Successfully diversifying the leadership landscape
Organisations large and small represent and interact with multiple and diverse communities every day. The need to adequately represent those communities with the leaders they choose and the teams they grow is vitally important.
Our people are committed to seeking out, supporting and developing senior leadership talent from all backgrounds of life. Our diversity initiatives are proven to offer clear and results-based approaches to help our clients find, keep and enhance their leaders of tomorrow.
Pictured: a sample of our appointments over the last two years
Our figures shown are based on candidates that chose to answer during application
Inclusivity embedded
Our commitment to the highest quality research means we take the time and guarantee the individual attention each appointment needs. This allows us to think more holistically and produce an inclusive and broad candidate list which really makes a real impact. Our approach delivers the results needed and we are very proud of this, growing diversity of boards and executive teams across the commercial, public and not-for-profit sectors.
We maximise our research-based activity with additional strategies:
Maximising our reach
We look beyond the obvious candidates to ensure a deeper and more diverse list of candidates. Part of our process is to continuously monitor the composition of our call lists and the direct correlation between those contacted from diverse professional and personal backgrounds and the number of eventual candidates is clear in our results.
Expanding into diversity-led networks
We frequently engage with diversity-led professional networks and their executive teams to identify active members or alumni who we can talk to and enhance our candidate lists.
Addressing concerns and supporting diverse candidates
When there is a relatively small number of individuals with diverse backgrounds we spend more time supporting them, discussing challenges. We consider how their skills and motivations fit well for the opportunity to encourage greater motivation to participate as a leadership candidate.
Personalised and purposeful follow-up whether successful candidate or not
We always ensure we provide robust and informed feedback to each candidate, offering advice and consideration for future opportunities. This respectful and supportive approach is acknowledged by individuals across a range of backgrounds who trust our confidentiality, discretion and professionalism and are happy to engage with us about future roles.
Partners advocating diversity and inclusion
Our consultants speak regularly on the theme of diversity and inclusion and the challenges and opportunities it brings at events and initiatives across the sectors in which we work. We host events for under-represented leaders and a Saxton Bampfylde Director sits on the diversity committee of our membership body, the AESC.
Championing Gender Diversity
Since our beginnings Saxton Bampfylde has consistently championed gender diversity. We are well-known for our track record of placing women on to boards and in to senior executive roles – which includes the first ever female FTSE100 CEO (Dame Marjorie Scardino at Pearson in 1997). Today we are proud to report that since 2020, 51% of our placed executive candidates and 48% of our placed board appointments have been women. We remain committed to playing our part in bringing forward ambitious, innovative and inspiring women into leadership roles.
We are a signatory to the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms which addresses gender diversity on corporate boards as well as best practice for the related search processes.
REACH Programme
The REACH Programme has been created in partnership with the Civil Service to help support colleagues with disabilities to maximise their career potential.
Together, we aim to provide mentoring partners exclusively for colleagues with either a mental health or physical disability. Each mentor is an executive level leader in their own right from outside the Civil Service, who either has a lived experience of disability or who has been involved in shifting the dial on improving development opportunities, career progression and the wider workplace environment for people with any form of disability.
OnBoard Progamme
The path to a Board position is not always an accessible and inclusive one. We are proud to be part of OnBoard, a new non-profit mentoring programme designed to support talented individuals from disadvantaged and non-traditional backgrounds to begin the journey to becoming Board members.
We have a broad range of interests across our Diversity & Inclusion initiatives. We have showcased a few of these and would be happy to share more. Please get in touch.
Latest related news
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024
Saxton Bampfylde continues to celebrate and support International Women’s Day to help forge a more gender equal world. As a firm we pride ourselves on having a workforce made up of 80% talented women and Read moreDo the right thing: ESG in 2024 – Interview with Lisa Hart Shepherd, CEO of Lamp House Strategy
We were delighted to speak with Lamp House CEO, Lisa Hart Shepherd, who shares her insights on how can leadership teams ensure that ESG is top of the agenda for 2024. Lisa Hart Shepherd is Read moreAn evening for current and aspiring non-executives with Kenny Imafidon
Saxton Bampfylde were delighted to host an evening for current and aspiring non-executives. This was in partnership with OnBoard, a programme which supports people from underrepresented backgrounds to build their board level capabilities and confidence. Read moreAwards
We are proud of the work we do and the diversity of leaders we find who make a difference in all they do. When we are recognised for this work with award wins, it makes us even more proud.
In 2020 REACH won the ‘Making a Difference’ category at the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative Awards (RIDI). In that same year REACH was also the first recipient of the ‘IDEA Award’ by the global Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). The recognition came for Saxton Bampfylde’s outstanding contribution to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA).
The RIDI awards bring together leading change makers in the recruitment sector to celebrate the very best of disability confident recruitment. The Making a Difference Award highlights those who have excelled in levelling the playing field for disabled candidates in the recruitment process. It identifies those who are implementing appropriate reasonable adjustments at every stage and working hard to swiftly remove any barriers.
The AESC IDEA Award was established in 2020 to support the goals of the AESC Diversity Pledge, signed by more than 100 CEOs of leading executive search and leadership consulting firms. The award recognises initiatives within the executive search and leadership consulting profession that demonstrate an exemplary and excellent commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access.
Commitment to the AESC pledge
We are proud to commit ourselves to the AESC pledge alongside professional peer organisations and communities in executive search and leadership consulting. Together we are dedicated to strengthening leadership worldwide and believe in the power of diverse talent and inclusive cultures.