liability is measured as the present value 
of future lease payments, discounted at the incremental borrowing rate implied within the lease. 
The future lease payments of the Group are fixed, except for those that relate to leases in a currency 
other than GBP, which may vary due to exchange rate movements.

Interest expense is incurred in relation to these leases, based on the incremental borrowing rate 
implied in the contracts. This expense is recognised as a finance cost in the period to which payment 
relates, see note 1.7 for further details.

Lease liabilities greater than 12 months

At
30 June 2022
£m

At
30 June 2021
£m

11.8

15.0

Finance costs and financing cash flows associated with the lease are reconciled below to show 
the movement in the year.

Reconciliation of lease liability changes to cash flows

Opening balance – including discounted current cash flows
New lease in period
Cash paid as rent
Termination of lease
Lease expense recognised in finance costs
Current element of liability
Long-term liability

Note

4

1.7
2.8

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

19.8
–
(3.9)
–
0.5
(4.6)
11.8

22.2
1.3
(4.0)
(0.4)
0.7
(4.8)
15.0

146

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SECTION 3: EQUITY 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
For the year ended 30 June 2022

At 1 July 2020

Total comprehensive income1
Employee Benefit Trust
Shares sold in the year
Shares acquired in the year
HL EBT share sale
Reserve transfer on exercise of share options
Employee share option scheme
Share-based payments expense
Current tax effect of share-based payments (note 1.8)
Deferred tax effect of share-based payments (note 1.8)
Dividend paid (note 3.2)

At 30 June 2021
Total comprehensive income1
Employee Benefit Trust
Shares sold in the year
Shares acquired in the year
HL EBT share sale
Reserve transfer on exercise of share options
Employee share option scheme
Share-based payments expense
Current tax effect of share-based payments (note 1.8)
Deferred tax effect of share-based payments (note 1.8)
Dividend paid (note 3.2)

At 30 June 2022

Share capital
£m

1.9

–

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–

1.9
–

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–

Attributable to the owners of the Parent

Shares held by
EBT reserve
£m

EBT reserve
£m

(6.3)

–

9.3
(7.8)
–
–

–
–
–
–

(4.8)
–

5.4
(4.2)
–
–

–
–
–
–

(1.9)

–

–
–
(4.9)
3.7

–
–
–
–

(3.1)
–

–
–
(2.8)
3.5

–
–
–
–

1.9

(3.6)

(2.4)

Retained 
earnings
£m

564.6

296.7

–
–
–
(3.7)

4.5
1.1
(0.2)
(263.5)

599.5
216.3

–
–
–
(3.5)

8.4
0.1
(0.6)
(241.0)

579.2

Total
£m

558.3

296.7

9.3
(7.8)
(4.9)
–

4.5
1.1
(0.2)
(263.5)

593.5
216.3

5.4
(4.2)
(2.8)
–

8.4
0.1
(0.6)
(241.0)

575.1

Non-controlling
interest
£m

(0.7)

(0.4)

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–

(1.1)
(0.5)

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–

(1.6)

Total equity
£m

557.6

296.3

9.3
(7.8)
(4.9)
–

4.5
1.1
(0.2)
(263.5)

592.4
215.8

5.4
(4.2)
(2.8)
–

8.4
0.1
(0.6)
(241.0)

573.5

1  Total comprehensive income includes Profit for the year and the total comprehensive income presented is equal to Profit in both years presented.

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SECTION 3: EQUITY 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY CONTINUED

3.1  Share capital 

3.2  Dividends 

Authorised: 525,000,000 (2021: 525,000,000) ordinary shares of 0.4p each
Issued and fully paid: ordinary shares of 0.4p each

2.1
1.9

2.1
1.9

At
30 June 2022
£m

At
30 June 2021
£m

Dividend recognition
Dividend distributions to the Company’s shareholders are recognised in the accounting period 
in which the dividends are declared and paid, or, if earlier, in the accounting period when the 
dividend is approved by the Company’s shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.

Issued and fully paid: number of ordinary shares of 0.4p each

474,318,625

474,318,625

Shares

Shares

Amounts recognised as distributions to equity holders in the year:

The Company has one class of ordinary shares which carry no right to fixed income.

The shares held by the EBT reserve represents the cost of shares in Hargreaves Lansdown plc 
purchased in the market and held by the Hargreaves Lansdown EBT to satisfy options under the 
Group’s share option schemes.

2021 final dividend of 26.6p (2020 final dividend: 26.3p) per share
2021 special dividend of 12.0p (2020: 17.4p) per share
2022 interim dividend of 12.26p (2021: 11.9p) per share

Total dividends paid during the year

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

126.0
56.9
58.1

241.0

124.7
82.4
56.4

263.5

The EBT reserve represents the cumulative gain on disposal of investments held by the HL EBT. 
The reserve is not distributable by the Company as the assets and liabilities of the EBT are subject 
to management by the Trustees in accordance with the EBT trust deed.

Non-controlling interests in the net assets of consolidated subsidiaries are identified separately 
from the Group’s equity therein.

Non-controlling interests consist of the minority’s proportion of the net fair value of the assets and 
liabilities acquired at the date of the original business combination and the non-controlling interest’s 
change in equity since that date. The non-controlling interest represents a 7.5% shareholding in 
Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited, which is a subsidiary of the Company.

After the end of the reporting period, the Directors declared a final ordinary dividend of 27.44 pence 
per share, payable on 24 October 2022 to shareholders on the register on 23 September 2022. 
Dividends are required to be recognised in the financial statements when paid, and accordingly the 
declared dividend amounts are not recognised in these financial statements, but will be included in 
the 2023 financial statements as follows:

2022 final dividend of 27.44p (2021 final dividend: 26.6p) per share

Total dividends

£m

130.0

130.0

Under an arrangement dated 30 June 1997, the Hargreaves Lansdown Employee Benefit Trust, 
which held the following number of ordinary shares in Hargreaves Lansdown plc at the date shown, 
has agreed to waive all dividends.

Number of shares held by the Hargreaves Lansdown Employee Benefit Trust
Representing percentage of called-up share capital

At
30 June 2022
No. of shares

424,035
0.09%

At
30 June 2021
No. of shares

482,008
0.10%

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SECTION 4: CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
For the year ended 30 June 2022

Net cash from operating activities
Profit for the year after tax
Adjustments for:
Income tax expense
Depreciation of plant and equipment
Amortisation of intangible assets
Impairment of intangible assets
Share-based payment expense
Interest on lease liabilities
Gain on termination of lease
(Decrease)/increase in provisions

Operating cash flows before movements in working capital
Decrease/(increase) in receivables
(Decrease)/increase in payables

Cash generated from operations

Income tax paid

Net cash generated from operating activities

Investing activities
Decrease in term deposits
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
Purchase of intangible assets
Proceeds on disposal of subsidiary
Proceeds/(purchase) on disposal of investments

Net cash generated from investing activities

Financing activities
Purchase of own shares in EBT
Proceeds on sale of own shares in EBT
Payment of principal in relation to lease liabilities
Dividends paid to owners of the parent

Net cash used in financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year  
(including restricted cash)

Note

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

215.8

296.3

53.4
8.9
6.2
1.0
8.3
0.5
–
(0.1)

294.0
305.8
(285.7)

314.1

(51.2)

262.9

40.0
(2.8)
(10.9)
–
0.1

26.4

(4.2)
2.8
(3.9)
(241.0)

(246.3)

43.0
445.3

488.3

2.10

2.6

2.6

69.7
9.0
6.1
1.1
4.5
0.7
(0.3)
2.0

389.1
(66.0)
75.8

398.9

(70.3)

328.6

170.0
(5.4)
(12.8)
0.2
(0.3)

151.7

(7.7)
4.3
(4.0)
(263.5)

(270.9)

209.4
235.9

445.3

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SECTION 5: OTHER NOTES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER

5.1  General information
Hargreaves Lansdown plc (the Company and ultimate parent of the Group) is a company 
incorporated in England and Wales with company number 02122142 and domiciled in the United 
Kingdom under the Companies Act 2006 whose shares are publicly traded on the London Stock 
Exchange. The address of the registered office is One College Square South, Anchor Road, 
Bristol BS1 5HL, United Kingdom. The nature of the Group’s operations and its principal activities 
are set out in the Operating and Financial Review as part of the Strategic Report.

