With more than 4 million customers, here at Aegon, we’re the UK’s largest investment platform.1
We know we couldn’t have done that without our colleagues, based in offices across the country.
All this creates exceptional opportunities for the best people with big ambitions. If that sounds like you, we can empower you to have a lasting impact and support you to attain your goals whilst you transform our customers’ futures.
What makes us different
What sets Aegon apart isn’t just our market and thought leadership – it’s our determination to be a force for good in the world. It drives everything we do - from finding new ways to help our customers invest to supporting hybrid working for our employees to actively reduce our environmental footprint.
We recognise the importance of people, as well as the opportunities of what a longer life has to offer – and we celebrate it. It’s why we offer every employee a competitive benefits package and a workplace pension scheme that can be customised to fit their needs.
Our purpose is to help people live their best lives – and that stretches to our colleagues, too. We’ll invest in your talents to make you the person and professional you’ve always wanted to be.
1. 1 As of Q4 2023.
Meet the Aegon team
We can tell you how wonderful it is to work at Aegon – but we’d rather you heard it from our colleagues. Their stories capture the unique culture we have created and can help you decide whether – and where – you’d like to make your mark with us.
Meet Arlene
As the Chief People Officer, I get to work on a range of projects and programmes that touch our colleagues, customers and communities. I have only been with Aegon for just over two years and through my role have seen the depth and breadth of the company: experiencing everything that makes it such a great place to work.
I was open to a career with Aegon because the organisation has a great purpose to help our customers live their best lives. Financial wellbeing is such an important thing, and I felt connected to the vision as well as the colleagues I was going to work with.
Further to helping our customers live their best lives, Aegon really cares about making sure its people are living theirs’. There are massive opportunities for people to grow themselves and their career. We invest in learning technologies and courses for people to develop themselves, we’re a great size for people to move and discover more, and we really try to encourage development through education, experience end exposure. While we think it’s important that you drive your own career and development, we give you support and access to some of the world’s best technologies for to do this.
One of the biggest perks about working at Aegon is the culture: it’s a very collaborative environment that really cares about their people and customers. We’re here to serve people and want to do the right thing. Whilst we do this culturally, we also do this in our physical environments: creating comfortable and welcoming workspaces with gyms, subsidised canteens, and break out areas. Our hybrid working model also supports our staff who aren’t always able to make it into the office, ensuring any type of colleague that wants to work with Aegon will be supported to do so.
Aegon gets a lot of things right with its staff, including welcoming them to the business. One of the first things that happens when you join is that you’ll be brought together with fellow new starters to learn about the company, its history, its vision, and everything you need to know about the physical space you’re in. It’s a great chance to meet new people and company executives, forming networks and connections that will no doubt help you throughout your time with us.
I would describe Aegon as having great heritage, stability and potential. We step up, tune in and are a force for good: helping people to live their best life. If you like the sound of this and like to work with others, solve problems, and make an impact where you work you will go far with Aegon.
Here are a few more stories from our colleagues to help you get a feel for the place
As a Fund Operations Assistant within the Investment Services department, I launch new funds for Aegon. That involves constant communication with our stakeholders as we advise them of what is becoming available and also the pricing. Once all the legal work has taken place, we make certain that funds are launched at the agreed prices, so we’re very much at the sharp end of things.
I’ve always been interested in finance because I studied Economics at university and I was always fascinated by the way things work on a micro and macro level. Even after seven years with Aegon, I’m still on a steep learning curve as every day here is different. Some of our work is investigatory and we spend a lot of time answering questions about fund performance and underlying investments and of course resolving any problems that may occur.
My father moved here from Pakistan and went from being a carpenter to being self-employed, and he did everything himself. I think that’s where my interest in business and commerce started. He was also pushing us to better ourselves and all my siblings went to good universities and got degrees. My father, despite not being able to speak any English when he moved here, managed to gain a first-class honours degree in Computer Science, so he pushed himself as hard as he pushed us.
