Category: All posts

What do we know (and do not know) about diversity and inclusion issues in finance?

Posted on by 30club-Poland

21 April 2022 (Thursday)

18:00

Anna Golec PhD, Anna Zamojska PhD

Diversity

 

What do diversity and inclusion mean in finance? During the webinar topic regarding operationalisation challenges (definitions, measurement, models, etc.) and strengths and weaknesses of popular D&I research reports will be discussed.

The lecture “What we know (and what we do not know) about the issue of diversity and inclusion in finance” “in English on behalf of 30% Club Poland will be given by two researchers:

– Anna Golec, PhD, Co-founder and Ambassador of 30% Club Poland,
– Anna Zamojska, PhD from the Department of Econometrics at the University of Gdańsk.

 

The lecture is part of the series of webinars “Enhance Your Chance” organized by the QuantFin – Foundation.

On-line registration here. 

Melíosa O’Caoimh takes up role as 30% Club Ireland Chair

Posted on by 30club-Ireland
Meliosa O'Caoimh

Melíosa O’Caoimh, Country Head for Northern Trust

Melíosa O’Caoimh, Country Head for Northern Trust, is the new chair of the 30% Club Ireland, whose aim is to support a minimum of 30% gender balance at all senior decision-making levels in companies across the globe. The Irish chapter is supported by the leaders of 285 leading organisations across all business sectors. , representing more than 650,000 employees here. Melíosa takes over the role from Rachel Hussey, Clients & Markets Partner at Arthur Cox.

 

 

Melíosa is responsible for leading Northern Trust’s business in Ireland. Northern Trust is one of Ireland’s largest fund administrators and global custodians employing more than 1,700 people across offices in Dublin and Limerick.  The company employ over 1300 people at their Shannonside headquarters, and another 400 at their Dublin offices.

 

Prior to joining Northern Trust in 2003, Meliosa held various management roles with Pioneer Global Investments. She has a B.A degree in Economics and Politics from University College Dublin, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and a Member of the Institute of Taxation in Ireland.

 

Melíosa previously sat on the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, and is now chair of the 30% Club in Ireland,  co-chair of Business in the Community’s Leader Sub-Group on Sustainable Employment, and also sits on the Board of the National Maternity Hospital Foundation.

 

For more information on 30% Club Ireland see: https://30percentclub.org/chapters/ireland/

 

Ends

 
 

FTSE 100 meets Parker diversity target

Posted on by Admin
Parker Review

FTSE 100 hits 2021 target

The Parker Review target for the FTSE 100 to have at least one board director from an ethnically diverse background by the end of 2021 has largely been achieved. 

The latest update from the Review has confirmed 89 FTSE 100 companies achieved the target by the deadline of December 2021. A further five have announced new ethnic director appointments in early 2022 and another three report they are actively engaging in recruitment.

Across the FTSE 100, 16% of board directors are now ethnically diverse, and 49% are women. 

The Review states: “These numbers compare starkly and very favourably with the position back in 2016, when only 47% of FTSE 100 companies had people from minority ethnic groups in their boardrooms. The number of companies with minority ethnic directors has doubled.

“We are also encouraged to note that the number of people from minority ethnic groups on FTSE 100 Boards splits evenly between genders, with women comprising 49% of the minority ethnic directors.”

Across the FTSE 250, where the deadline is the end of 2024, 12% of board directors are now from ethnically diverse backgrounds and 44% are women.

At the executive level, there hasn’t been as much progress. The Review states: “As expected, the great majority of these board positions are as non-executive directors.” 

There are also only six CEOs and 12 other executive directors across the FTSE 100 who come from a minority ethnic group. And there are only three board chairs from a minority ethnic group background. 

At the launch of the Review’s latest update, Secretary of State for BEIS Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “Never has there been a more compelling evidence base for the value of building diversity into business, all the way up to the Boardroom.

“Never has it been more clear that British business is seizing the initiative, responsive to the fact that drawing in talent across the diversity of society drives increased value to companies and makes good business sense. 

