Press Release
Today marks the launch of a new recruitment toolkit to advance socio-economic diversity across the UK’s financial services workforce, designed by the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), in partnership with Progress Together.
The toolkit has been crafted for Boards, C-suite executives, HR and talent acquisition teams, equipping them with evidence-based strategies and actionable steps to drive real change. The structured framework contains key questions for hiring managers to ask their executive search partners and includes topics such as:
- Sourcing and attracting candidates from underrepresented backgrounds
- Effective use of socio-economic data to support fair hiring
- Composition of search terms and minimising bias throughout the process
- Fair and inclusive assessment and onboarding practices
This is designed to spark accountability, meaningful dialogue and drive measurable, transparent progress towards a more inclusive leadership pipeline.
Anne Barnett, Chief People Officer, Paragon said, “It’s fantastic to see Progress Together and The Association of Executive Search Consultants empower organisations with a practical toolkit to champion socio-economic diversity, enabling HR and talent acquisition teams to unlock broader talent and transform leadership and the highest levels.”
Senior roles are largely dominated by those from higher socio-economic backgrounds with recent studies revealing only 28% of senior leaders in UK financial services are from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Lynne Dalgarno, Head of Human Resources, Insight Investment said, “At the heart of Insight’s culture and mission, is a belief that diverse groups make more informed and balanced decisions and we are committed to looking for talent everywhere and to creating a culture which ensures that every individual has the opportunity and support to succeed.
We are proud of our membership of Progress Together and this collaboration has helped us develop our thinking through accessing key resources and learning from the experiences of other peer members.”
This toolkit release marks an important milestone in the ongoing mission to ensure the UK’s financial sector is led by performance and potential—not privilege. Firms are shaping a future where leadership opportunities and advancement are open to all that qualify, regardless of their socio-economic starting point.
Access the Toolkit. For more information, please contact AESC or Progress Together.
