Suzie Walker Executive Search joins over 900 organisations by signing the Race at Work Charter
We are proud to announce that Suzie Walker Executive Search has joined over 900 employers in signing up to the Race at Work Charter, an initiative designed for businesses to collectively commit to improving equal opportunities for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and ethnically diverse employees in the UK.
The Race at Work Charter builds on the findings from Business in the Community’s 2021 Race at Work Survey, which found that while 76% of employers said that race recruitment and progression was a priority, only 46% had set targets to improve the racial diversity of their boards.
The survey also found that whilst 99% of employers have a zero-tolerance policy on racial harassment and bullying, Black, Asian, Mixed Race and ethnically diverse employees are twice as likely than White employees to have experienced or witnessed racist harassment from managers, customers, clients, and colleagues.
The Race at Work Charter calls on businesses to:
Appoint an Executive Sponsor for race
Capture data and publicising progress
Ensure zero tolerance of harassment and bullying
Make equality in the workplace the responsibility of all leaders and managers
Take action that supports ethnic minority career progression
Support race inclusion allies in the workplace
Include Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse-led enterprise owners in supply chains.
Launched in 2018, the Race at Work Charter builds on the work of the 2017 McGregor-Smith Review, which found that people from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and ethnically diverse backgrounds are still underemployed, underpromoted and under-represented at senior levels.
Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Director, Business in the Community (BITC), said: “We would like to thank Suzie Walker Executive Search for publicly committing to be an inclusive and responsible employer. By signing up to the charter, they are joining over 900 businesses who are working together so that the UK can have one of the most inclusive workplaces in the world. By taking collective action, we can break down workplace barriers, raise the aspirations and achievements of talented individuals regardless of their ethnicity and deliver an enormous boost to the long-term economic position of the UK.”
Suzie Walker, MD & Founder, Suzie Walker Executive Search, said: “We are proud to sign the Race at Work Charter, committing to improve equal opportunities within the workplace. We are passionate about the impact we can have on helping businesses to achieve diversity and inclusion within the marketing and digital senior leadership teams that we support. BITC’s Race at Work Charter is hugely important for the future of business, and we look forward to working with them, helping to achieve our mutual goals.”
For more information about BITC’s Race at Work Charter, and to pledge your support, visit bitc.org.uk
To discuss how Suzie Walker Executive Search can help your business to ensure diversity and inclusion when hiring for your senior leadership teams, please get in touch or connect with us/send a message on LinkedIn.
Suzie Walker Executive Search is a firm of specialist headhunters with an expert team recruiting interim and permanent senior leaders for consumer-facing (B2C) and B2B2C marketing and digital roles in FTSE 350 and private equity-backed companies. Find out how we can support you by connecting with a Consultant below.
