Last week members from a Government-commissioned Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce met to celebrate its conclusion. The Taskforce was led by the City of London Corporation’s Catherine McGuinness, and Co-Chaired by Andy Haldane, Sandra Wallace and past Lord Mayor Vincent Keaveny. It was delivered in partnership with PwC, Connectr, and Deloitte.
One of the outputs of the taskforce was a business case, led by Andy Haldane, CEO of the RSA and former Chief Economist at the Bank of England. Research shows how greater socio-economic diversity can help innovation, productivity and access to talent, as well as how it supports employers’ work on gender and ethnicity.
Another key output from the Taskforce has been the creation of Progress Together, a non-for-profit membership body focussed on improving progression of talent from all socio-economic backgrounds through the financial services sector.
Sophie Hulm, CEO of Progress Together and architect of the Taskforce noted “Evidence shows the enormous benefits equity of progression has for businesses. We know that clients, investors and regulators are all starting to ask questions about socio-economic diversity. Progress Together is helping our members to be ahead of the curve, to ensure promotions are awarded for performance and not just fit and polish. It’s exciting to see that across the sector there is a desire to create an equitable and fair environment. The response to Progress Together has been overwhelmingly positive, with organisations receptive and engaged with the objectives. What feels like the end of an era is only the beginning.”
After forming just 7 months ago, Progress Together already has over 30 members and a programme of events is already well underway to support members in achieving their goals, to progress the best talent and create opportunity no matter an individual’s background.
A huge thank you to everyone on the Taskforce for your work in laying the foundations and setting the blueprint to where we go from here.
If you would like to view resources around the need for socio-economic diversity please visit our Open Resources section.
To find out more about joining Progress Together and start your journey to long-term success, visit our Become a Member page.
