Committed to achieving change - G15 Ethnic Diversity Pledge 2022 Report

The representation of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic People on G15 members' Boards has increased by 89% in the two years since the signing of the G15 Ethnic Diversity Pledge, a new progress report published today finds.

Endorsed by all G15 members' Chief Executives in 2020, the G15 Ethnic Diversity Pledge saw members pledge to:

• We commit to be more visibly diverse at all levels of our organisations
  
• We will collaborate to invest and support our minority ethnic talent
  
• We will celebrate our achievements

The report identifies how members are ahead of the target schedule for ensuring 30 per cent of all Board members are Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic People by 2025, with currently almost 1 in 4 Board members from ethnic minorities.

A key commitment in the pledge was to support minority ethnic talent to progress. This year, 37 Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic People will complete the first Accelerate programme – a high-calibre Chartered Management Institute (CMI) leadership and development programme managers.

Commenting on the publication of the report, Geeta Nanda OBE, G15 Chair & Chief Executive of MTVH, said:

"When I signed this pledge two years’ ago on behalf of MTVH, I spoke about the responsibility G15 members had to lead the way in promoting and delivering inclusion.

"By doing so, not only do we support our own minority ethnic colleagues to prosper, but we are also in a better position to serve the communities where we work. Today, as the first person from a minority ethnic background to Chair the G15, I look back on the progress made and can see we are delivering on our commitments.

"However, we are acutely aware that there is much more to be done."

The report shares a wide range of case studies of how members are delivering on the pledge.

MTVH is creating a dedicated resourcing team in the organisation that will be charged with reviewing the entire recruitment approach, with diversity being a key focus. The review will include job descriptions, tracking and monitoring processes, as well as how shortlist practices and selection panels can evolve.

Network Homes’ ‘Springboard’ programme, which focuses on addressing the imbalances in its senior leadership and equipping colleagues of diverse ethnicities with confidence in a safe environment, have been acting as circular mentors for the Executive Leadership Team and other senior managers. These led to powerful conversations which have shaped the views of all colleagues participating and underpinned the rollout of inclusive leadership training for all senior managers across Network.

One Housing has worked with an EDI Consultant to develop an organisation-wide EDI Strategy for the first time. The Action Plan includes SMART actions that can be tracked and progressed, ensuring that specific managers take responsibility and ownership. The 2022 Annual Report will demonstrate performance against EDI objectives and commitments.

Peabody has supported minority ethnic colleagues to participate in external programmes focussed on the achievement of board and governance positions and career progression. These programmes included Black on Board, which saw 20 colleagues participate in the award-winning scheme established by Olmec to address underrepresentation at board level in the social housing sector.

L&Q’s Emerging Leaders and Aspiring Managers internal leadership programme currently has 58 colleagues participating, with 55% of delegates from a minority ethnic background. The organisation has also seen two colleagues successfully complete the Leadership 2025 programme.

Southern Housing’s Fleet House played host to an induction event for the first cohort of minority ethnic students taking part in the Future of London’s Emerging Talent. The group is working with a range of other high-profile companies to offer the opportunity for people from London’s minority ethnic communities to start a professional career in housing, regeneration, and development.

Notting Hill Genesis' ‘Race at Work Action Plan’ has led to a significant increase in executive and non-executive Board membership. Minority ethnic people now make up 33% of board representatives and 33% of the executive board as of April 2022. To further ensure the organisation is held accountable to its diversity commitment, a board member has been appointed as diversity champion to ensure diversity is always on the agenda.

Catalyst has introduced new guidance and mandatory training for all managers covering inclusion and the impact of unconscious bias on recruitment, promotion and retention. This guidance and training supported the rollout of a new set of diversity and inclusion principles for all recruitment campaigns, setting out specific requirements for diverse interview panels, values-based inclusion interview questions and reasonable adjustments.

Clarion has engaged BAME Recruitment & Consulting, a Diversity & Inclusion Specialist Provider, to complete a high-level review of its policies, procedures, recruitment, and selection processes. The review confirmed that many positive initiatives are in place and demonstrated a clear commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion. This can be seen in the continuing trend of the level of applications for job roles from minority ethnic candidates maintaining (43%), and most importantly an increase in the number receiving offers, which is up 18% from last year.

Hyde's commitment to diversity and intersectionality has seen the creation of a ‘Junior Board’. The Junior Board is a development opportunity for talented younger employees. The Junior Board takes on challenges set by the Executive team offering diverse perspectives on business issues.

Optivo created the 'Maximising Potential' programme following feedback from colleagues about their career development needs and experiences. The programme focuses on supporting progression of colleagues into supervisory and management roles. Maximising Potential was specifically advertised to minority ethnic colleagues in response to an under-representation in management roles. For candidates who were unsuccessful in their applications to the programme, a dedicated learning opportunity was offered focused on application writing, personal impact, and interviewing skills to build skills and confidence to apply for the next programme.

A2Dominion has created a new toolkit to support inclusive resourcing, equipping all hiring managers with the resources and Improving recruitment practices guidance they need to help ensure broad representation and inclusive recruitment approaches. Through this system, internal candidates are given support on how to apply for their next role. The current focus is best practice for interviewing, which is being targeted to key areas from April 2022.