Read THE report
Leaders for race equity

“Business and Government are united in our shared belief in equality of opportunity to deliver a business environment that rewards meritocratic achievement: discovering, developing, and rewarding talent — irrespective of background.

“Out of uniting around the common goal of excellence, I have every faith that British business and the UK economy will build back better out of this pandemic.”

The update comes just two weeks after the 30% Club UK Investor Group issued a statement addressing the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in UK business and outlined the action it is taking to make positive change.

Members of the group who have signed up to the statement have more than £11 trillion assets under management. 

In February, the group sent letters to the FTSE 100 companies its independent research suggested had yet to meet the Parker Review targets.  

The letter warned the companies that investors may consider voting against companies at their annual general meetings if they fail to take action.

If your company wants to take action to make its senior leadership team more diverse, we have teamed up with Change the Race Ratio and Moving Ahead to deliver the Leaders for Race Equity CEO development programme.

The nine-month cross-company programme for CEOs and minority ethnic group leaders who are in the Exco talent pipeline to share and learn from each other’s experiences and shape strategic action. To find out more, please contact our delivery partners Moving Ahead by emailing race.equity@movingahead.org.  

Where we are

The 30% Club has come a long way from when it was set up in the UK in 2010.We now span six continents and more than 20 countries. We’re actively expanding into more G20 countries

Find out more

Bank Islam Malaysia Comes On-board

Posted on by 30club-Malaysia

 

On International Women’s Day 2022 the 30% Club Malaysia welcomed its latest Corporate Advocate, Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB). A virtual event to commemorate these two important milestones was hosted by BIMB.

 

 

More than 160 guests from within BIMB, in addition to 30% Club Malaysia Corporate Advocates and volunteers tuned in to the event.

 

It began with a welcome address by Mohd Muazzam Mohamed, Group CEO, BIMB who shared the various initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the bank and in its operations. He also shared the commimentment to #breakthebias

 

 

Then 30% Club Malaysia’s Chair Ami Moris addressed the guests and highlighted that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is a business case for Malaysia to build world-class companies that can compete with the global best.

 

Some of the notable updates she shared was that women representation on the top 100 PLC boards rose to 26% in February 2022, close to double what it was in 2015 (14%) when the chapter was established. Moreover, the women representation on the boards of all the 900+ PLCs has also steadily increased to 18% from 11%.

 

 

She also shared that the 30% Club Malaysia’s mission is validated by the announcement at Budget 2022 that it is mandatory for PLCs to appoint a female director by September this year. 

Additionally, Bursa Malaysia’s recently launched PLC Transformation (PLCT) Programme also specifies diversity metrics as a measure of effectiveness of governance and talent management efforts.

 

 

30% Club Malaysia looks forward to more collaborative initiatives with BIMB and our other Corporate Advocates in 2022.

 

 

 

 

Happy International Women’s Day!

Posted on by 30club-Malaysia

To celebrate International Women’s Day month, the 30% Club Malaysia held its inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Conversation: Elevating Investability. 


The speakers and moderators were Albern Murty Digi Telecommunications, Jalil Rasheed Berjaya Corporation Berhad, Amar Gill BlackRock, Chitra Hepburn MSCI Inc., Shahril Azuar Jimin Maybank, Tunku Alina Alias, and Ami Moris Chair of 30% Club Malaysia. Here’s before we went live.


Let’s #BreakTheBias#InternationalWomensDay


Women in Leadership Scholarship Competition 2022

Posted on by Admin
Copy of COVER IMAGE - INVESTOR GROUP STATEMENT (3)

The Women in Leadership MBA scholarship is a collaboration between Henley, the 30% Club and Financial Times.

Now in its tenth year, the Women in Leadership scholarship is designed to offer practical support for the development of strong female talent and reflects the shared mission of the three partner institutions to encourage gender balance in leadership teams.

The competition is open to both women and men who have relevant experience in the workplace either in managing a team, running a project or planning strategy.

Entries need to answer, in no more than 800 words, the question:

“Would efforts to tackle climate change benefit from more women taking the lead?”