These financial statements are presented in millions of pounds sterling (£m) which is the currency 
of the primary economic environment in which the Group operates.

Basis of preparation
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with UK-adopted international accounting 
standards and with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 as applicable to companies reporting 
under those standards. The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis as discussed 
on page 117.

The financial statements are presented to allow users to understand the primary statements and 
the related balances that make them up. It is our aim to ensure that the information provided is 
pertinent and indicates balances of most importance, whilst ensuring conformity with IFRS. In order 
to do this, we have aligned the notes to the financial statements with the relevant primary statements; 
where there is an associated accounting policy, it is denoted by a box presented at the beginning 
of the note.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires the use of certain significant 
accounting estimates. It also requires management to exercise its judgement in the process of 
applying the Company’s accounting policies. The areas involving a higher degree of judgement or 
complexity, or areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the financial statements, 
if any, are disclosed in note 5.2.

Basis of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements incorporate the financial statements of the Company and 
subsidiary undertakings controlled by the Group made up to 30 June 2022. The Group controls 
a subsidiary when it has power over an investee, is exposed, or has rights, to variable returns from 
its involvement with the subsidiary and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over 
the investee. The Group reassesses whether it controls a subsidiary when facts and circumstances 
indicate that there are changes to one or more elements of control.

The results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the year are included in the Consolidated 
Income Statement from the effective date of acquisition or up to the effective date of disposal, 
as appropriate. Where necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries 
to bring the accounting policies used into line with those used by the Group. All intra-Group 
transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation.

Business combinations
The acquisition of subsidiaries is accounted for using the purchase method. The cost of the 
acquisition is measured at the aggregate of the fair values, at the date of exchange, of assets given, 
liabilities incurred or assumed, and equity instruments issued by the Group in exchange for control 
of the acquired entity. The acquired entity’s identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities 
that meet the conditions for recognition under IFRS 3 ‘Business Combinations’ are recognised at 
their fair value at the acquisition date.

The Group recognises any non-controlling interest in the acquired entity at the non-controlling 
interest’s proportionate share of the recognised amounts of acquired entity’s identifiable net assets.

Application of new standards
The following amended IFRS standards effective for periods beginning 1 January 2022 have 
been applied: 

• A number of narrow-scope amendments to IFRS 3, IAS 16, IAS 37 and some annual improvements 

on IFRS 1, IFRS 9,IAS 41 and IFRS 16

Changes in accounting policy
 None of the standards or amendments below had been endorsed by the UK as at 30 June 2022:

• Amendments to IAS 1, Practice Statement 2 and IAS 8;

• Amendments to IAS 1 ‘Presentation of Financial Statements’ – classification of liabilities as current 

and non-current; and

• Amendments to IAS 12 ‘Income Taxes’ – deferred tax related to assets and liabilities arising from 

a single transaction.

The Group is currently assessing the impact that the above noted standards and amendments will 
have on the Group’s results reported in the Financial Statements. The Directors do not expect that 
the adoption of the Standards or amendments listed above will have a material impact on the financial 
statements of the Group in future periods.

Accounting policies
The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, except for the revaluation 
of financial assets at fair value through profit and loss. The principal accounting policies adopted are 
set out at the start of each note to which they relate.

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SECTION 5: OTHER NOTES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER CONTINUED

5.2  Critical judgements and key sources 
of estimation uncertainty
The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make estimates and 
assumptions that affect the reported amount of revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities and the 
disclosure of contingent liabilities. If, in the future, such estimates and assumptions, which are based 
on management’s best judgement at the date of preparation of the financial statements deviate 
from actual circumstances, the original estimates and assumptions will be modified as appropriate 
in the period in which the circumstances change. There are no assumptions made about the future, 
or any other major sources of estimation uncertainty at the end of the reporting period, that have 
a significant risk of resulting in a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities 
within the next financial year. There are no critical judgments regarding the application of accounting 
policies or significant estimates in relation to the preparation of these financial statements.

5.3  Contingencies and commitments
Capital commitments
At the end of the reporting period, the Group had capital commitments of £5.0 million (2021: £0.1m) 
for software development and IT hardware.

Contingencies
The Group operates in a highly regulated environment and, in the ordinary course of business, 
provides information to various regulators and authorities as part of informal and formal requests 
and enquiries. In addition the Group receives complaints or claims in relation to its services from 
time to time brought by clients, investors or other third parties. These may be notified to the Group 
or directly to third parties, such as the Financial Ombudsman Service in the case of client and 
investor complaints investigated and not upheld by the Group. 

All such matters are periodically reassessed, with the assistance of external professional advisers 
where appropriate, to determine the likelihood of the Group incurring a liability. There are inherent 
uncertainties in the outcome of such matters and it is not practicable to reliably estimate the financial 
impact, if any, on the Group’s results or net assets at the period end.

5.4  Subsidiaries
A list of the investments in subsidiaries included in the consolidated results of Hargreaves Lansdown 
plc is shown in note 6.5 to the parent company financial statements. Also included in the Group 
Consolidated Financial Statements are ‘The Hargreaves Lansdown Employee Benefit Trust’ and 
‘The Hargreaves Lansdown plc SIP Trust’.

5.5  Events after the reporting period
On 4 August 2022 the Directors proposed a final ordinary dividend payment of 27.44 pence 
per ordinary share, payable on 24 October 2022 to all shareholders on the register at the close 
of business on 23 September 2022 as detailed in note 3.2.

5.6  Related party transactions
The Company has a related party relationship with its subsidiaries, its Directors and members of 
the Executive Committee (the ‘key management personnel’). Transactions between the Company 
and its key management personnel are disclosed below. Details of transactions between the 
Company and other related parties are also disclosed below.

Trading transactions
The Company entered into the following transactions with Directors within the Hargreaves Lansdown 
Group and related parties who are not members of the Group:

Throughout the year, the non-controlling interest in HL Savings Limited has been held by Stuart 
Louden, an employee of the Group. There has been no change in the holdings of Stuart Louden 
in the current year. During the year, an agreement was reached to purchase Stuart Louden’s interest 
within the next 12 months.

During the years ended 30 June 2022 and 30 June 2021 the Company has been party to a lease 
with P K Hargreaves, a significant shareholder during the year and former Director, for rental of the old 
head office premises at Kendal House. A five-year lease was signed in April 2021 for a rental of part of 
the building, to be used for disaster recovery purposes at a market rate rent of £0.1 million per annum. 
No amount was outstanding at either year end.

During the years ended 30 June 2022 and 30 June 2021, the Group has provided a range of 
investment services in the normal course of business to shareholders on normal third-party 
business terms.

Directors and staff are eligible for a slight discount on some of the services provided.

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SECTION 5: OTHER NOTES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER CONTINUED

5.6  Related party transactions continued
Remuneration of key management personnel
The remuneration of the key management personnel of the Group, being those personnel who were 
a member of the Executive Committee during the relevant year shown, is set out below in aggregate 
for each of the categories specified in IAS 24 Related Party Disclosures.

Short-term employee benefits
Post-employment benefits
Other long-term benefits
Termination benefits
Share-based payments

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

8.6
0.4
0.4
0.5
5.2

15.1

8.9
0.3
–
–
2.6

11.8

In addition to the amounts above, eight key management personnel (2021: six) received gains of 
£1.6 million (2021: £1.7m) as a result of exercising share options. During the year, awards were made 
under executive option schemes for nine key management personnel (2021: six).

Included within the previous table are the following amounts paid to Directors of the Company who 
served during the relevant year. Full details of Directors’ remuneration, including numbers of shares 
exercised, are shown in the Directors’ remuneration report.

