What a busy year it has been! Thank you everyone for your hard work – it’s been so important as we build momentum towards our goal of a more diverse, more inclusive investment and savings industry. It’s been great to see such joined-up activity, from asset owners and pension fund consultants, to asset managers and regulators. We’re increasingly confident that this will yield results.
We were delighted to welcome 700 attendees at our fifth annual seminar – the first to be ‘hybrid’ – generously hosted by Aviva Investors. In case you missed it, all the videos, presentations and additional material can be found on the post event site. Feel free to share with colleagues and friends.
The seminar was quickly followed by our Strategy Day with a practical focus on identifying ways in which both member firms and the Diversity Project can work to help the industry achieve the new five year targets.
A big congratulations to this year’s DP Champions; Alexandra Haggard, Tim Roberts, Claire Black and Rachel Green. The imaginative ‘Fish out of Water’ campaign won the DP Campaign of the Year and we made two Chair Awards, to Lansons and the Finance Team of the IA, who have both supported our work so generously. Lastly, a special mention to Abigail Morley for her help with social media throughout the year. Thanks to all for going above and beyond.
Finally, I would like to say a big thank you to Jane Welsh for all that she has done over more than five years as the Diversity Project’s Project Manager. Sadly Jane is stepping down at the end of the year but we are so pleased so will continue on the Board.
With best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy festive season; here’s to a successful 2022!
Helena
Gender Balance by Design
This compendium is a live document show casing 26 case studies of firms that are leading the way towards gender balance in the investment and savings industry. Would your company like to contribute a case study?
Contact us here: [email protected]
Extended Leave – a way to inclusivity?
HSBC Asset Management have commissioned a study run by Kantar looking at extended leave in asset management. For the presentation at the DP Annual Event on the topic and key insights from the qualitative and quantitative phases, click here or watch the video here.
Early Careers – Investment Springboard: Sign up to Host Work Experience
The DP Early Career Workstream is inviting firms to sign up to host exclusive work experience placements for university students on Investment Springboard, taking place in April 2022.
Investment Springboard is an industry-wide early careers programme, delivered by the social mobility charity upReach in partnership with the DP. It provides DP Member firms like yours the opportunity to boost social mobility across the UK and reach high potential students from less-advantaged backgrounds.
Interested? Email [email protected] for more information on how to get involved by the 10th of January.
Social Mobility and its Discontents
James Whiteman, co-lead of the DP’s social mobility workstream spoke with Professor Lee Elliot-Major to find out why companies have been so slow to embrace social mobility and what they should do to improve things. Click here.
Menopause
Did you know that new research shows 25 per cent of women more likely to leave the financial services workforce due to menopause experiences! The new Menopause subgroup would like to understand what our DP Members are currently doing in this area. Please can we ask you to please complete this survey, which only takes up to 5 minutes to do.
LGBTQ+
LGBT Great with our member firms and the DP launched a new insights report in Transgender Awareness Week “Turning The Corner: Trans & Non-Binary DE&I. The report aims to shine a light on existing works, make a bold new case for change and provide some useful tools for leverage.
#FishOutOfWater
Have you ever felt like a Fish out of Water at work? Would you like to share your story? Lots of people already have scroll down to the video section. Would you like to become a FOW champion for your company to run this D&I conversation starter internally? Please get in touch here: [email protected].
- In October, City Hive and #TalkAboutBlack launched a cross-company mentoring scheme. Bev Shah and Helena Morrissey’s comments featured in Investment Week.
- Baroness Morrissey’s critique of the sector’s gender pay progress was picked up widely by International Adviser, Funds Europe, Investment Week, Wealthnet, Wealthbriefing and IFA Magazine.
- Rachel Green’s quote explaining the TAB Skills workshop was praised in Private Equity Real Estate.
- PensionBee signing up to the Diversity Project was reported by Finextra, Pensions Age and Professional Pensions
- The Diversity Project’s stance on improving workplace conditions for those suffering with menopause was mentioned during Baroness Morrissey’s appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Week in Westminster, her profile in the Sunday Telegraph and Financial News/Daily Advent.
- Baroness Morrissey’s stance on FCA gender reporting rules and was covered by Dow Jones Newswires and Financial News. Furthermore, the DP was mentioned for calling on firms to increase data collection after the Financial Reporting Council’s report raised valid concerns over missed diversity targets. (Financial News and Daily Advent)
- During November, quotes from Bev Shah at the DP’s annual ‘Reset4Inclusion’ event featured in Financial News and Private Equity News.
- Jane Welsh’s was celebrated for her “Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award” during the Women in Investment Awards 2021. The Investment Week judges described Jane as an “unsung hero who as a founder member of the Diversity Project has made an enormous contribution to helping improve diversity and inclusion in the investment industry”. View her acceptance speech here
- In December, Sachin Bhatia and Dimple Mistry, co-chairs of the Race and Ethnicity Workstream took to Investment Week to outline proposals for achieving the 90% ethnicity data disclosure target from their workstream member firms.
- Finally James Whiteman and David Aujla co-leads of the DP social mobility workstream also took to Investment Week to discuss the “Moneyball mindset” and socioeconomic diversity.