The skills I learned at university – particularly in project management – have really paid dividends in my career with Aegon. I want to build a long-term future here, hopefully becoming an analyst within the next couple of years. I always have a clear goal I want to achieve, and I know I can count on support from my manager to make it happen.
One of the great things about Aegon is the extent to which it champions inclusion and diversity. This isn’t just a tick-box exercise for the business – they take it really seriously and are passionate about creating an environment where people get ahead solely on merit. I co-lead Aegon’s race and culture community, which began when I received an invitation from the Inclusion and Diversity Manager. I’ve never experienced any racism at Aegon, but it can happen in some working environments. It often takes the form of so-called microaggressions – nothing too explicit, but you can tell from someone’s tone or body language that you’re not welcome.
Aegon wants to be a shining example of inclusion and diversity and attract the best people irrespective of their background, history or culture, and I like to think I’m playing an important role in this. Part of it is celebrating different cultural events, whether it’s Easter or Diwali, for which we held a massive event. We also have guest speakers, including quite a popular footballer who attracted about 90 colleagues to hear his story.
The best thing is that Aegon is so welcoming as an employer. As a Muslim, I need to pray, so when I joined I requested a dedicated prayer room. My manager sorted it out immediately for me – there was no back-and-forth, no deliberations and no time-wasting. Whoever you are, you may be certain you will fit in here and will be able to realise your full potential.
This is the Aegon career story with a difference – there are two of us! We’re Darren and Andrew Riddell-Stewart and we’re a married couple who both work for Aegon.
Andrew has been here since 2022, in the marketing department. He’s currently a digital production consultant, responsible for all Aegon’s external email functionality, but he's just about to take on a new challenge as a senior automation and optimisation consultant. Meanwhile, Darren has worked here for eight-and-a-half years and is currently a PMO analyst within the Change department.
Before anyone asks, we didn’t meet at Aegon. In fact, Darren persuaded Andrew to join. Andrew’s background was in smaller companies, and Aegon offers so much more scope to grow and progress. Prior to Aegon, Andrew’s background was remarkably diverse – he studied at art college before gaining a master’s degree in marketing and management, then started working in marketing within the arts and culture sector. He then spent two years with an emergency veterinary company, focusing on email marketing and automation – the perfect grounding for his present position.
Darren, in contrast, gained a degree in business management but struggled to find the right position as this was a rather generic course. He got his lucky break when he joined Aegon in customer services and has progressed rapidly from there.
We both value the incredible opportunities Aegon can offer. With Talent Marketplace, you can take on gigs in different teams and quickly broaden your experience. The only limit is your ambition and how hard you’re prepared to work. Some people just want to come in and do their job, whilst others are hungry for more. It’s whatever suits the individual.
This is really a place where you can be yourself, whoever you are. Darren is one of the co-chairs of the LGBTQ+ network and is at the heart of Aegon’s diversity and inclusion agenda. It’s a clear priority for the business, with the CEO getting directly involved in making things happen. It certainly isn’t a tick-box exercise – there’s so much passion behind it and a real determination to make people’s lives better. Lots of our colleagues come and support us at Edinburgh Pride – they bring their spouses and their kids and we all have a great day.
There’s also so much flexibility in the benefits package, with options to suit every kind of lifestyle and support people at every stage of their career. It’s not just about health and wellness assistance, though that’s incredibly useful. Aegon also helps people to manage their finances, partly through education and partly through loans and car deals to make our salaries go further.
Or to put it another way, Aegon is always trying to do the best for its people and its customers. That’s what sets it apart.
I’ve been with Aegon for 17 years, and it really doesn’t feel that long. As a Workplace Business Development Consultant, I work across all of Workplace Distribution to help drive our Workplace agenda, which is to retain clients, grow the business and win new clients.
When I first joined Aegon, I worked in Finance as an Actuarial Trainee. I was able to rotate across the business whilst studying for my exams and then a permanent position as a pricing manager.
