The value of diversity in the Boardroom is recognised, not least the critical underpinning that cognitive diversity provides to the Board discussion.
A decade ago much of the diversity debate focused on gender. Today it has broadened considerably:
Gender representation in senior executive roles is as much under scrutiny as in the Boardroom, and the importance of the pipeline is better understood.
The emphasis has shifted from Diversity to a very welcome focus on Diversity and Inclusion.
Companies are building a better understanding of the multi-faceted and intersectional nature of Diversity, including – but not limited to - ethnicity; age; disability; sexual orientation; and socio-economic background.
Most Boards and companies are therefore alert to the importance of diversity and Fidelio is pleased to be supporting a number of Boards internationally as they consider the oversight, guidance, and strategic direction they provide with regard to D&I. Moreover, 52% of Fidelio appointments have been female and 30% have been from an ethnic minority background in the past three years.
But unequivocally more needs to be done and we are also seeing regulators and investors take a close interest as to whether meaningful progress is being made.
In this Overture Fidelio takes a snapshot view of the reporting and regulatory landscape for Boards and gender diversity. We will follow up with other very important dimensions of Diversity in the weeks ahead.
And for those who rightly argue that COP26 should be the focus of our attention at present, please note recent research by a non-profit focused on Board diversity suggests that companies with more gender diverse Boards also make more progress on the journey towards Net Zero.
To continue reading ‘Diversity, The Board (& COP 26) – A Snapshot’, click here.
