The Parker Review Committee, led by Sir John Parker, has published its awaited update on Improving Ethnic Diversity of UK Boards, five years on from its first report.

Supported by UK Government and EY, it sets out the progress made to date and their recommendations to companies and next steps to: 

1. Increase the ethnic diversity of UK boards
2. Develop candidates for the pipeline and plan for succession
3. Enhance transparency and disclosure

Number two is where ABSTRACT can help most, which will ultimately lead to achievement of Number one. It is pleasing to see a number of ABSTRACT’s FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 clients listed as having met the targets set by the review.

In the foreword of the report, Sir John Parker says:

"The longer I have served on corporate boards the more convinced I am of the value of bringing into our Boardrooms the best talent and, without a doubt, that includes talent reflecting gender and ethnic diversity. It is through such inherent talent, the quality of experience and the richness of diverse views, that we can establish modern and inclusive cultures and winning competitive strategies".

ABSTRACT agree and we are committed to helping more women and people from under-represented into leadership positions by developing their careers and personal skills through our impactful learning and development programmes. We also work and collaborate with organisations who are committed to doing the same. Our Cultural Competence For Leaders programme helps participants to engage, set the cultural tone and create an inclusive environment, embedding behavioural change through application.

Furthermore, we have created our Equality Diversity and Inclusion introductory pack to share our philosophy and approach to successfully embedding ED&I behavioural change within an inclusive working environment where everyone can flourish. If you would like to receive a copy of our pack or to arrange a consultation with us please get in touch at info@abstractuk.co.uk or with any member of our team.

References:

Link to Improving the Ethnic Diversity of UK Boards, an update report from the Parker Review:

https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en_uk/topics/diversity/ey-what-the-parker-review-tells-us-about-boardroom-diversity.pdf

Link To FT article – FTSE 100 companies hit boardroom diversity targets

https://amp-ft-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.ft.com/content/a69e016d-0d10-45a8-bd95-76e314a14f38