Diversity UK - a think tank to research & promote new ideas on diversity.

Inspire network supports global rollout of the Board Apprentice scheme

The Harvey Nash Inspire network, which has been connecting senior businesswomen to improve representation at Board level, is supporting the rollout of Board Apprentice worldwide. Created by fellow Inspire member Charlotte Valeur, Board Apprentice aims to increase the number and diversity of Board ready candidates. The launch event held at the House of Lords on Thursday 2nd July 2015, hosted by Baroness Sandip Verma, was attended by over a hundred Inspire members and corporates. read more

The Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech 2015 celebrate diversity in the digital sector

On June 17 2015, the Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech list, in association with KPMG, NewAsianPost and Wayra, was announced by Diversity UK at a networking event held in London. Winner of the Chairman's Award was Dinesh Dhamija, previously the Founder of one of Europe’s most successful internet travel agencies, ebookers.com, and now the Founder and Chairman of Copper Beech. Mr Dhamija was presented with his award by HE Shri Ranjan Mathai, High Commissioner of India to the UK. read more

Livstycket: Empowering refugee women through fashion

Livstycket, a non-profit organisation that empowers Sweden’s refugee women by teaching fashion and design, was invited to showcase their activities in London on Wednesday 10th June 2015. Hosted by The Ambassador of Sweden Ms Nicola Clase at her residence, guests from British arts and cultural organisations were invited to participate in a roundtable to share experiences, skills and knowledge with the founder of Livstycket, Birgitta Notlof and her team. read more

Dr Mike Lynch: ‘Get more girls to study physics’!

Dr Mike Lynch OBE. Image copyright of Diversity UK. — Dr Mike Lynch OBE

“To encourage more female entrepreneurship in the tech sector, it starts at school. The UK needs to get more girls to study physics degrees so that they can go on to develop technological solutions to the challenges of the modern world” said Dr Mike Lynch, founder of Autonomy, arguably Britain’s biggest tech success story. A physicist, Dr Lynch is known for his work applying techniques from signal processing and pattern recognition to unstructured information, and the company he founded continues to be a leader in this area. read more

Britain on track to meet women on boards target

The 2015 Cranfield Female FTSE Board Report confirms that Britain’s top boardrooms are set to meet the 25% women on boards target this year. The report reveals 23.5% of FTSE 100 boards are now female (up from 20.7%), with 263 female held directorships across the FTSE 100. The percentage of non-executive directors has increased to 28.5% and women in executive directorships is at an all time high of 8.6%. Only 17 more female appointments are needed across the FTSE 100 boards to reach the target set by the Lord Davies review. read more

New study reveals public sector less diverse than private sector

A groundbreaking new survey, by executive recruiters the Green Park Group, into the diversity of staff working in the top 5,000 leadership roles within the public and voluntary sectors reveals that ethnic minorities and women remain significantly under-represented. Strikingly, the statistics also reveal that despite the legal obligation on public bodies to promote equality and diversity in their staff, their performance is actually worse in many areas than FTSE 100 companies. Ethnic diversity in local authority leadership is so low that it 'defies analysis'. read more

Busting the ‘meritocracy’ myth about Public Appointments

The 'Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Representation in Public Appointments' report by Diversity UK busts the myth that Public Appointments are made solely on the basis of merit. The survey, which for the first time collected the views of ethnic minority individuals, particularly women, found that the majority had not applied for a public appointment despite being aware of these appointments and despite 60% expressing a wish to apply in the future. Overly detailed application forms, requirements for previous board experience and a lack of cultural knowledge from executive recruiters were cited as reasons for detracting respondents from applying. read more