The Leaders for Race Equity programme is run in partnership between the CBI’s Change the Race Ratio and the 30% Club, and guided by inclusion and diversity specialists Moving Ahead.
The Leaders for Race Equity programme involves 20 organisations forming cross company learning partnerships. It works by bringing business and DE&I leaders together to share their best ideas and learnings on how to improve racial and ethnic representation at the most senior levels of UK businesses.
The organisations involved are all Change the Race Ratio signatories and 30% Club signatories and include companies such as: AMS, AXA Health, Barratt Developments, the London Stock Exchange Group, National Grid and NatWest Group.
The programme objectives are to:
- Convene and support businesses to make progress together
- Enable leaders to connect to the lived experiences of racial and ethnically diverse talent
- Create psychologically safe spaces for the sharing of experiences, ideas, vulnerabilities and ambitions
- Enable and empower diverse talent by providing access to a community of CEOs
Reed Smith’s EME managing partner Tamara Box and partner Sakil Suleman will represent the firm among leaders from some of the UK’s most influential businesses.
Box said: “Reed Smith’s success relies on its diversity of thought and so DE&I is something that we take very seriously. We are delighted to join the Leaders for Race Equity programme and look forward to working with the other members to drive progress in this hugely important area.”
Demonstrating the firm’s commitment to improving racial and ethnic diversity in the workplace, Reed Smith announced in October 2020 that it had formalised its Racial Equity Action Plan (REAP) by creating specific benchmarks for hiring, retaining and promoting Black lawyers and for advancing pro bono initiatives impacting the Black community – all designed to deconstruct barriers to equity in the legal industry and in our communities.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. With an inclusive culture and innovative mindset, we deliver smarter, more creative legal services that drive better outcomes for our clients. Our deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters. Now celebrating more than 140 years of service, our firm spans 30 offices with 3,000 people, including 1,700 lawyers.
For more information, please visit www.reedsmith.com.