I spent 12 years in Finance, then decided I was ready for a change, though I wasn’t entirely sure what that change should be. At that point, I moved into the Workplace Distribution Channel, and I’ve held my current position for five years. It’s been an interesting career path so far, particularly considering that I have a maths degree and originally part qualified as an accountant.
One of the biggest attractions of working for Aegon is that the people are so supportive and give you plenty of encouragement to develop your skills and career. Right now, I’m wondering about my next move. My job has changed and evolved over the years, which keeps things interesting and fresh, so I’m still very happy at the moment, but I am considering my future. I very much hope it will be at Aegon – there’s no reason to leave because they’re such a good employer.
I have been with Aegon for a little over 2 years now, and as a Platform Administrator I support our teams that aid our customers, as well as providing customer support myself. Coming from a background in retail which could be a little monotonous, each day is different at Aegon and I’m loving the variety that comes from talking to customers and trying to solve their problems.
When a former colleague recommended Aegon as a place to work I was initially a little hesitant as I though “Financial Services: suits and ties, strict culture.” However, as soon as I joined it was obvious that Aegon wasn’t like that at all. It’s a very relaxed environment where everyone talks to everyone and everyone is supported. I feel comfortable and feel like management has my back.
When I joined we were still working from home, so it was difficult for the training to stick. Once I came into the office, however, Aegon had paired me with a buddy who took the initiative to mentor me and really show me the ropes. My buddy supported me with the functions of my day-to-day job as well as showing the me Aegon as a place to be. I really appreciate that Aegon has the buddy program, it helped me understand my role more as well as the company I was working for.
One of the best things about working for Aegon is supporting customers. I enjoy building rapport with them and helping them with any problems that may arise, I get a lot of satisfaction from that. When first taking calls I was extremely nervous, but the support I have been given to tackle these problems head on has been incredible. I am now at a point where team members on calls can come to me to provide answers, which I never thought I would get to when I first started.
Since being here Aegon has supported my ambition to grow as a professional. After 7 months I was presented with my first opportunity to up-skill, and after that I was offered the chance to do even more. After a year I was approached by my manager to see if I wanted to do a placement in the complaints team, and I discovered that is something I would be interested in pursuing. It’s been great to learn these new areas that I want to explore; and the opportunities I have had to shadow other colleagues has shown me yet more parts of the business to experience.
Aegon gets a lot right as an employer, most-of-all creating an inclusive environment. There are people from all walks of life here and it is great to learn from everyone’s background – we all offer something different and it’s fantastic to see that recognised. Adding to this is the benefits we are offered: you can pick and choose to really style your package to your specific situation. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach and I really like that it takes everyone’s needs into account. I feel recognised as a person first, rather than just an employee.
I would tell anyone that hasn’t worked in Financial Services to take the leap, push yourself out of your comfort zone and join Aegon. Every day is different and there are so many opportunities to grow and move into different areas you never thought were possible. You might join in one position and in a years’ time you could be doing something completely different. It’s up to you to be enthusiastic and recognise the opportunities to grow, because Aegon definitely presents them.
I’ve spent 16 years of my life with Aegon, but that was in two spells – I was here for five years, then left for about 18 months, and then came back. My ambition was always to work in marketing, and today I head up branding and marketing operations for the company.
After studying marketing and finance, I gained a place on the Playtex and Wonderbra graduate scheme, which was really great. However, my role focused more on the supply chain, production and retailing: this was very interesting, but I felt that if I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of marketing I would need to work within an agency.
On the agency side, I learned a lot about FMCG products and probably gained about 10 years’ worth of knowledge in the first 18 months. I then decided to move back into the corporate world and joined Scottish Equitable, which was subsequently acquired by Aegon. As much as I like innovation and digital marketing, I’ve always really loved print, so much of my role was in print buying – we spent many thousands of pounds on it.
