The Diversity Project has an ambitious, multi-faceted aim: to create a more diverse and inclusive investment and savings industry. That means we are working across multiple dimensions of diversity and inclusion and at all career stages. Inevitably, the DP is therefore a complex organisation with 17 workstreams, a CEO Advisory Council, Steering Committee with representatives from each of our 95 members, and a Board to oversee the finances. We’ve been thinking about how to leverage all the great efforts, create more impact and make it easier for firms to navigate their way to topics of interest. We’ve decided that consistent clear themes running through everything we do will help achieve this; the current themes are Allyship, Intersectionality and the Mispricing of Talent. You’ll see these integrated in all our work – including the exciting upcoming Annual Event, kindly hosted again by Aviva Investors, but also accessible online. The event will be held on the afternoon of 28th November and registration invitations will be sent shortly.
Meanwhile, all the workstreams have been as busy as usual! There’s been a specific focus on providing valuable resources for members, including a Gold Standard guide for employers to support Working Families, an Inclusive Culture Guide for CEOs and a Practical Guide for managers around successful Hybrid working practices. We’ve also held a number of seminars and events, both in-person and online, including a ‘first’ for the Military Veterans Workstream at HMS President and a fantastic Disability event hosted by Capital International. It’s been great to have high turnout for these including from senior leaders in the industry, along with commitment to action. Upcoming events include a Speaker Series lead by the Social Mobility team, and the EmbRACE Your Career campaign led by the Race and Ethnicity team, both to encourage diverse talent to progress to senior levels.
Another big focus for the DP is our new Pathway programme aimed at developing more female fund managers, a programme that’s being developed and delivered by the industry for the industry. We have received incredibly positive feedback – thank you! – with 33 member firms confirmed to take part. We aim to take about 50-60 participants through the programme in 2023. They will be our first cohort and benefit from in-person events, networking sessions, interactive webinars and each have a sponsor who will help them progress in their career. The curriculum has been carefully designed by a team of 25 industry professionals who have kindly shared their expertise and industry knowledge. We thank them and we look forward to a groundbreaking programme ahead!
We have launched our Goals and Progress online tool which will allow us to track and monitor our collective progress towards achieving our 5-year goals. The Tool’s Framework has been developed by Diversity Project members, for members, and provides a joined-up approach to highlight where we are together succeeding and where more strategic focus is required. Member firms have selected a Goals Champion who will help us fill out a questionnaire. We thank them in advance for their efforts. What gets measured, gets managed!
Finally, we have received feedback that our website is full of useful and interesting content, but perhaps at times hard to navigate. Our marketing team is busy re-designing our website, together with our Workstream leads, who aim to unveil a new website with our new image in a few weeks. Watch this space.
With best wishes to everyone enjoying the summer season. Keep an eye for everything we are planning for the rest of this year.
Helena
Working Families – Best practice guide
Please click here to read this ‘gold standard’ guide, written in partnership with How Do You Do It to see what you can implement at your company. Here is the webinar launching the guide. There are also case studies to accompany the guide from Fidelity International and E2W.
The Skills Workshop
A detailed programme of virtual workshops designed by industry professionals to provide the insight, knowledge and direction needed to pursue a career in the investment industry. Find out why over 9,000 participants signed up last year.
#EmbRACEyourcareer
This campaign aims to democratise this information in an accessible way for the next generation of ethnically diverse investment professionals, with the aim to empower them to become senior leaders themselves. Find out more here.
Disability – #WeAre
We have launched the #WeAre campaign to destigmatise the perception of disability by putting faces to lived experience. Watch the launch video and find out more here. To become a role model or ally, click here.
Menopause
We have held a series of webinars:
- Menopause in the workplace
- Different types of menopause and menopause like symptoms
- Mental health nutrition and exercise in menopause
- Men in Menopause
Lastly we have produced an Inclusive Menopause guide here.
SMART working
Read the practical guide for managers – Making hybrid work here. This guide was written in partnership with How Do You Do It and Remote Kontrol. Also watch the navigating the challenges of managing hybrid teams in a post Covid world webinar.
Male Allies
A guide to assist companies to start or accelerate their journey of harnessing the untapped and powerful resource of male allies here.
Inclusive Culture Guide for CEOs
We set out practical steps to achieving an inclusive culture, based on behavioural science and designed as an aid to developing inclusive playbook for organisations here.
- Baroness Helena Morrissey, chair of the Diversity Project, commented on this year’s roll-out of The Skills Workshop in ESG Clarity, #TalkAboutBlack rolls out second Skills Workshop
- Baroness Helena Morrissey, chair of the Diversity Project, and TSW team commented on this year’s roll-out of The Skills Workshop IFA Magazine, The Skills Workshop is back with a bang to create a more inclusive talent pipeline in the investment and savings industry
- Dimple Mistry and Kelly Tran co-authored an article on fostering inclusive workspaces, published in Investment Week, Talking about race and ethnicity can be difficult, but do it anyway
- Margaryta Kirakosian, Deputy Editor of Citywire Selector listened into the playback webinar on Menopause, ‘Some clients were surprised’: How this Julius Baer banker took paternity leave
- Monique King’s comments on menopause support were picked up in an article in ESG Clarity, ‘I thought I had dementia’: How more menopause support is needed in workplace
- Dimple Mistry, spokesperson for the Race & Ethnicity Workstream shared commentary with ESG Investor, More Than Half of FTSE 350 Board Seats Filled by Women
- Amanda Cheesley, Deputy Editor, Wealth Briefing, attended the Disability Awareness Event held in partnership with Capital Group, Diversity Project Launches New Campaign
- Kelly Mullane, veterans workstream lead at The Diversity Project had an Investment Week contribution published, Diversity Project: Why hiring veterans makes good business sense
- Matt Cameron, founder and global managing director of LGBT Great and a board member of the Diversity Project spoke to Lauren Mason, Investment Week, A Fresh Take podcast: Intersectionality in the industry
