Q. Research from the Black Talent Charter in collaboration with Bain & Company, shows that despite ongoing efforts to diversify, the finance and the professional sectors, which include consulting, accounting, law and finance, currently employ less than half the percentage (2%) of the Black British working population, which is 4.4%. So what do you think could be done to improve this statistic and increase representation in our industry? I think the most important thing that can be done is getting the message out there to show that anyone can work in the financial services industry. We need to tackle the stigma surrounding the industry, and I think that the only way to do this is to face the facts and figures. We know that the industry is predominantly White and male, and I think talking about this helps raise awareness and ultimately will help to drive positive change in terms of achieving greater diversity. Q. Research from Black Talent Charter shows that fewer than 1% of senior leadership in financial and professional services are Black. What qualities do you think are essential for leadership within the financial services industry, particularly for promoting diversity and mentoring those who want to climb the ladder? Being open to listen to new perspectives and ways of doing things, looking at people for their talent not for a statistic. People in leadership shouldn’t have any bias, whether that’s based on gender, race, sexuality, cultural background or anything else. Q. Are there any success stories you have had that highlight the impact of greater diversity in the workplace? I don’t really have a success story as such, however, I would say that personally in my work life I haven’t faced any discrimination based on the colour of my skin, is that a success story? I suppose it is in a way. I’ve been given opportunities and managed to work my way into positions that I have wanted, whether that be because of my work ethic, luck or a sign that times are changing in a positive way. 13 AUTUMN MORTGAGE NEWSLETTER Q. How can we encourage more Black individuals and of course other minority groups, to consider a career in financial services? I think there is plenty that can be done; we should be shouting from the rooftops about the opportunities that exist, talking about the changes in the industry, talking about the opportunities for growth and progression, and the sharing the wide variety of roles that exist (e.g. I am in event management, but within financial services – you don’t have to be giving advice to be in the industry!). One of the things that stood out for me was the Diversity and Inclusion forums from Mortgage Solutions, I think working for a business that has a membership with professional body shows that they are aware of issues that exists and want to be part of the change. Q. Finally, how can people support and celebrate Black History Month within their workplace and community? Or do you have any materials such as films they could watch if they wanted to learn more? Acknowledge it, talk about it, don’t let the month pass by. By celebrating this month, we raise awareness. We are openly educating ourselves about things from the past and how we want and need to move forward. Black History Month doesn’t just raise awareness for Black people it highlights the need for diversity and inclusion of all. We all want for a better future and this is just one way to encourage this; more awareness increases the likelihood of change. I don’t want to make any suggestions for films. Most films concentrate on American Black history. Slavery, Martin Luther, Rosa Parkes, Malcolm X, which is just one side of Black history. I would suggest people get involved in their local communities. For instance, the reggae carnival in Coventry had a dedicated Windrush exhibition people could visit for free. That’s English Black history that only a small amount of the UK population is aware of.
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