Levelling the Playing Field: A Social Mobility Speaker Series

Dates:

Q1 2026 (TBC)

Location: Virtual

A speaker series from Inclusion in Finance, Progress Together, and the Social Mobility Foundation, which will launch and support Inclusion in Finance’s Social Mobility Toolkit and promote the benefits of addressing socio-economic diversity and social mobility.

We know from the ’s last annual Goals and Progress tool that much more needs to be done by member firms on social mobility. The intention is for this series to help member firms to ‘move the dial’ in making progress on social mobility within their own organisations. While the series should raise awareness and provide inspiration, it is also grounded in the practical – helping attendees to benefit from the insights and experiences of those who have been successful, and providing actionable things that attendees can implement in their own firms. Success to us will be a meaningful improvement in the 2025 annual Goals and Progress statistics for Social Mobility.

Series Agenda

Social Mobility Day 2024: Why social mobility matters for financial services and why it should matter to you

Helena Morrissey, Chair, Inclusion in Finance

David Aujla, Co-lead, Social Mobility Workstream

Alderman Vincent Keaveny CBE, Former Lord Mayor of London

Stuart White, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Asset Management (UK)

James Whiteman, Co-lead, Social Mobility Workstream

Rachel Allan, Co-lead, Social Mobility workstream

Ashleigh Cowie, Head of Video, Schroders

Lisa McGee, Research Associate, Newton Investment Management

Harleen Panesar , HSBC Asset Management Degree-Apprentice

Rahim Hussain, upReach Alumni

Jasvir Virk , Global Head of Family Office Solutions, HSBC Asset Management

What can we learn from professional services?

Professional services firms have made significant strides (and been very vocal) on social mobility in recent years. This is demonstrated by their prominence in the Social Mobility Foundation’s Employers’ Index. This session will help members understand how they moved the dial.

Jenny Baskerville, Director, Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, KPMG & Progress Together Board Member

Sarah Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer, The Social Mobility Foundation

Grace Osborne , Social Mobility, Browne Jacobson LLP

CIO Roundtable: Why is social mobility important for investment teams?

Our industry is focused in delivering good investment outcomes, and its successes rely heavily on its people. This session outlines why having a diverse investment team can lead to better culture and decision making. More speakers to be announced closer to the date.

Date: 16th October 2024 Time: 2:00-3:00pm Location: Virtual (on Zoom)

Stephanie Butcher, Co-Head of Investments, Invesco

Paras Anand, CIO, Artemis

James Lewis, Chief Investment Officer UK, Mercer UK

Stay Down: Talent, Progression and the Class Pay Gap

A virtual session in which we will broadcast the ‘Stay Down’ film from the Social Mobility Foundation, followed by a panel discussing some of the key stages of employee lifecycle in the context of social mobility. Speakers include Sarah Atkinson (Chief Executive Officer at the Social Mobility Foundation), Sophie Hulm (Chief Executive Officer at Progress Together) and Helena Morrissey (Chair of Inclusion in Finance).

Friday 15 November, 12:00-13:00 (ahead of Class Pay Gap Day on 17 November 2024)

Sophie Hulm, Chief Executive Officer, Progress Together

Sarah Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer, The Social Mobility Foundation

Helena Morrissey, Chair, Inclusion in Finance

Social Mobility Day 2025: How to embed social mobility into your firm-wide inclusion strategy

This was an exciting event which consisted of two parts:

Firstly, we hosted a fireside chat with Duncan Exley, author of “The End of Aspiration? Social Mobility and Our Children’s Fading Prospects” on the topic of: Aspiration and its discontents – how to revive the prospects of those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

This was followed by a panel of experts who have successfully embedded social mobility into their organisations. They each shared how to set social mobility as part of a firm-wide inclusion strategy and best practices in setting up and running successful Employee Resource Groups. We hope you enjoyed this session, which allowed members to learn from their successes and mistakes!

Jenny Baskerville, CEO of Bridge Group

Darren Johnson, COO of Impax Asset Management

Niamh Fenton, Social Mobility UK Network Lead at Fidelity International

Duncan Exley, Author of “The End of Aspiration?: Social Mobility and Our Children’s Fading Prospects”

David Aujla, Multi-Asset Fund Manager, Invesco

James Whiteman, Co-lead, Social Mobility Community

The Apprentice – is there an alternative route for developing talent in financial services?

The cost of going to university is higher now that it has been for decades, increasing the likelihood that candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds will not be able or inclined to attend. Some firms have addressed this by launching apprenticeships. This session will help member firms understand how they have done it, lessons learned and best practices. Aimed ALL but particularly at HR/DEI/Talent.

Date: TBC Time: TBC Location: Virtual (on Zoom)

Jas Virk, Global Head of Family Office Solutions, HSBC Asset Management

Nicola Kirkham, EMEA Head of Early Careers and Global Contingent Force, BlackRock