Short-term employee benefits
Post-employment benefits
Other long-term benefits
Share-based payments

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

2.6
0.1
0.2
1.4

4.3

4.4
–
–
1.5

5.9

In addition to the amounts above, Directors of the Company received gains of £0.7 million relating 
to the exercise of share options (2021: £0.9m).

Emoluments of the highest paid Director

Year ended
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended
30 June 2021
£m

1.91

2.71

Number

Number

Number of Directors who exercised share options during the year
Number of Directors who were members of money purchase pension schemes

2
2

2
1

1  The highest paid Director was the Chief Executive Officer and full details of his emoluments can be found in the audited ‘Remuneration payable’ 

table in the Directors’ remuneration report

Any amounts outstanding with related parties are unsecured and will be settled in cash. 
No guarantees have been given or received in respect of amounts outstanding. No provisions 
have been made for doubtful debts in respect of the amounts owed by the related parties.

5.7  Financial instruments
Financial instruments include both assets and liabilities. Financial assets principally comprise trade 
and other receivables, cash and cash equivalents and current asset listed investments. Financial 
liabilities comprise trade and other payables.

Categories of financial assets and financial liabilities
The categories and carrying value of the financial assets and financial assets held in the Group’s 
Statement of Financial Position are summarised in the table. The impact of climate change does 
not have a material impact on the fair values of the assets.

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SECTION 5: OTHER NOTES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER CONTINUED

5.7  Financial instruments continued

At 30 June

Financial assets
Equity investments
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other receivables: 
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Accrued income
Term deposits

Total financial assets

Financial liabilities
Trade payables
Other payables and current lease liabilities 
Lease liabilities

Total financial liabilities

Financial assets and liabilities at fair value
through profit and loss

Financial assets  
at amortised cost

Financial liabilities measured
at amortised cost

2022
£m

0.8
–

–
–
–
–

0.8

–
–
–

–

2021
£m

0.9
–

–
–
–
–

0.9

–
–
–

–

2022
£m

–
488.3

432.6
3.7
49.0
20.0

993.6

–
–
–

–

2021
£m

–
445.3

744.5
4.1
46.7
60.0

1,300.6

–
–
–

–

2022
£m

2021
£m

–
–

–
–
–
–

–

441.4
35.6
11.8

488.8

–
–

–
–
–
–

–

712.5
33.7
15.0

761.2

Total

2022
£m

0.8
488.3

432.6
3.7
49.0
20.0

994.4

441.4
35.6
11.8

488.8

2021
£m

0.9
445.3

744.5
4.1
46.7
60.0

1,301.5

712.5
33.7
15.0

761.2

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SECTION 5: OTHER NOTES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER CONTINUED

5.7  Financial instruments continued
Fair value hierarchy
The table below sets out the classifications of each class of financial asset and liability and their 
fair values.

Nature and extent of risks arising from financial instruments
Financial risk management
The main risks arising from financial instruments are market risk (including interest rate risk, 
foreign exchange risk and price risk), liquidity risk and credit risk. Each of these risks is discussed 
in detail below.

At 30 June 2022
Financial assets at fair value through  
profit or loss

At 30 June 2021
Financial assets at fair value through  
profit or loss

Level 1
Quoted prices
for similar
instruments
£m

Level 2
Directly 
observable market
 inputs other than
 Level 1 inputs
£m

Level 3 
Inputs not based 
on observable 
market data
£m

0.8

0.8

0.9

0.9

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total
£m

0.8

0.8

0.9

0.9

There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 assets during the year (2021: £nil). The fair value 
of financial instruments traded in active markets is based on quoted market prices at the end of the 
reporting period.

Instruments included in Level 1 comprise primarily equity investments and fund units entered into 
on a counterparty basis. As such there is no recurring valuation of financial instruments between 
reporting periods.

The Group monitors financial risks on a consolidated basis. The Group’s financial risk management 
is based upon sound economic objectives and good corporate practice. No hedging transactions 
have taken place during the years presented. The Group has designed a framework to manage 
the risks of its business and to ensure that the Directors have in place risk management practices 
appropriate to a listed company. The management of risk within the Group is governed by the Board.

Market risk
• Interest rate risk
Interest rate risk is the risk that the Group will sustain losses from adverse movements in rates 
associated with interest bearing assets and liabilities. There is an exposure to interest rates on 
banking deposits held in the ordinary course of business. At 30 June 2022, the value of financial 
instruments on the Group Statement of Financial Position exposed to interest rate risk was 
£508.3 million (2021: £505.3m) comprising cash, cash equivalents and term deposits.

This exposure is continually monitored to ensure that the Group is maximising its interest earning 
potential within accepted liquidity and credit constraints. The Group has no external borrowings 
and as such is not exposed to interest rate or refinancing risk on borrowings. Cash at bank, including 
restricted cash, earns interest at floating rates based on daily bank deposit rates. Term deposits 
are also made for varying periods of between one day and 13 months, depending on the immediate 
cash requirements of the Group, and earn interest at the respective fixed term deposit rates.

Given that a source of revenue is based on the value of client cash under administration, the Group 
has an indirect exposure to interest rate risk on cash balances held for clients, the balance of which 
was £15,045 million at 30 June 2022 (2021: £12,864m). These amounts are not included in the Group 
Statement of Financial Position.

Impact of change in interest rates on interest on client money in the Consolidated Income Statement.

Interest on client money +50bps (0.5%)
Interest on client money -50bps (0.5%)

2022
£m

67.3
(37.6)

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SECTION 5: OTHER NOTES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER CONTINUED

5.7  Financial instruments continued
This assumes the interest income has been earned evenly over the period and that rates have 
remained constant over the period.

• Foreign exchange translation and transaction risk
Foreign currency risk is the risk that the Group will sustain losses through adverse movements in 
currency exchange rates. With substantially all of the Group’s businesses currently operating within 
the UK, and therefore with minimal net assets and transactions of the Group denominated in foreign 
currencies, the Group is not exposed to significant foreign exchange translation or transaction risk 
and as such does not hedge any foreign current assets or liabilities.

• Price risk
Price risk is the risk that a decline in the value of assets adversely impacts on the profitability of 
the Group as a result of an asset not meeting its expected value. The Group is exposed to price risk 
on investments, in corporate entities, held on the Group Statement of Financial Position. At 30 June 
2022, the fair value of investments recognised on the Group Statement of Financial Position was 
£0.8 million (2021: £0.9m). A 20% move in equity prices, in isolation, would have an impact of 
£0.2 million (2021: £0.1m).

As a main source of revenue is based on the value of client assets under administration, the Group 
has an indirect exposure to price risk on investments held on behalf of clients. These assets are 
not on the Group Statement of Financial Position. The risk of lower revenues is partially mitigated 
by asset class diversification. The Group does not hedge its revenue exposure to movements in the 
value of client assets arising from these risks, and so the interests of the Group are aligned to those 
of its clients.

In addition, the Group acts as a private client investment manager, unit trust manager and agency 
stockbroker on a matched basis so its exposure to market price movements in this capacity is limited 
to when there is a trade mismatch or error, or if one matched counterparty fails to fulfil its obligations. 
The impact of these risks is minimised by limits and monitoring controls.

Liquidity risk
The Group is exposed to liquidity risk, namely the risk that it may be unable to meet its payment obligations as they fall due. The Group is highly cash generative and holds significant liquid assets.  
The Group actively maintains a proportion of cash balances on short-term deposit, as well as ensuring the Group has access to short-term revolving credit facilities, to ensure that the Group has sufficient 
available funds for operations.

The table below analyses the maturities of the undiscounted cash flows relating to financial liabilities of the Group based on the remaining period to the contractual maturity date at the end of the 
reporting period.

