Ethical Finance Round Table - Inclusion and Diversity. Is finance sector doing enough, and what is its role?

While climate has broken past being a “niche” issue in finance, social issues are frequently neglected in the industry. We will ask whether the finance sector has done enough on inclusion, when it comes to race and ethnicity, as well other social issues including gender and sexuality.

Eight years on from the beginnings of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, we still seem no closer as a society to resolving the tensions which brought them about. While these issues pervade society as a whole, the finance sector is a part of society, and this event aims to ask the tough questions of those in finance.

This round table will ask the tough questions of those in finance.

• Is the sector doing enough, and what is its role?
• Should it focus internally (on its own operations) or externally (on the assets it holds or manages on behalf of clients)?
• Does diversity at the board and upper management level impact upon returns?
• Will the increasing diversity seen at the operations level be reflected in senior positions going forward?
• Is there a difference between inclusion and diversity, and which should we prioritise?

Speakers

Amy Clarke (Tribe Impact Capital & GEFI Global Steering Group)

Gavin Lewis (BlackRock)

Lynne Highway (NatWest Group)

Prof. Alex Edmans (London Business School).