FUTURE TALENT November - January 2019/2020 | Page 21

FRONT OF HOUSE
WHAT IS THE SINGLE-MOST
IMPORTANT THING ORGANISATIONS
CAN DO TO PROMOTE D&I?
There’s an absolute need to be
intentional around driving the
D&I agenda.
This means building role models
right at the top of the house and
making sure that you don’t just hire
in diverse talent but combine
strategically orientated hires with
growing your own bench of talent
that reflects the D&I culture.
In growing your own, you need
to ensure that diverse people
intentionally go out and get the right
experience that equips them for
the big jobs. Otherwise, we see
financial services organisations
being caught in what I would
describe as “the beautiful catch 22”:
they are very real in their ambition
to have more diverse leaders, but
the diverse talent is falling short
at the assessment stage, because
they haven’t been connected to the
right experiences.
DOES THE FINANCIAL SERVICES
SECTOR LIVE UP TO ITS REPUTATION
AS AN ‘OLD BOYS’ CLUB’?
I think the picture has changed due
to the pace and complexity of
change; organisations need to be
much more agile and open to
disruption. Former ‘old-school’
ecosystems have either been
broken down or are being broken
down. The need to respond in
a more complex manner has driven
that. But there are still pockets of
financial services with elements
of what you describe.
What needs to be done? There’s
an absolute piece around role-
modelling, and role-modelling
difference. And celebrating those
who celebrate success in a different
way than those before them.
I think that a lot of it is focused
on culture. Of course, the regulator
is focused on culture now as well:
au d i t i n g cu l tu re s i n a way
that rewards inclusivity and tying
that inclusivity to the bottom line;
being able to demonstrate that
inclusivity doesn’t just make
sense from a social mobility
perspective, it clearly drives greater
commercial success.
F
Building a culture
of inclusivity
allows a business
to celebrate
difference,
rather than
stamping it out
as an irritant
WHO IS LEADING THE FIELD IN
ASPECTS OF D&I?
In the UK, AXA has created a culture
where it’s as acceptable for male
leaders to take parental leave as it
is for female leaders. It’s about being
i nte nt i o n a l , a n d t h i s b e i n g
role-modelled by relatively senior
people within the organisation.
At Hiscox, success is very much
ju d g e d a rou nd co m me rc i a l
outcomes and behaviours rather
than ‘face time’; flexible working is
embraced there, as long as the
results come through. And Zurich is
also being intentional around D&I:
all three of Zurich’s big regional
markets are led by women.
There are examples all over the
place of firms being intentional in
some ways; the trick is to bring it all
together. We need more practical
changes to break down common
assumptions around what is
considered ‘normal’ – things
that actually stifle the ability of
diverse talent.
HOW DO YOU HELP YOUR CLIENTS
EMBRACE D&I?
On the search side of our business,
whether or not clients put diversity
in the room as a priority, we put it in
the room. We have a stated target
around our board slate that 50% of
the initial ideas we show a client will
be diverse. We’re not just intentional
at board level, but at all levels.
We’ll challenge, at the briefing
stage, if we think the brief will
discount most talent that’s diverse
and encourage them to shift in that
definition. If the client’s interview
panel is completely undiverse, we’ll
suggest they change it. If a diverse
candidate needs a bit more time to
think about whether or not it’s a fit
for them, we would encourage the
client , within the realms of
what is possible, to give them
that time.
We’re really trying to hold
our clients true to this intentionality
throughout the course of the
search process.
Our consulting arm does a lot of
work around supporting clients as
they are looking to grow their
internal bench of diverse talent,
whether that’s through coaching,
assessment or per formance
management.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FIRMS THAT
ARE RESISTANT?
You’ve got to start with some
commercial hard truths; if you’re
dealing with an organisation that’s
November – January 2019 // 21