30% Club Ireland Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit

A roadmap for progress

Since we established the Irish Chapter of the 30% Club in 2015, we continue to be struck by the generous spirit of collaboration across our supporters, and their commitment to creating gender balance, collectively, across all aspects of business in Ireland. We also found that our supporters range from those at the early stages of their journey who welcome the opportunity to benefit from those further ahead, and those well advanced in their journey who now ask ‘where to next’.  It was against this backdrop that our Financial Services group, and the AgDiF group (our partnership with the Food & Drinks Industry) developed early toolkits to support members.  This proved to be such a popular resource that we have now collaborated across all our Industry groups to provide a single updated comprehensive toolkit of ideas and supports to help organisations across all sectors as they plan their D&I journey.

The toolkit highlights a potential roadmap for companies to follow, whether they want to plan an entire journey or focus on a particular stage or theme. It also includes sample policies, ideas, and case studies in action across our member supporters. In line with our mission to support the progression of all women, the toolkit is not focused solely on gender and instead provides opportunity for highlighting what works across the full diversity and inclusion agenda and recognising the value of a holistic plan.

Click here to see the toolkit  

For more information or to add your story to our case studies

CONTACT

gillian@gharford.ie

30% Club Board Connections

A unique directory of senior, highly qualified women, who are eager and available to commit their time and expertise to board roles.

When the Irish Chapter of the 30% Club was launched in 2015, the female gender balance across the boards of the ISEQ 20 stood at 12%.  By 2021, through a concerted effort by Chairs, CEOs and board actions the number had grown to 31%.  Our objective is to ensure that number is established as the floor for best practice rather than as a ceiling, and to see the figure grow and extend to all businesses across Ireland. 

This growth is dependent on the availability of diverse talent, but more importantly on the visibility of diverse talent.  To connect boards with such talent, the 30% Club now operates Board Connections – a unique directory of senior, highly qualified women, who are eager and available to commit their time and expertise to board roles.  Board Connections was previously known as the Board Diversity Initiative which was established in 2009 and has been an important resource in assisting organisations identify senior women eminently capable of being board members.  More than 170 board roles were filled by this initiative. In order to secure the future sustainability of the Directory, ownership transferred to the 30% Club in 2021.  

Board Connections, the production of which is kindly sponsored by Arthur Cox LLP  is available on request to Boards, Search Firms and other agencies committed to achieving greater balance at board level.

How do I put myself forward to be included?

To be included, all candidates should

• Currently operate, or have previously operated, as a senior executive with a significant number of years’ experience
• Have deep knowledge of either a specialist function, or as a business generalist
• Have the capacity to take on a Board role in addition to their current role – or alternatively are considering a board role on a returner/post career basis
• Be available to take up a role if selected by an organisation

What’s the process?

1. Interested candidates fill out the application template – and submit to the 30% Club Ireland
2. The templates are assessed for completeness and suitability by our review group
3. Suitable candidates are added to the Directory
4. The directory is promoted and made available to Chairs, CEOs and those involved in the search process
5. The relevant organisation carries out the selection and appointment process.

For details on applying please click here

How do I get access to the Board Connections directory?

Chairs, CEOs and those involved in the selection process for Board roles can request access by contacting gillian@gharford.ie

For more information contact Gillian Harford, gillian@gharford.ie

Executive & Board Resourcing Code

IMI/ 30% Club Network Mentor Programme – An All-Ireland Cross Company Virtual Mentoring Initiative

The IMI/30% Club Network Mentor Programme offers organisations across Ireland the opportunity to participate in a unique cross-company initiative designed to deliver an exceptional mentoring experience to your high potential talent mentees and your senior executive mentors.

Mentoring is a critical leadership development opportunity and a key element of any human capital strategy designed to attract, retain, develop and maximise an organisation’s key talent capability. Developmental mentoring also helps your talent with the quality of their thinking on issues that really matter to them and to your organisation.

Key Programme Objectives:

• To deliver a cross-company, cross-sector mentor network that will complement existing programmes in the Irish market and within individual organisations.

• To bring together experienced leaders and mid-career high potential individuals focused on professional and personal development.

• To enhance leadership capability in your talent pool.

Mentors and mentees meet virtually one-on-one and have access to a series of online leadership and development events.