Entries must be submitted using the official application form, which can be downloaded at the bottom of this article. The winner will receive a fully-funded place worth up to £39,500 on our part-time Executive MBA – Global or Flexible Executive MBA programme starting in September/October 2022.

Deadline for entry: 23 May 2022 at 5pm.

Judging panel


  • Dr Anne Dibley, Head of Post-Experience and Apprenticeshipprogrammes at Henley

  • Laura Whitcombe, Global Campaign Manager, 30% Club

  • Harriet Arnold, Assistant Editor, Financial Times Special Reports

  • Plus additional judges to be confirmed.
Copy of COVER IMAGE - INVESTOR GROUP STATEMENT (2)

Judging criteria


It is important that participants draw not only on data, research and other evidence to support their arguments but also their own personal experience, which could include examples of initiatives they have worked on, or are in the process of designing.

We want submissions which make us think differently – challenge the status quo and demonstrate a real understanding of the dilemmas faced.

Up to 10 finalists will be shortlisted from all entries received by the deadline.

Participants do not need to apply for an MBA place before entering this competition, but are expected to check that they qualify for entry on to the programme. 

DOWNLOAD THE FORM

Where we are

The 30% Club has come a long way from when it was set up in the UK in 2010.We now span six continents and more than 20 countries. We’re actively expanding into more G20 countries

Find out more

NEW: 30% Club Podcast – Episode 1 featuring Sharon Thorne

Posted on by Admin

More episodes coming soon!

Brain tumour survivor on why Mission Include mentoring is so important for her

Posted on by Admin
Jessica Jones

A year ago, commercial banker Jessica Jones underwent a life-saving operation to remove a brain tumour that left her unable to walk unassisted.

Since then, not only has the 38-year-old mum of three from Swansea returned to the job that she loves but she’s also embarking upon a journey of personal development by being mentored on the 30% Club cross-company mentoring programme Mission INCLUDE.

It was important to Jessica to explain this life-changing experience to her mentor at their first meeting in November. Her diagnosis 18 months earlier changed her outlook on life and her career and will be a big part of her mentoring journey.

At its core, Mission INCLUDE is a structured cross-company mentoring programme that expertly pairs senior business leaders with mentors outside of their industry to challenge and help them progress.

Jessica is a relationship director at NatWest with responsibility for financing SMEs with turnovers of up to £50 million. She has been paired with mentor Laura Pingree, a partner at accountancy firm BDO LLP, who specialises in energy and mining.

During their first meeting, Jessica revealed how the excitement of receiving a promotion in March 2020 was overshadowed, three months later, by the devastating news that she would require life-saving surgery.

“I didn’t want sympathy, but I wanted her to know the journey I’d been on and why I was so determined to get the most out of this experience,” she says.

Jessica explained to Laura that after suffering hearing loss, headaches and tinnitus since 2019, she saw her GP in June 2020, who prescribed migraine tablets. But when the symptoms didn’t improve after a couple of days, she was referred to hospital for a CT scan.

While waiting for that appointment, her blood pressure became abnormally high, so she attended Prince Phillip hospital in her hometown of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. After two days of tests – and while sat alone due to Covid restrictions – Jessica was given the devastating news that she had an acoustic neuroma causing pressure on her brain stem.

“I was in total shock. Hearing those words, ‘you’ve got a brain tumour’ was terrifying. I was absolutely petrified and burst into tears,” says Jessica.

Backlogs caused by the pandemic meant she had to wait until January 2021 for surgery.

During a gruelling 13-hour operation, which involved removing a section of skull from behind Jessica’s ear, surgeons successfully removed most of the tumour. They advised to leave a small part of the tumour which had grown around the facial nerve, so not to cause facial palsy. The procedure has left her with single sided deafness and a CROS hearing aid.

She was kept in hospital for two weeks. Covid restrictions meant that Jessica’s husband Mark and their daughters Ella who is eight, and five-year-old twins Emily and Lily, couldn’t visit her.

“I was unable to stand the first few days without vomiting due to the vertigo, and each day challenged myself a little more. Thanks to the support of the team there, I finally left the hospital trundling along on a Zimmer frame at the age of 37,” she says. “When I was home, I paid for weekly sessions with a neuro-physio who helped me build the confidence and strength to walk without the frame.”

