Ahead of International Women's Day on 8 March, Evelyn Partners, a UK wealth manager with £63 billion in assets under management, has just announced a new partnership.  

UK-based Evelyn Partners has entered a new three-year partnership with Empower Padel, a global community for female padel players that aims to ensure every woman can access a supportive community to learn, play and enjoy a team sport. 

Through the partnership, the two organisations will host a series of events to inspire women and girls across the country to take up a team sport, such as padel, to boost their physical and mental wellbeing and widen their network, the wealth manager said in a statement. 

The first partnership event on 7 March to celebrate International Women’s Day will highlight the transformative power of sports on young girls, aligning with the Evelyn Partners’ brand promise to inspire ‘what’s next’.  

Hosted by Empower Padel at The Hurlingham Club in South West London, attendees at the event will hear from some of the country’s top female sports stars. Speakers will include former Winter Olympics alpine skier Chemmy Alcott, Olympic hockey gold medallist Sophie Bray and tennis broadcaster Gigi Salmon. 

This engagement with sport is another example of wealth managers and banks sponsoring and backing sports for branding and client outreach purposes. Last May, Evelyn Partners announced that it was teaming up with the Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic event, held at southwest London's exclusive Hurlingham Club. The partnership has been recently extended.

“Through our partnership, we hope to support Empower Padel to further extend their community, inspiring women through sport, networking and helping to make meaningful connections,” Andrew Middleton, group chief marketing and commercial officer of Evelyn Partners, said.

“With fantastic support from Evelyn Partners, we can drive meaningful change, expand access, and inspire more women and girls to get involved in this wonderful team sport. We look forward to working together to grow the game and build a stronger, more connected community," Pep Stonor, founder of Empower Padel, added.

Padel is a fast-growing racket sports in the UK and globally. Invented in Mexico in the 1960s, padel, sometimes referred to as padel tennis, is played in doubles on an enclosed court about the third of the size of regular tennis court. With its own balls, rackets, setup and rules, the game is a unique blend of other racket sports, such as tennis, squash and badminton.