Trade and other payables:
Trade payables
Other payables, including current lease liabilities
Non-current discounted lease liabilities

At 30 June 2022

At 30 June 2021

0-3 months
£m

3-12 months
£m

Over 1 year
£m

Total
£m

0-3 months
£m

3-12 months
£m

Over 1 year
£m

406.3
35.6
–

441.9

0.4
–
–

0.4

–
–
11.8

11.8

406.7
35.6
11.8

454.1

712.5
30.3
–

742.8

–
3.4
–

3.4

–
–
15.0

15.0

Total
£m

712.5
33.7
15.0

761.2

Balances due within twelve months, in the table above, equal their carrying balances as the impact of discounting is not significant. Included in the trade and other payables and the lease liabilities above are 
figures in respect of leases accounted for under IFRS 16. These include discounted cash flows in relation to leases over property as outlined in note 2.10. The undiscounted maturity profiles of these amounts 
is shown on the next page.

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NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER CONTINUED

5.7  Financial instruments continued
The undiscounted liability in relation to leases is shown below.

Within one year
In the second to fifth years inclusive
After five years

Total minimum lease payments

At 
30 June 2022
£m

At 
30 June 2021
£m

4.6
12.0
–

16.6

4.8
17.3
0.2

22.3

The Group has access to a revolving credit facility, with a UK bank. The facility allows the Group to 
draw up to £75 million (2021: £75m) and is undrawn as at 30 June 2022. The facility incurs interest 
charges, consisting of a margin of 0.85% plus SONIA per annum when drawn.

Credit risk
The Group’s credit risk is spread over a large number of counterparties and customers.

The Group is exposed to credit risk from counterparties to securities transactions during the period 
between the trade date and the ultimate settlement date if the counterparty fails either to deliver 
securities or to make payment. Settlement risk is substantially mitigated as a result of the delivery 
versus payment mechanism whereby if a counterparty fails to make payment the securities would 
not be delivered to the counterparty. Therefore the risk exposure is to an adverse movement 
in market prices between the time of trade and settlement, which is generally two to four days. 
Conversely, if a counterparty fails to deliver securities, no payment would be made.

The trade receivables presented in the Statement of Financial Position are net of expected 
credit losses.

Also included within trade and other receivables in the Statement of Financial Position are term 
deposits. These are deposits with UK licensed banks for a period of three months or greater, 
where the Group does not have immediate recall on the cash. The maximum amount of time that 
these deposits are outstanding at year end is 13 months.

Cash is held with UK licensed banks. The credit risk on liquid funds is minimised by only depositing 
with UK regulated banks and the Group takes a conservative approach to treasury management, 
carrying out regular reviews of all its banks’ and custodians’ credit ratings.

The following table discloses the Group’s maximum exposure to credit risk on financial assets.

Financial assets at amortised cost
Cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash) 
Trade and other receivables
Accrued income
Term deposits
Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss
Financial investments

At 
30 June 2022
£m

At 
30 June 2021
£m

488.3
436.3
49.0
20.0

0.8

994.4

445.3
748.6
–
60.0

0.9

1,254.8

The following table contains an analysis of financial assets that are past due at the end of the 
reporting period. An asset is past due when the counterparty has failed to make a payment when 
contractually due and is considered to be a key indicator of risk.

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OTHER CONTINUED

5.7  Financial instruments continued
The Group applies the simplified approach to providing for expected credit losses for receivables, 
allowing the use of lifetime expected loss provisions to be made. To determine expected credit losses, 
financial assets have been grouped based on shared credit risk characteristics, such as the 
counterparty and the number of days past due.

At 30 June 2022
Trade and other receivables:
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Accrued income
Term deposits

At 30 June 2021
Trade and other receivables:
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Accrued income
Term deposits

Within terms
£m

0-3 months
past due
£m

3-6 months
past due
£m

6-12 months
past due
£m

Over 12 months
past due
£m

423.8
3.7
49.0
20.0

496.5

736.5
4.1
46.7
60.0

847.3

3.5
–
–
–

3.5

3.4
–
–
–

3.4

2.0
–
–
–

2.0

1.7
–
–
–

1.7

1.5
–
–
–

1.5

1.5
–
–
–

1.5

1.8
–
–
–

1.8

1.4
–
–
–

1.4

During the year, the Group has not recognised any credit losses (2021: £nil) in respect of receivables 
that are not expected to be recovered. At the end of the reporting period, £0.1 million (2021: £0.1m) 
of credit losses have previously been recognised in respect of trade receivables. These balances 
have been provided for in full against the value of aged receivables and are presented net in the table 
above and in the Statement of Financial Position. As a result, the carrying amount of those receivables 
is £nil (2021: £nil) at year-end.

The expected credit loss in relation to receivables is considered to be immaterial, due to the 
short-term nature of the receivable balance and the small value of assets that are outstanding 
for long periods, without any potential recourse allowing the Group to reclaim the balance in full. 
The majority of balances are related to underlying investments that the Group can sell to reclaim 
losses and therefore, while they are susceptible to macroeconomic factors the potential impact is 
immaterial given their short term nature, as market balances are generally settled in two to four days.

The table on the following page shows the credit quality of financial assets that are current 
and not outstanding using the following counterparty grading:

• Financial institutions
In respect of trade receivables, £107.4 million (2021: £225.7m) is due from financial institutions 
regulated by the FCA in the course of settlement as a result of daily trading and £4.5 million 
(2021: £5.4m) relates to revenue items due from financial institutions regulated by the FCA.

• Individuals
In respect of trade receivables, the balance is related to amounts due from individual clients 
in the course of settlement as a result of daily trading. Daily trading balances generally settle 
in two to four days.

Total
£m

432.6
3.7
49.0
20.0

505.3

744.5
4.1
46.7
60.0

855.3

157

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SECTION 5: OTHER NOTES 
NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
OTHER CONTINUED

5.7  Financial instruments continued
The table below shows the credit category of financial assets that are within terms and considered 
the lowest level of risk.

At 30 June 2022
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Accrued income
Term deposits
Investments held at fair value through  
profit and loss

At 30 June 2021
Trade receivables
Other receivables
Accrued income
Term deposits
Investments held at fair value through  
profit and loss

Financial 
institutions
£m

Corporate 
clients
£m

Individuals
£m

119.4
3.7
26.8
20.0

0.8

170.7

181.6
4.1
27.4
60.0

0.9

274.0

0.2
–
–
–

–

0.2

0.1
–
–
–

–

0.1

304.2
–
22.2
–

–

326.4

554.8
–
19.3
–

–

574.1

Total
£m

423.8
3.7
49.0
20.0

0.8

497.3

736.5
4.1
46.7
60.0

0.9

848.2

Capital management
The Group’s objectives when managing capital are: i) to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue 
as a going concern so that it can continue to provide returns for shareholders and benefits for other 
stakeholders; ii) to maintain a strong capital base and utilise it efficiently to support the development 
of its business; and iii) to comply with the regulatory capital requirements set by the FCA. Capital 
adequacy and the use of regulatory capital are monitored by the Group’s management and Board.

Capital management – Unaudited
Regulatory capital is determined in accordance with the requirements prescribed in the UK by 
the FCA. This is a two-step process requiring an assessment of the minimum capital requirements 
followed by an assessment of individual entity and Group risks of harm to ensure that an additional 
amount of capital is held above the minimum amount to accommodate the impact of any residual 
risk of harm. 

Minimum capital requirements are calculated as the higher of certain baseline variables 
(depending on the specific requirements for the legal entity in question). In Hargreaves Lansdown 
Asset Management Limited (HLAM) this is calculated as the higher of the permanent minimum 
capital requirement, fixed overhead requirement and k-factor assessment (capital requirement 
based on the activities a firm undertakes), and in Hargreaves Lansdown plc it is the group capital 
test which is the book value that the parent company has invested in the underlying entities.

The second step requires investment firms to assess firm-specific and Group risk of harms, 
and costs of wind down, ensuring that they hold adequate capital over and above the amount set 
by the minimum capital requirements. The Group completes this assessment of regulatory capital 
requirements using its Group Internal Capital Adequacy and Risk Assessment process, which is 
a continuous and forward-looking exercise that includes stress testing on major risks, such as 
a significant market downturn, and identifying mitigating actions.