For more information: click here 

CONTACT

Della Holmes-Slevin and Niamh Bicknell, mentoring@imi.ie

30% Club Ireland Investor Group

Established in June 2023, the 30% Club Ireland Investor Group is designed to further enhance our promotion of diversity across companies in Ireland.  As asset owners and asset managers with a fiduciary duty to our beneficiaries, we are committed to using our influence to achieve and maintain a minimum of 30% gender representation on the board and at the executive management level of Irish companies. 30% gender representation on boards is not the end goal but the threshold at which there is meaningful representation to exercise voices.  Founding members include ISIF, ILIM and KBI, with a combined AUM in excess of €125bn – and action is accompanied by a Statement of Intent.

The main purpose of this Statement of Intent is to signal the collective voice of the 30% Club Ireland Investor Group to companies, regulators, policy makers, other investors and the wider marketplace, and to demonstrate the ways in which investor group members will use their influence, including exercising ownership rights and undertaking stewardship to encourage progress on gender diversity that is sustainable over the longer term. The statement includes a call to action for “investee companies to take prompt and considered action to achieve and exceed the 30% gender diversity target and to enhance the presence of other underrepresented groups on their boards and at the executive management level.” 

To read the Statement of Intent click here

For further information, or to become a member of the Investor Group, please contact

Jeanne Collins – jeanne.collins@KBIGI.com or

Emma Jane Joyce – EJJoyce@ntma.ie

The Professional Services Firms’ Initiative was established in Ireland in 2015, to consider ways in which the group can support efforts towards increasing gender balance in law, accounting and consulting firms in the Irish market. The initiative is supported by the Managing Partners of Ireland’s leading professional services firms and is currently exploring next steps.

CONTACT

gillian@gharford.ie

A public sector initiative under the 30% Club Ireland was established in 2019, with a Working Committee set up in 2020. Membership of the current Committee is drawn from right across the public service, with representatives from the agriculture, defence, health, higher education and local government sectors, An Garda Síochána, the Public Appointments Service and Government Departments. The focus of the initiative is to help promote gender balance across civil and public service by sharing ideas and good practice, drawing on common opportunities and experiences while recognising the different challenges that exist in various sectors. It aims to engage both men and women and work alongside formal and informal structures to promote shared aims around a good working experience for all staff.  

Details of the Public Sector Network, its activities and events are available at https://www.30percentclubpsn.ie

Contact

For more information contact the Working Committee at  PSN30Club@equality.gov.ie

The Agrifood Diversity & Inclusion Forum was established in 2017 to promote diversity and inclusion in the Irish food and drink sector. Attracting, retaining and developing talent is one of the largest risks facing the food & drinks sector. This initiative aims to secure commercial success through the recognition that attracting the best talent depends on making current and future workers feel they are valued and that their contribution is recognised. The Forum is supported by Bord Bia and Aon and membership is made up of business leaders from the Irish food and drinks sector.

CONTACT

Christine.Farrell@BordBia.IE

For more information click here

BioPharmaChem

The Pharma Diversity & Inclusion Working Group was established in 2019 to promote Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging in the Pharmaceutical sector in Ireland. Membership of the working group includes representatives from Biopharmaceutical, Pharmaceutical and Chemical companies across all areas of the country and the group is supported by BPCI (Ibec’s industry body for the Pharma sector).

Challenges – The key challenges for the sector include the ability to attract high quality talent, to retain them in the industry and to help them develop their careers all of which will benefit individual Pharma companies, the sector as a whole and ultimately the Irish economy.

Ambition – The ambition of the working group is to be a cohesive voice specifically for the Pharma sector in Ireland and it is the first D&I Forum focused on improving the challenges encountered by BioPharmaChem companies. 

Vision – The stated Vision of the working group is to Attract, Retain, Return and Grow the best talent for the BioPharmaChem sector in Ireland.

Purpose – The stated Purpose is to be useful to BioPharmaChem businesses in achieving their culture and inclusion ambitions, with an initial focus on gender balance.

To achieve its ambitions, the working group has developed a number of initiatives under 3 pillars

1. Awareness & Influencing

2. Supporting Business

3. Enabling Talent

In parallel, the working group will continue to inform our work through research & benchmarking and to advance diversity in our sector through increasing awareness across the sector membership.

CONTACT

paul.mccabe@approcess.com

For more information click here

Established in 2020, The Technology subgroup was set to continue to promote diversity and inclusion within this sector. The Technology sector intention is to be a catalyst for change within the technology industry; collaboratively driving the progression of female talent into senior Tech roles of influence.  In doing so, creating positive commercial and competitive benefit to the sector as a whole in Ireland and providing a template for balanced senior leadership to the industry on a global scale.

In line with the overall strategy of the 30% Club, the group focuses on three key areas to drive change.

