Addressing the under-representation of ethnic minorities in UK boardrooms through building a strong and diverse executive pipeline
Boards and non-executive directors have a key role to play in building more diverse and inclusive environments and workforces that are representative of society. When it comes more diverse and inclusive boardroom, NEDs, chairs and members of nominations committees are responsible for increasing the representation of under-represented groups.
Black History Month 2020 has been a new opportunity for NEDonBoard to alert decision-makers on the urgency to address culture, diversity and inclusion issues. In a series of blogs published in the past few weeks, we explore levers that boards can use to create positive change.
In this third blog, we look at building a diverse pipeline of talents.
In working with professionals from an ethnic minority background on their professional development plan, the C-Suite and HR departments should identify high potential. They should nurture and retain them so that they build a robust internal pipeline, which can be tapped into when new opportunities arise, and promotions are debated.
It is important for executives and HR professionals to highlight how becoming a trustee or a non-executive director can be an effective way for professionals from ethnic minorities to gain new skills and position them for executive promotions.
Becoming a trustee and NED allows a professional to develop further their business acumen and strategic thinking, which are two important attributes needed to progress an executive career further.
As the professional body for NEDs and board members, NEDonBoard organises regular events to raise awareness of the NED role and of opportunities available. We designed a fit-for-purpose training programme for professionals looking to transition to non-executive directorship to ensure success at every step of the board appointment process.
Related posts:
Rethinking the board recruitment process to increase diversity in the boardroom
Written by Elise Perraud, NEDonBoard COO
Want to know more?
- If you are an organisation looking for talents from diverse backgrounds or looking to train your next generation of leaders, email us at [email protected]
- If you are looking to transition to the board as a non-executive director, join us for our next free webinar, How to secure your first non-executive director role
- If you are already committed to becoming a non-exec and want a roadmap to achieve this objective, visit the NED Accelerator Programme by NEDonBoard course We applied years of accumulated knowledge and worked with experienced NEDs and chairs to deliver practical and actionable content to support you in transitioning with confidence and success.