As required by the FCA, the Group carries out both assessments and maintains a significant 
surplus over the higher requirement at all times.

The Group manages its retained earnings and share capital which total £583.4 million (audited) 
as at 30 June 2022 (2021: £601.4m – audited). Surplus regulatory capital was maintained through 
the year at both a Group level, as well as at an individual regulated entity level. Consistent 
with FCA requirements, HLAM specifically is required to disclose regulatory capital information; 
this will be available on the Group’s website at www.hl.co.uk/investor-relations. 

158

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SECTION 6: COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
PARENT COMPANY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
As at 30 June 2022

ASSETS
Non-current assets
Investments in subsidiaries

Current assets
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables

Net current assets

Total liabilities
Net assets

EQUITY
Share capital
Retained earnings

Total equity

The Company recorded a profit for the financial year ended 30 June 2022 of £246.5 million (2021: £197.2m).

The financial statements of Hargreaves Lansdown plc, registered number 02122142, on pages 159 to 164, were approved by the Board and authorised for issue on 4 August 2022.

Amy Stirling
Chief Financial Officer

Note

At 30 June 2022
£m

At 30 June 2021
£m

6.5

6.6
6.7

6.8

6.10
6.10

68.9

68.9

132.0
231.9

363.9

432.8

192.0

192.0

171.9

192.0
240.8

1.9
238.9

240.8

54.5

54.5

215.6
155.9

371.5

426.0

199.0

199.0

172.5

199.0
227.0

1.9
225.1

227.0

159

Strategic reportGovernanceOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Financial statements 
SECTION 6: COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
PARENT COMPANY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
For the year ended 30 June 2022

At 1 July 2020
Profit and total comprehensive income
Increase in investment in subsidiaries
Dividend paid

At 30 June 2021
Profit and total comprehensive income
Increase in investment in subsidiaries
Dividend paid

At 30 June 2022

Details of the Company’s dividends are as set out in note 3.2 to the consolidated financial statements.

PARENT COMPANY STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
For the year ended 30 June 2022

Net cash from operations
Cash generated from operations

Net cash from operating activities

Investing activities
Decrease in term deposits
Purchase of investment in subsidiary

Net cash from investing activities

Financing activities
Dividends paid to owners of the parent

Net cash used in financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

Share 
capital
£m

1.9
–
–
–

1.9
–
–
–

1.9

Note

6.9

6.7

6.7

Retained 
earnings
£m

286.9
197.2
4.5
(263.5)

225.1
246.5
8.3
(241.0)

238.9

Total 
equity
£m

288.8
197.2
4.5
(263.5)

227.0
246.5
8.3
(241.0)

240.8

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

288.0

288.0

40.0
(11.0)

29.0

(241.0)

(241.0)

76.0
155.9

231.9

169.3

169.3

170.0
(6.0)

164.0

(263.5)

(263.5)

69.8
86.1

155.9

160

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SECTION 6: COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
NOTES TO THE COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

6.1  General information
Hargreaves Lansdown plc (the Company) is a company incorporated and domiciled in the United 
Kingdom under the Companies Act 2006 whose shares are publicly traded on the London Stock 
Exchange. The address of the registered office is One College Square South, Anchor Road, Bristol 
BS1 5HL, United Kingdom. The Company is the parent company of the Group, and the nature of 
the Group’s operations and its principal activities are set out in the Operating and Financial Review.

Investments in subsidiaries
The Company is making a significant investment in HL Savings to assist in the development of the 
Active Savings proposition. Given the long-term economic benefit that this is expected to bring, 
development costs incurred are being capitalised. The parent company has previously held this 
investment at cost, in the current year an assessment has been made of the recoverable amount, 
which requires estimation of future cash flows and appropriate discount rates for the purpose of its 
calculation. A sensitivity analysis of this estimate is presented in note 6.5.

The Company financial statements are presented in millions of pounds sterling which is the currency 
of the primary economic environment in which the Company operates.

Basis of preparation
The separate financial statements of Hargreaves Lansdown plc have been prepared in accordance 
with UK-adopted international accounting standards and with the requirements of the Companies Act 
2006 as applicable to companies reporting under those standards.

The Company financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis. The Directors believe 
that they have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue 
in operational existence for 12 months from the date the financial statements are adopted.

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis. Accounting policies 
have been applied consistently throughout the current and prior financial year.

6.2  Significant accounting policies
The accounting policies of the Company are the same as those of the Group which are set out in 
the relevant notes to the consolidated financial statements, except that it has no policy in respect 
of consolidation and investments in subsidiaries are carried at historical cost, less any provisions 
for impairment.

6.3  Critical judgements and key sources 
of estimation uncertainty
As noted in note 5.2 to the Group financial statements the preparation of the financial statements 
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of 
revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities. There are 
no critical judgements used in the preparation of the Company’s financial statements.

The estimates on the following page are made in respect of the Company financial statements only.

6.4  Profit for the year
As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, no Income Statement or Statement of 
Comprehensive Income is presented for the Company. The Company recorded a profit for the 
financial year ended 30 June 2022 of £246.5 million (2021: £197.2m).

The Auditors’ remuneration for audit and other services is disclosed in note 1.4 to the consolidated 
financial statements.

6.5  Investment in subsidiaries

Investments in subsidiaries are held at cost, being the fair value of consideration paid and capital 
contributions made to the subsidiaries.

Impairment assessments are performed at least on an annual basis for all subsidiaries to assess 
whether the valuation is still appropriate. A comparison is made between the recoverable amount 
and the carrying value. This requires the calculation of either the fair value, less costs to sell of 
each subsidiary or the value in use. Value in use is calculated as the present value of discounted 
cash flows over an appropriate period at a discount rate appropriate for each subsidiary. 
Any losses are recognised immediately in the Income Statement.

Investments in subsidiaries
At beginning of year
Increase in investment in subsidiaries
Impairment of subsidiary
At end of year

Comprising:
Non-current investments – investments in subsidiaries valued at cost 
less impairment

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

54.5
19.4
(5.0)
68.9

60.0
10.5
(16.0)
54.5

68.9

54.5

161

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SECTION 6: COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
NOTES TO THE COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS CONTINUED

6.5 Investment in subsidiaries continued
In the prior year, the Company impaired its holding in Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited 
by £16.0m. In the current year, the Company has invested a further £5.0 million in the subsidiary and 
immediately impaired this investment, recognising this amount immediately as an expense in the year. 
The amount was determined by calculation of the recoverable amount, using future cash flows at a 
discount rate of 10.1%. The carrying amount immediately prior to the impairment was £23.8 million 
(2021: £34.8m). The instigation for the impairment was increasing investment in Hargreaves Lansdown 
Saving Limited, by the Company, that out paced the return on investment in the short term.

Sensitivity analysis
The valuation was performed over a range of discount and growth rates, with value in use 
calculations ranging from £13.8m to £26.7m, using discount rates ranging between 9.0% and 11.2%.

A list of the investments in subsidiaries is shown below, along with their country of incorporation and 
principal activity. Unless otherwise disclosed below, all subsidiaries have one ordinary class of share 
only and all shares are held by Hargreaves Lansdown plc.

During the year, the Company invested £6.0m in Hargreaves Lansdown Advisory Services Limited 
to ensure that the subsidiary is able to meet its’ strategic capital commitments.

Subsidiary company name

Hargreaves Lansdown Advisory Services Limited

Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited

Hargreaves Lansdown Fund Managers Ltd.

Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers Ltd

Hargreaves Lansdown (Nominees) Limited  
(100% shares held by Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited)

Hargreaves Lansdown Insurance Brokers Limited

Hargreaves Lansdown Investment Management Limited  
(100% shares held by Hargreaves Lansdown Fund Managers Ltd)

Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited

Hargreaves Lansdown Savings (Nominees) Limited  
(100% shares held by Hargreaves Lansdown Savings Limited)

Hargreaves Lansdown Pensions Limited 
(100% shares held by Hargreaves Lansdown Advisory Services Limited)

Hargreaves Lansdown Pensions Trustees Limited

Hargreaves Lansdown EBT Trustees Limited

Hargreaves Lansdown Trustee Company Limited

Country of incorporation
and principal

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

UK1

Company purpose/function

Advisory services

Unit trust and equity broking, investment fund management,  
life and pensions consultancy

Unit trust management

Trading company*

Nominee services*

Dormant company*

Dormant company*

Cash services

Nominee services*

Dormant company*

Trustee of the HL SIPP*

Trustee of the Employee Benefit Trust†

Trustee of the Share Incentive Plan†

HL Tech Sp. Z O. O  
(100% shares held by Hargreaves Lansdown Asset Management Limited)

Poland2

Service company

*  Exempt from the requirements for audit under s394A and s448A of Companies Act 2006
†  Exempt from the requirement for audit under s479A of the Companies Act 2006
1  Registered address One College Square South Anchor Road Bristol BS1 5HL
2  Registered address Pl Europejski 1 Warsaw 00-844 Poland

Percentage
ownership

Voting rights

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

 92.5% – Ordinary

92.5%

 100% – Class A

92.5%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

162

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SECTION 6: COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
NOTES TO THE COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS CONTINUED

6.6  Trade and other receivables

6.9  Notes to the company statement of cash flows

Financial assets
Amounts receivable from subsidiaries and EBT
Term deposits

Non-financial assets:
Prepayments

6.7  Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents
Company cash and cash equivalent balances

At 
30 June 2022
£m

At 
30 June 2021
£m

111.7
20.0

131.7

0.3

132.0

155.2
60.0

215.2

0.4

215.6

At
30 June 2022
£m

At
30 June 2021
£m

231.9

155.9

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash and institutional cash funds with near instant access.

No disclosures for financial instruments have been made in respect of the Company as the only 
significant financial instruments held by the Company are cash and term deposit balances as 
shown above.

6.8  Trade and other payables

Profit for the year after tax
Adjustments for:
Income tax (credit)/charge
Impairment in investment in subsidiary
Operating cash flows before movements in working capital:

Decrease in trade and other receivables
Decrease in trade and other payables

Cash generated from operations

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

246.5

(0.1)
5.0
251.4

43.6
(7.0)

288.0

197.2

0.2
16.0
213.4

7.4
(51.5)

169.3

6.10  Share capital
Details of the Company’s share capital are as set out in note 3.1 to the consolidated financial statements.

The Company has a share premium account that represents the difference between the issue price 
and the nominal value of shares issued and was unchanged at £8,000 throughout the 2021 and 2022 
financial years.

The Company has a capital redemption reserve that relates to the repurchase and cancellation of the 
Company’s own shares and was unchanged at £12,000 throughout the 2021 and 2022 financial years.

Details of the movements in retained earnings are set out in the Parent Company Statement 
of Changes in Equity.

Financial liabilities
Amounts payable to subsidiaries
Other payables

Non-financial liabilities:
Accruals

At 
30 June 2022
£m

At 
30 June 2021
£m

191.5
0.1

191.6

0.4

192.0

198.6
0.4

199.0

–

199.0

Amounts payable to subsidiaries comprise short-term borrowing from subsidiaries, repayable on 
demand. The fair values of amounts owed to subsidiaries are equal to their carrying amounts.

163

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SECTION 6: COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
NOTES TO THE COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS CONTINUED

6.11  Related party transactions
The key management personnel of the Company are the Directors of Hargreaves Lansdown plc. 
The relevant disclosures are given in note 5.6 to the consolidated financial statements. These are the 
only staff costs incurred by the Company in the year. The Company has two employees (2021: two), 
being the Executive Directors. The cost of providing share scheme benefits to the employees of 
the subsidiaries is not charged directly to the subsidiaries. Instead, the Company provides a capital 
contribution to its subsidiaries in respect of these schemes.

The Company entered into the following transactions with subsidiaries and the Employee Benefit 
Trust, which are related parties.

Dividends received from subsidiaries
Capital contribution to subsidiaries
Amounts owed by related parties at 30 June
Amounts owed to related parties at 30 June

Year ended 
30 June 2022
£m

Year ended 
30 June 2021
£m

254.0
14.4
111.7
191.5

215.0
4.5
155.2
198.6

Any amounts outstanding with related parties are unsecured and will be settled in cash. 
No guarantees have been given or received in respect of amounts outstanding. No provisions 
have been made for doubtful debts in respect of the amounts owed by the related parties.

The capital contribution to subsidiaries is shown net of impairment.

6.12  Events after the reporting period
Events after the reporting period are shown in note 5.5 of the consolidated financial statements 
on page 151.

6.13  Financial risk management
Note 5.7 to the consolidated financial statements includes the Group’s policy on capital management, 
its exposure to financial risks and its policies and processes to manage those risks. There are financial 
instruments in the Company made up of amounts receivable from subsidiaries and the Employee 
Benefit Trust and amounts payable to subsidiaries. The nature and extent of risks arising from these 
financial instruments are as follows:

Liquidity risk
The Company is exposed to liquidity risk, namely the risk that it may be unable to meet its payment 
obligations as they fall due.

The payment obligations primarily relate to amounts payable to subsidiaries which are more than 
offset by the amounts owed from subsidiaries. In addition, the Company holds significant cash 
balances on short-term deposit to ensure that it has sufficient available funds to meet its obligations 
and fund its operations.

At the end of the reporting period, none of the liabilities of the Company are past due or represent 
a significant long-term liability.

Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk that a counterparty fails to perform its financial obligations, resulting in financial 
loss; however, the amounts owed to the Company are primarily from its own subsidiaries. Given the 
profitability and net assets of the majority of subsidiaries, credit risk is considered minimal. As per 
the wider Group, cash is held with UK licensed banks. The credit risk on liquid funds is minimised 
because the counterparties are banks with strong credit ratings assigned by international credit rating 
agencies. The Group takes a conservative approach to treasury management and selection of banking 
counterparties, and carries out regular reviews of all its banks’ and custodians’ credit ratings. 

The Company applies the simplified approach to providing for expected credit losses for receivables, 
allowing the use of lifetime expected loss provisions to be made. To determine expected credit 
losses, financial assets have been grouped based on shared credit risk characteristics, such as the 
counterparty and the number of days past due. The value of expected credit losses on the assets 
subject to credit risk is immaterial.

The following table discloses the Company’s maximum exposure to credit risk on financial assets.

Financial assets at amortised cost
Cash and cash equivalents
Included within trade and other receivables:
Term deposits
Amounts receivable from subsidiaries and EBT

At
30 June 2022
£m

At 
30 June 2021
£m

231.9

20.0
111.7

363.6

155.9

60.0
155.2

371.1

164

Strategic reportGovernanceOther informationHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Financial statements 
OTHER  
INFORMATION

Directors, company secretary, advisers  
and shareholder information
Five-year summary
Glossary of alternative financial  
performance measures
Glossary of terms

166
167

168
171

Hargreaves Lansdown
Report and Financial Statements 2022

165

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DIRECTORS, COMPANY SECRETARY, ADVISERS AND SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

Executive Directors
Chris Hill 
Amy Stirling

Non-Executive Directors 
Deanna Oppenheimer  
Andrea Blance 
Adrian Collins 
Penny James 
Moni Mannings 
Dan Olley  
Roger Perkin 
John Troiano

Company Secretary
Claire Chapman

Independent auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, London

Registered office
One College Square South Anchor Road  
Bristol BS1 5HL

Website
www.hl.co.uk

Company number
02122142

Solicitors
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, London

Principal bankers
Lloyds Bank Plc, Bristol

Brokers
Barclays 
Numis Securities Limited

Registrars
Equiniti Limited 

166

Strategic reportGovernanceFinancial statementsHargreaves LansdownReport and Financial Statements 2022Other information 
FIVE-YEAR SUMMARY