Her diagnosis left her fatigued and sometimes unable to walk more than 2,000 steps a day, but in September 2021, Jessica was keen to return to the job that she loves.

Jessica's surgery scar
WhatsApp Image 2022-03-02 at 10.50.17

“Natwest has fully supported me since the moment I was diagnosed and on the path towards rehabilitation,” says Jessica. “We spoke about both my personal and career development and I explained that I thought that being mentored by someone outside of banking would help develop me as an individual. They recognised what I had been through – and the journey that still lies ahead – and I’m grateful they gave me special approval to take part in Mission INCLUDE.

“In the 14 years I’ve worked for NatWest, I’d previously been on excellent courses that were bank focused and I have always been very passionate and committed in taking responsibility for my career progression. I knew that I would benefit from having an outside mentor challenge me, hold me accountable and offer external perspective on my development.”

Jessica admits she was initially surprised by who she was paired with.

“When I first read Laura’s profile, I was unsure as to why we’d been put together as our experience looks so different on paper. But I soon realised we are so well matched. Our personalities are very, very different but whatever algorithms Moving Ahead use to match people, it definitely works!

“We are very open with each other about our lives and our experiences. You need that openness, otherwise the mentoring would be very scripted.”

At their most recent meeting in January, Laura challenged Jessica to apply to sit on a non-executive board during the nine-month programme – something that would help give her exposure to other business issues that could be of use to her in NatWest.

In preparation, she’s also been tasked with gathering 360° feedback from colleagues to see if the areas that Jessica thinks that she needs to develop align with those they suggest.

“I questioned who would want me on their board, but by sharing her own experiences, Laura was able to reassure me that I have transferable skills and that businesses in sectors outside of banking – and outside of my comfort zone – would welcome,” she says. “And I now realise the experience would greatly aid me in my development within NatWest.”

Aside from the one-to-one mentoring, Mission INCLUDE offers other benefits.

“The programme includes regular Zoom events with participants from around the world, masterclasses to get the best out your development, networking sessions with other mentees, and the opportunity to hear from fantastic, thought-provoking expert speakers,” she says.

A recent talk by coach Holiday Phillips on pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone resonated with her.

“On Christmas Eve, I received the news that the remainder of my tumour is stable and I’ll have yearly scans to monitor what is left of it,” she says. “Having the tumour has taught me is life is too short to be taken for granted and to keep pushing yourself, developing and reflecting. Sometimes that means doing things that you’re a little uncomfortable with, but you may never get the opportunity to do again if you don’t do them now. I want to push myself and do things that perhaps make me feel a little bit uncomfortable.”

Jessica can already see the benefits that the Mission INCLUDE programme will bring to her and NatWest.

“I am already learning lots that I can apply to my current role and future development. Having a mentor share their expertise and encouragement will also help equip me with new skills that I can bring to the bank to assist others,” she says.

And it’s not only at the bank that that Jessica wants to help others. Last month, she embarked on an ambitious 10,000 Steps a Day challenge to fundraise and raise awareness for Brain Tumour Research to help find a cure for the devastating disease as a way of thanking all those who helped her. She raised more than £2,500. If you would like to donate, click here for more information.

Where we are

The 30% Club has come a long way from when it was set up in the UK in 2010.We now span six continents and more than 20 countries. We’re actively expanding into more G20 countries

Find out more

Elevating Investability: DEI Conversations #1

Posted on by 30club-Malaysia

Last month we kickstart our conversation on the business case for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), why it matters for great leadership, and how we can #breakthebias with our webinar, DEI Conversation #1: Elevating Investability.


More than 500 participants from Malaysia and the ASEAN region attended the webinar. Among the participants were CEOs/board members, senior leaders, fund managers from Malaysia and the ASEAN region. 


There were two-panel discussions. The speakers for Panel 1 were Albern Murty, CEO, Digi Telecommunications, Jalil Rasheed, former Group CEO, Berjaya Corporation while the Moderator was Dato’ Ami Moris, Chair, 30% Club Malaysia.


