Following the rise in profile and interest in Black Lives Matter (BLM) after the murder of George Floyd, Investment consultant Redington, with support from the Diversity Project and 9 other leading global investment management firms, is helping to connect businesses directly with students to tackle the underrepresentation of black people in the industry.
Firms will work with more 30 black students from schools across South London and a range of universities, to find ways of boosting the number of entry-level roles to this section of the population.
The participating organisations – Aon, Fidelity International, Invesco, LCP, Lincoln Pensions, Mercer, Morgan Stanley, Redington, St James’s Place and Wellington – will share details on their current diversity initiatives and entry level strategies, alongside what they perceive as any barriers to bringing in young black talent.
Students will then be encouraged to challenge firms on their existing approaches. They will then present both their findings and solutions, as part of a digital session, to CEOs and other senior leaders from the participating firms as well as representatives from the Diversity Project and #talkaboutblack campaign.
A word from Derek Browne, CEO, EiA
“I am excited to be part of this initiative. As someone who joined the industry 30 years ago, I am aware it has made slow progress to identify and recruit black talent despite a range of recruitment programmes under the banner of diversity. This initiative provides a unique platform to engage some of the highest profile Investment Management firms with a range of talented young individuals who are excited about the industry. Working with Gen Z to solve industry challenges is the way forward and I hope this is the first of many programmes for Entrepreneurs in Action.”
and from Mitesh Sheth, CEO, Redington
“This is a timely opportunity for us as a group of industry executives to hear directly from young black students about the obstacles they face and their suggestions for increasing access for young black talent into our firms. It’s a chance to step out of our echo chamber, hear their perspectives, and hopefully identify some talented young people too.”