Revenue
Fair value gains on derivatives
Operating costs

Operating profit
Finance income
Finance costs
Other gains1

Profit before tax
Tax

Profit after tax
Non-controlling interests
Profit for the financial year attributable to owners of the parent company
Equity shareholders’ funds

Weighted average number of shares for the purposes of diluted EPS (million)

Equity dividends per share paid during year
Basic earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share
Underlying basic earnings per share
Underlying diluted earnings per share

1  Relates to a one-off gain on the disposal of Funds Library in the year ended 30 June 2020.

2022
£m

2021
£m

2020
£m

2019
£m

2018
£m

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

583.0
–
(313.0)

270.0
–
(0.8)
–

269.2
(53.4)

215.8
0.5
216.3
575.1

474.5

Pence

50.8
45.6
45.6
50.4
50.4

631.0
0.6
(266.0)

365.6
1.4
(1.0)
–

366.0
(69.7)

296.3
0.4
296.7
593.5

474.5

Pence

55.6
62.6
62.5
62.6
62.5

550.9
1.7
(214.9)

337.7
2.8
(1.0)
38.8

378.3
(65.1)

313.2
(0.1)
313.1
558.3

480.5
2.2
(179.4)

303.3
2.8
(0.3)
–

305.8
(58.2)

247.6
(0.2)
247.4
457.6

447.5
2.3
(158.7)

291.1
1.5
(0.2)
–

292.4
(55.7)

236.7
(0.4)
236.3
404.0

475.70

475.76

475.41

Pence

42.9
66.1
65.9
57.9
57.8

Pence

40.2
52.1
52.0
52.1
52.0

Pence

30.5
49.7
49.6
49.7
49.6

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GLOSSARY OF ALTERNATIVE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Measure

Activity costs

Calculation

Why we use this measure

Total cost related to stockbroking and financial services costs on a 
transactional basis related to the volume of activity undertaken by our 
clients. This measure is the same as the dealing and financial services 
costs within note 1.3.

Provides further detail into the increasing costs that are associated with 
increasing client numbers and increasing transactional revenues, to allow 
comparison from year to year.

Dividend pay-out ratio (%)

The total dividend per share divided by the basic earnings per share (EPS) 
for a financial year.

Provides a measure of the level of profits paid out to shareholders and the 
level retained in the business.

Dividend per share (pence per share)

Total dividend payable relating to a financial year divided by the total 
number of shares eligible to receive a dividend. Note ordinary shares held 
in the Hargreaves Lansdown Employee Benefit Trust have agreed to waive 
all dividends (see note 3.2).

Dividend per share is pertinent information to shareholders and investors 
and provides them with the ability to assess the dividend yield of 
Hargreaves Lansdown plc shares.

Dual tech running costs

Represents the costs incurred for parallel running of new and legacy 
technology systems.

During our digital technology strategy we will be using both legacy systems 
and new systems in tandem, which will incur increased costs. Once we 
complete the move away from the legacy systems, these costs will cease 
to be incurred and so this measure reflects the impact on the group during 
the strategy.

Ongoing revenue

Revenue that is earned depending on the value of assets held on the 
platform, including platform fees, management fees and interest earned 
on client money and represents revenue earned over a period of time.

We believe ongoing revenue provides greater profit resilience and hence 
is of higher quality than transactional revenue.

Percentage of ongoing revenue (%)

The total value of renewal commission (after deducting loyalty bonuses), 
platform fees, management fees and interest earned on client money 
divided by the total revenue.

Provides a measure of the quality of our earnings. We believe ongoing 
revenue provides greater profit resilience and hence is of higher quality 
than non-ongoing revenue.

Revenue margin (bps)

Revenue margin from cash (bps)

Revenue margin from funds (bps)

Total revenue divided by the average value of assets under administration 
which includes the Portfolio Management Services assets under 
management held in funds on which a platform fee is charged.

Provides the most comparable means of tracking, over time, the margin 
earned on the assets under administration and is used by management 
to assess business performance.

Revenue from cash (net interest earned on the value of client money held 
on the platform divided by the average value of assets under administration 
held as client money).

Provides a means of tracking, over time, the margin earned on cash held 
by our clients.

Revenue derived from funds held by clients (platform fees, initial 
commission less loyalty bonus) divided by the average value of 
assets under administration held as funds, which includes the Portfolio 
Management Services assets under management held in funds on 
which a platform fee is charged.

Provides the most comparable means of tracking, over time, the margin 
earned on funds held by our clients.

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CONTINUED

Measure

Calculation

Why we use this measure

Revenue margin from HL Funds (bps)

Management fees derived from HL Funds (but excluding the platform fee) 
divided by the average value of assets held in the HL Funds.

Provides a means of tracking, over time, the margin earned on HL Funds.

Revenue margin from shares (bps)

Strategic investments costs

Technology costs

Transactional revenue

Revenue from shares (stockbroking commissions, management fees where 
shares are held in a SIPP or ISA, less the cost of dealing errors) divided by 
the average value of assets under administration held as shares.

Provides a means of tracking, over time, the margin earned on shares held 
by our clients.

Costs, including staff and professional fees relating to the planning and 
commencement of the digital technology strategy, strategic growth 
initiatives and the cost of expanding associated compliance, infrastructure 
and support functions.

Costs relating to the planning and commencement of the digital technology 
strategy and core growth initiatives, which include staff costs, professional 
fees and technology costs, that are considered separately to reflect the 
impact on the results of the Group.

Costs associated with the use of third-party software and data feeds 
used in the performance of daily business. The measure is the same 
as technology costs within note 1.3.

Revenue that is not non-recurring in nature and dependent on a 
client instruction such as a deal to buy or sell shares or take advice. 
This represents revenue earned at a point in time.

Provides a means of understanding the impact that increasing or changing 
our proposition has on our costs.

Such revenue is not as high quality as ongoing revenue but helps to show 
the diversification of our revenue streams.

Underlying basic earnings per share

Underlying earnings divided by the weighted average number of ordinary 
shares for the purposes of basic EPS.

Underlying costs 

Operating costs less strategic investment costs and the incremental 
cost of running dual technology systems in parallel during our period 
of strategic transformation.

Underlying diluted earnings per share

Underlying earnings divided by the weighted average number of ordinary 
shares for the purposes of diluted EPS.

Underlying earnings

Profit after tax attributable to equity holders of the parent company 
adjusted for the existence other gains outside of the normal course 
of business, such as the disposal of subsidiaries. In the current year, 
this is the same as profit after tax attributable to the equity holders 
of the parent company.

The calculation of basic earnings per share using statutory profit 
after tax adjusted for those costs that are related specifically to our 
strategic investments.

Provides relevant information on the year-on-year cost of the underlying 
business as we go through a period of significant strategic investment.

The calculation of diluted earnings per share using statutory profit 
after tax adjusted for those costs that are related specifically to our 
strategic investments.

The calculation of earnings per share using unadjusted profit after tax 
includes gains from transactions that are not repeated annually or that 
may not indicate the true performance of the business.

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Measure

Calculation

Why we use this measure

Underlying profit after tax 

Profit after tax attributable to equity holders of the parent company 
excluding strategic investment costs and the incremental cost of 
running dual technology systems in parallel during our period of 
strategic transformation. 

Underlying profit before tax

Profit before tax excluding strategic investment costs and the cost 
of running dual technology systems in parallel during our period of 
strategic transformation.

Profit after tax includes costs that are part of strategic planning and 
development. This measure helps to provide clarity between the profit 
of the business from period to period when those costs are not 
considered. This is important as we go through a period of significant 
strategic investment.

Provides the best measure for comparison of profit before tax between 
financial years.