Watch the recording here.


The speakers for Panel 2 were Amar Gill, MD & Head of Investment Stewardship, APAC, BlackRock, Chitra Hepburn, MD&Head of ESG, APAC, MSCI, Shahril Azuar Jimin, CSO, Maybank Group and the moderator was Dr Tunku Alina Alias, Independent Director, Nestle, MPI, Batu Kawan IJM Corp. 


Watch the recording here.


The event partners were Securities Commission Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia, Minority Shareholders Watch Group, Institutional Investors Council Malaysia, Malaysian Association of Asset Managers, and our Knowledge Partner PwC Malaysia.


30% Club UK Investor Group statement on addressing racial inequality

Posted on by Admin
COVER IMAGE - INVESTOR GROUP STATEMENT (9)

Challenge for change

The 30% Club UK Investor Group has issued a statement addressing the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in UK business and outlined the action it is taking to make positive change.

“As institutional investors, we can contribute to addressing these inequities by taking concrete steps to promote diversity and inclusion across our portfolios and within our organisations,” it states.

Members of the group who have signed up to the statement have more than £11 trillion assets under management. 

The group has sent letters to the FTSE 100 companies its independent research suggests have still to meet the Parker Review targets of at least one board member and executive committee member from an ethnic minority background. They were meant to have done so by the end of 2021.

The letter warned the companies that investors may consider voting against companies at their annual general meetings if they fail to take action.

The Investor Group is committed to actively engage with UK company board chairs, nomination committees and executive teams on the issue of racial inequality in their leadership ranks and workforce.

The publication of the statement builds on the UK chapter of the 30% Club introducing race and ethnicity targets in July 2020. Those targets include members of the Club across the FTSE 350 having at least one person of colour at board and executive committee level by the end of 2023*. And as the 30% Club campaign is focused on gender, we expect at least half of those appointments to go to women of colour.

While the 30% Club works directly with CEOs and Chairs to encourage change, the Investor Group’s been working on improving the availability of data on race equity within the FTSE 100 by engaging with ESG data providers and supporting the creation of new data platforms, such as through its partnership with Diversio.

The Group is also running a race equity training programme for its members to ensure that all investors, big and small, are equipped to take action with the companies they invest in.

Read THE STATEMENT
COVER IMAGE - INVESTOR GROUP STATEMENT (12)

Diandra Soobiah, co-chair of the 30% Club UK Investor Group, said: “Diversity and inclusion in companies are integral to sound corporate governance and corporate culture. As long-term investors, we see the failure to take diversity seriously as a stark warning about the long-term sustainability of the company.

“Time is up for organisations that seek to simply tick boxes. The 30% Club Investor Group is putting FTSE companies on notice – the laggards need to do much better, and we’re willing to help.

“We all have an important role to play to ensure persistent race inequities in business and our society are addressed. As investors, we can have stronger dialogue with the companies we invest in, with a view to improving diversity and inclusion within companies in the UK.”

Ann Cairns, global chair of the 30% Club, said: “The 30% Club’s UK Investor Group issuing this statement is a significant moment for the UK investor community. With ESG rightfully gaining prominence in the board rooms and executive offices of the world’s biggest companies, addressing racial inequity is imperative for all asset managers.

“It could make a major contribution to delivering the change businesses, economies and societies so desperately need to see. I am tremendously grateful for the hard work done by the co-chairs and members of the 30% Club UK Investor Group to take a stand on racial inequality.”

*The 30% Club’s UK chapter set the 2023 deadline for the FTSE 350 as a stretch target for our FTSE 350 members to help meet the Parker Review target by the end of 2024.

Where we are

The 30% Club has come a long way from when it was set up in the UK in 2010.We now span six continents and more than 20 countries. We’re actively expanding into more G20 countries

Find out more
Join Us Image

Join us

Find out more

© 2025 The 30% Club

‘30% Club’ and the device mark are registered internationally as trade marks by
the 30% Club. No use may be made of such marks without the express prior written permission of the 30% Club.
All rights reserved.