In this Episode we spoke to Steve Butler, he is CEO of Punter Southall Aspire, and author of Inclusive Culture: Leading change across organisations and industries.
Steve practises what he preaches and explains to us how SMEs can help move the dial on diversity and inclusion in the financial advice profession.
FCA Research Notes in Financial Regulation showed, in 2019, “Gender diversity is low at the industry level overall with women making up just around 17% of FCA-approved individuals. Despite several regime shifts, this figure is remarkably unchanged since 2005.”
Lack of diversity among races and under representation of neurodivergent workers proves to be a problem in finance too. Patchy reporting indicates these demographics are under-represented within the industry and do not align with their representation in the UK population.
Lack of diversity can prove a problem for any industry, not least those that are client focussed. A lack of diversity can prove a major risk, especially in regards to groupthink.
Steve outlines what he did in his business to help diversity, and it starts with inclusion. Inclusion can be seen as buzz-word that can sometimes solicit groans, however Steve highlights how it can de-risk a business, improve productivity and ensure a transfer of knowledge between decreasingly disparate groups.
If you would like to get involved, or find out more about what Inclusion and Diversity can offer your business, check out the The Diversity Project.Â
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