Which investment firms were named in the UK’s top 50 employers for women?

Thu, April 26, 2018

Fidelity International has been included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women list of 50 UK companies prioritising gender equality.

Investment firms JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and State Street were also named.

The unranked list acknowledges 50 UK employers that place gender equality firmly within in their business strategy and are committed building inclusive cultures and progressing women in the workplace at all levels.

Mercer was the only pensions consultancy listed, while the banking sector also featured heavily as Barclays, Lloyds, RBS, Santander and TSB Banking Group were named.

Fidelity's submission flagged its Women Returners' Programme, which supports females back into work after career breaks, sometimes entering "traditionally male-dominated roles and, as a result, changing career path perceptions".

Morgan Stanley's highlighted that it was a Women in Finance Charter signatory, adding "we are committed to developing, promoting and retaining talented women and increasing their number in senior management."

Meanwhile, a JPMorgan spokesperson said: "A culture of inclusion is critical to [our] success. We are committed to supporting women and encouraging them to achieve career goals."

According to the supplement, State Street already has 38% female representation across the business and has set an objective to increase that by "setting targets at each level, measuring progress and building a diverse talent pipeline."

Lorraine Rodrigues, head of global diversity and inclusion at Fidelity, said: "I feel extremely proud to know that Fidelity International has been recognised for our focus on increasing representation of women at all levels in our organisation.

"In addition to the efforts underway within Fidelity, we are also very pleased to be working with our peers in the asset management industry to raise awareness about careers in the industry for women, through schools and university outreach programmes."

Law firms, management and business consultancies and government agencies such as HMRC, MI5 and MI6 also stood out.

The Times list is published annually in conjunction with Business in the Community (BITC) - The Prince's Responsible Business Network, as part of its Responsible Business Week.

Chloe Chambraud, gender equality director, BITC, said: "A huge congratulations to all the organisations in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2018 and to the Business in the Community Gender Equality Awards 2018 winners and finalists.

"They have shown their strong commitment to enabling men and women to contribute equally to society, understanding and addressing barriers to gender equality in the workplace, and recognising the benefits of having a diverse workforce at all levels.

"I hope that even more employers will follow their examples of best practice on this agenda."

Are you An Inclusive Leader? Ocean's 10.

Decide if you are an inclusive leader by answering the following 10 questions:

Do you sponsor someone with high potential who is from a group currently under-represented in leadership to support them in realising their career aspirations?

Do you ask those you manage or lead for feedback on the impact of your style and approach in supporting them to perform well and/or progress their careers?

Do you know the different values and drivers that motivate those you manage or lead and do you leverage these to help improve performance?

Do you challenge others if their behaviour or actions do not support inclusion and diversity?

Are you aware of the stereotypes, assumptions and judgements you make about different groups (unconscious bias) and what you can do to minimise the potential negative impact of these?

Do you involve and encourage those you manage or lead to identify problems early on, come up with solutions and improvement ideas?

Does your team reflect diversity in its demographic make-up, background and perspectives and do you leverage this to avoid group think?

Are you clear how inclusion and diversity can help you meet your own and the wider organisation’s business goals?

Do you help those you manage or lead understand the bigger organisational and strategic picture and their role within this?

Do you mentor others, including women and people from minority backgrounds and check that your approach meets their specific needs?