Activating members –

Build senior leadership engagement and advocacy.

Encourage industry collaboration and enhance company-led talent development to include an industry-led collaborative open-source approach

Influencing for change –

Create strategic alliances for future needs – building complementary relationships with other advocacy groups and communities, including the areas of academic and political influence while focusing on female progress at senior level.

Enabling Talent –

drive visibility on progress and senior roles by

• Building a senior community of talent based on sponsorship, senior mentoring and purposeful networks.
• Focusing on career progression tools unique to the industry.
• Showcasing senior talent with specific focus on boards ready/boards opportunities.

The 30% Club Technology Group also partners with CWiT (Connecting Women in Technology) who focus on STEM initiatives within organisations, and across school programmes, as a strong contributor to talent pipeline development.  For further information www.cwit.ie.

CONTACT

James Magill, Vodafone Ireland. James.Magill@vodafone.com

In February 2017, IMI and the 30% Club conducted a focus group with over 50 women in senior leadership roles in Ireland. Based on the insights from this focus group and other global research, Taking the Lead is designed to give women executives an opportunity to come together and share their leadership experiences in a learning environment that has direct relevance and personal impact.

The programme will help you develop accelerators like purpose, empowerment and your personal brand whilst learning to address inhibitors like overwhelm, unconscious bias and power-play.

Taking the Lead will:

 – Give you feedback on your leadership style.
 – Help you develop or reinforce your vision and goals.
 – Help you navigate your way in complex executive roles.
 – Empower you to create real change in your career and industry.

For further information, please click link

CONTACT

programmeadvisors@imi.ie

What is Network 30

Network 30 is a forum where leaders of Womens/Gender Networks in 30% Club member organisations can come together to network, collaborate and share ideas on what they have done, what has worked well, and ideas for future plans

Why has it been established

As the focus on gender diversity has developed in Ireland we have seen growth in the number of organisations with gender networks where

Many organisational networks are well advanced, others are at the early stages of development and would like to learn more

Some networks are very Dublin centred; some are located in other specific cities and some organisations have the challenge of being multi site/multi geography – all of which can lead to great opportunities for cross organisation local events

Ultimately all networks are looking to add value, and it makes sense for us to learn from each other and share resources where there is a good fit

Where does it fit in the 30% Club Structure

Network 30 complements, and sits alongside the work of the 30% Club, the talent initiatives and the Industry Groups.  Membership is for the gender network leads, so that gives access to another audience, and the agenda focuses on information sharing specific to gender networks, which brings additional topics to the table.

For further information contact network30@aib.ie, or gillian@gharford.ie

CONTACT

gillian@gharford.ie

The Executive & Board Resourcing Code 

A code of conduct for search professionals to adhere to in the placement of diverse talent across senior roles in organisations, with the support of business decision makers. 

As organisations strive to achieve better performance through more diverse balance across senior decision-making roles, recruitment and appointments becomes a pivotal process.  The Executive & Board Resourcing Code is designed to support search firms and organisations in more effective delivery of this process.  The Code is based on four key principles incorporating Strategy & Goals, Talent Pipeline, Process and Monitoring & Reporting.  The Code also recognises the importance of search firms and client organisations working together in partnership on delivering change. It is anticipated that the Code will become a referral point for the Balance for Better Business outputs, to be announced soon by the Government Review Group. 

How the Code is applied

Executive search firms and search professionals, as signatories to the Code, commit to following the Code’s provisions in their board and senior executive search processes, irrespective of sector or company; and to ensuring that the principles and key behaviours are embedded in their day to day practices.  A list of signatories is published, and signatories are also encouraged to publicise their compliance through their website and through public reporting of measures of success.

 Individual organisations are actively encouraged to support the principles set out in the Code and to work in collaboration with the executive search partner, whether in-house or external, in ensuring the Code is upheld; and that ultimately greater balance is achieved across senior decision-making functions with particular emphasis at board and c-suite executive levels.  In particular, it is anticipated that Nomination Committees will encourage the adoption of the principles and the suggested behaviours in both Board and internal selection processes, supported by the CEO and the HRD.

The 30% Club and Ibec have committed to promoting the Code and its signatories with our members, encouraging them to engage in future with recruitment and executive search firms who are as committed to diversity as they are. By working together, we hope that we can make further advances to address the challenge of gender balance in decision-making roles and ultimately for better business outcomes.

Click here for a copy of the Code

For more information on the Code and how you can support, contact Gillian Harford, Country Executive 30% Club Ireland.  gillian@gharford.ie

CONTACT

gillian@gharford.ie