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

A
AGM Annual General Meeting

AIFMD Alternative Investment Fund 
Managers Directive

Asset retention rate Based on the monthly 
lost AUA as a percentage of the opening 
month’s AUA and averaging for the year

AUA Assets Under Administration. This is the 
value of all assets administered or managed by 
Hargreaves Lansdown on behalf of its clients

AUM Assets Under Management is the value 
of all assets managed by Hargreaves Lansdown 
Fund Managers

AWS Amazon Web Services

B
Basic EPS Basic earnings per share 

Board The Board of Directors 
of Hargreaves Lansdown plc

BRC Plc Board Risk Committee

C
CASS Client Assets Sourcebook

E
EBT Employee Benefit Trust

H
HL Hargreaves Lansdown

CDP Carbon Disclosure Project

ERC Executive Risk Committee

HMRC Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

CMD Capital Markets Day

ESG Environmental, social and governance

Client retention rate Based on the monthly 
lost clients as a percentage of the opening 
month’s total clients and averaging for the year. 
A lost client is deemed as one who falls below 
a holding of £100

CODM Chief Operating Decision Maker

Company Hargreaves Lansdown plc 

Corporate Schemes This related to 
HL Workplace Solutions which allows employers 
to offer the benefits of the Hargreaves Lansdown 
Vantage service to employees via the workplace

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

D
D2C Direct to Consumer

DEFRA Department for Environment  
Food & Rural Affairs

Diluted EPS Diluted earnings per share

DR Disaster Recovery

DTR The FCA’s Disclosure Guidance 
and Transparency Rules sourcebook

ExCo Executive Committee

F
FATCA Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

FCA Financial Conduct Authority, regulator  
of the UK financial services industry

FRC Financial Reporting Council

FSCS Financial Services Compensation Scheme

FTE Full-time equivalent employees

G
GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

I
IAS International Accounting Standards

IBS Important Business Services

ICAAP Internal Capital Adequacy 
Assessment Process

ICARA Internal Capital Adequacy 
and Risk Assessment

IFPR Investment Firm Prudential Regime

IFRS International Financial Reporting Standards

IPO Initial Public Offering

ISA Individual Savings Account

ISSB International Sustainability Standards Board

GAYE Give As You Earn

IT Information Technology

Group Hargreaves Lansdown plc and its 
controlled entities

GCRO The Group Chief Risk Officer

K
KPI Key Performance Indicator

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CONTINUED

L
LISA Lifetime ISA

Listing Rules Regulations subject to the 
oversight of the FCA applicable to companies 
listed on a UK stock exchange

Loyalty bonus A reward to customers for 
holding certain collective investments within 
the Vantage wrapper. This is paid on a regular 
basis as a percentage of qualifying assets

LTIP Long-term incentive plan

M
Material Risk Takers Persons identified as 
meeting the criteria of ‘material risk takers’ as set 
out in the European Banking Authority regulatory 
technical standard and consequently subject to 
the requirements of the Remuneration Code.

MGC Model Governance Committee

MLRO Money Laundering Reporting Officer

Multi-Manager funds A range of funds offered 
by Hargreaves Lansdown which are managed 
under the Fund of Funds format

N
Net new business (NNB) Represents 
subscriptions, cash receipts, cash and stock 
transfers in less cash withdrawals, cash and 
stock transfers out

Net new clients Represents the net of new 
clients less lost clients in the period

Nominated Director The non-independent, 
Non-Executive Director appointed to the Board 
by Peter Hargreaves pursuant to his shareholder 
agreement with the Company

Number of new clients Unique number of clients 
holding at least one account (PMS, ISA, SIPP or 
Fund and Share Account) with a value greater 
than £100 at the year end

NPS Net Promoter Score

Net revenue Total revenue less commission paid, 
which is primarily the loyalty bonus paid to clients

O
ONS Office for National Statistics

Organic growth Growth in assets under 
administration can be attributed to two 
main causes. The first is growth due to the 
appreciation in the value of existing assets 
and the second is organic growth through 
additional contributions

ORC Operational Risk Committee

P
Pillar 1 and 2 capital requirements The Basel 
Committee on Banking Supervision set out 
certain capital requirements which must be 
met by qualifying financial institutions

Pillar 3 A set of disclosure requirements 
which enable the market to assess information 
on a firm’s risks, capital and risk management 
procedures

Platforum The advisory and research business 
specialising in investment platforms which 
compiles the Direct Platform Guide

PMS Portfolio Management Service

R
RDR Retail Distribution Review

S
SASB Sustainability Accounting Standards Board

SAYE scheme Save As You Earn scheme

SDR Sustainability Disclosure Requirements

SID Senior Independent Director

SIPP Self-invested Personal Pension 

SMCR Senior Managers and Certification Regime

SPP Sustained Performance Plan

SREP The FCA’s supervisory review and 
evaluation process

T
TCFD Taskforce for Climate-related 
Financial Disclosures

U
UCITS Undertakings for Collective Investment 
in Transferable Securities

UNSDG United Nations Sustainable 
Development Goals

UK Corporate Governance Code A code 
published by the FRC which sets out standards 
for best boardroom practice with a focus 
on Board leadership and effectiveness, 
remuneration, accountability and relations 
with shareholders

Y
Year end/financial year Our financial year 
starts on 1 July and ends on 30 June

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Cautionary statement concerning  
forward-looking statements

This document comprises the Report and Financial 
Statements for the year ended 30 June 2022 for 
Hargreaves Lansdown plc (the ‘Company’) and 
its subsidiaries. 

It contains certain forward-looking statements with 
respect to the financial condition and the results of the 
Company, including statements about the Company’s 
beliefs and expectations and including, without 
limitation, statements containing the words ‘may’, ‘will’, 
‘should’, ‘continue’, ‘aims’, ‘estimates’, ‘projects’, ‘believes’, 
‘intends’, ‘expects’, ‘plans’, ‘seeks’ and ‘anticipates’, 
and words of similar meaning, are forward-looking 
statements. These statements are based on plans, 
estimates and projections as at the time they are made, 
and therefore undue reliance should not be placed on 
them. By their nature, all forward-looking statements 
involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to 
events and depend upon circumstances that may 
occur in the future. The forward-looking statements 
are based on current assumptions and estimates by the 
management of the Company. Past performance cannot 
be relied upon as a guide to future performance and 
should not be taken as a representation that trends or 
activities underlying past performance will continue in 
the future. Such statements are subject to numerous 
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results 
to differ materially from any expected future results in 
forward-looking statements. These risks may include, 
for example: changes in the global economic situation; 
a lack of alignment between the Company’s 
propositions and activities and its strategic objectives; 
poor performance of markets adversely affecting 

the Company’s revenue and impacting strategic 
expectations; a failure to effectively manage 
and maintain existing technological architecture, 
environment or components that are key to operational 
delivery; a failure to design or implement appropriate 
policies, processes or technology; a failure to comply 
with regulatory and legal standards or expectations; 
a failure to design or implement frameworks to counter 
financial crime risks; a failure to design or implement 
appropriate frameworks to manage data and data 
storage risk; a failure of the Company’s culture and 
values to support appropriate client-focused conduct 
leading to poor client outcomes; a failure to establish 
robust operational resilience solutions; and a failure to 
attract, retain, develop and motivate people who are 
aligned to the Company’s values. Further information 
on all these risks is provided on pages 55 to 59 of the 
Strategic Report section of this document. The Company 
provides no guarantee that future development and 
future results actually achieved will correspond to the 
forward-looking statements included here and accepts 
no liability if they should fail to do so. Neither the 
Company nor any member of its group undertakes any 
obligation to update these forward-looking statements, 
which speak only as at the date of this document and 
will not publicly release any revisions that may be made 
to these forward-looking statements, which may result 
from events or circumstances arising after the date of 
this document, except as required under applicable laws 
and regulations. Nothing in this document constitutes, 
nor should it be construed as, a profit forecast 
or estimate. 

Hargreaves Lansdown plc 
One College Square South 
Anchor Road 
Bristol BS1 5HL

Tel: 0117 900 9000

Registered number: 02122142

www.hl.co.uk