But I very quickly moved into the new world of email marketing and then graduated towards branding. Aegon signed a sponsorship deal to become the lead partner of the Lawn Tennis Association, and I helped to set up the first season of the arrangement. After that I moved into the mobile payments industry and helped to launch contactless technology in the UK, with a lot of work on Apple Pay and Google Pay.
It was thoroughly enjoyable, but Aegon soon asked me to come back and lead the tennis sponsorship team and the brand, which was a huge opportunity. I returned here almost 12 years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it ever since. My role has constantly grown and evolved and enabled me to play my part within some really innovative projects.
I’ve discovered I love leading a team and helping people grow and develop, I was at the vanguard of internet marketing and now I’m able to pass my knowledge on to a new generation. The best thing here is certainly the people – they’re so genuinely friendly and supportive. Everyone is trying to do the right thing and everybody is so helpful. But the biggest surprise is how innovative we are, which isn’t always the case for such a large corporate. That applies both to the way we think and the technology we use.
I’ve spent 10 years at Aegon now and I’m the Customer Contacts Operation Manager, which I means I run the contact centre – or at least I try! At the moment, I have five team managers and oversee around 70 colleagues in total. They deal with incoming calls and web chat, though on occasion need to make outgoing calls.
Before joining Aegon and working my way up within the contact centre, I was with a company selling power tools in South Africa. I’ve always had a sales background and also spent a period with Sky TV. Africa was such an amazing experience – it’s probably my favourite place to visit. I learned so much in my role there, which gave me the perfect grounding to join Aegon.
As you might expect, I’ve seen a lot of changes during my decade here. I’ve had a number of different leaders, who’ve put their own spin on things and who have gone out of their way to challenge me and move me outside my comfort zone. One of the biggest headaches was how to manage the contact centre during the COVID lockdowns – I learned so much doing that.
I’m not sure what my next step should be, but I’m currently having that discussion with my manager. I love leading people and I enjoy supporting the customer experience – changing things and making them better. My career to date has given me real resilience as well as strong sales skills: I know how to handle difficult situations and how to get the best out of every member of my team.
I’d describe Aegon as a fantastic employer. When I recruit new people, I always tell them how amazing it is to work here. I also communicate the fact that we’re unique – this is a place where you can learn a little bit about everything. All the teams here want to do the best for themselves, their colleagues and the customer. The great benefits package is also a huge advantage, of course. But there’s so much more to working for Aegon than the material rewards.
I’m a Service Designer with Aegon – and everybody immediately asks what that job title means. In simple terms, I look after the end-to-end, front-to-back service we provide our customers. In particular, I focus on change and transformation: looking into the current journey and how we can make things better. This was a natural progression for me as I started out in the contact centre and had interactions with customers all day, every day.
I’m a Service Designer with Aegon – and everybody immediately asks what that job title means. In simple terms, I look after the end-to-end, front-to-back service we provide our customers. In particular, I focus on change and transformation: looking into the current journey and how we can make things better. This was a natural progression for me as I started out in the contact centre and had interactions with customers all day, every day.
After my operational role, I joined the graduate marketing scheme and learned all about strategy, journey mapping, communications and then branding. Following that I wanted a change of direction and went into Service Design as an analyst before taking up my current role.
I was actually born in Cyprus and ended up in Scotland when I joined the University of Aberdeen to take my MA in Economics and Sociology. I then moved to Edinburgh to take study International Marketing Management with Consumer Psychology, and I simply fell in love with the place. Actually, I love Scotland generally and have very warm feelings for Aberdeen too.
With Aegon, I can have a career at an international level whilst remaining in Edinburgh, which is ideal for me. I’ve found so many opportunities here and quickly identified the perfect mentor. I see my future with Aegon, but if I wanted to move on Edinburgh offers lots of scope for a career within financial services. The city has HSBC, it has Chase, it has Lloyds – there are so many blue-chip employers. When you work in Edinburgh, you get all the prospects you’d find in London plus a much more relaxed lifestyle. It’s the ideal balance.
