Brooks Financial have committed to the Women in Finance Charter, as of October 2021. Set up by HM Treasury, the charter is described as ‘a pledge for gender balance across financial services’.
This reinforces our stance on diversity, inclusion and gender balance within our company and the wider financial services industry.
What is the Women in Finance Charter?
‘A commitment by HM Treasury and signatory firms to work together to build a more balanced and fair industry. Firms that sign up to this Charter are pledging to be the best businesses in the sector.’ (Gov.UK, 2021).
Further information is available on the government’s website: Women in Finance Charter – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Aims of the Charter
- Commits firms to supporting the progression of women into senior roles in the financial services sector by focusing on the executive pipeline and the mid-tier level;
- Recognises the diversity of the sector and that firms will have different starting points – each firm should therefore set its own targets and implement the right strategy for their organisation; and
- Requires firms to publicly report on progress to deliver against these internal targets to support the transparency and accountability needed to drive change.
What are our targets?
We believe that gender diversity is an essential part of our business and supports our standards, culture, and emphasis on quality in all that we do.
At present, we have a significant percentage of female workers with women accounting for over 50% of our team.
We believe this is unusual in the financial services sector, and as such our targets focus on maintaining this balance and continuing to support the careers of woman as part of our overall development.
Our commitments
As at August 2024, we have 46% female representation in senior management. What have we commited to?
- To maintain female representation of at least 40% in senior roles in the business – that being individuals responsible for a division or functional area. We operate a policy of gender diversity and in consequence have a comparatively high percentage of woman in senior positions. It is part of our culture to continue to support the development of woman to achieve the highest levels of office in the business. This is supported by a flexible approach to working practices and a number of female role models in the business.
- To maintain female representation of at least 20% on our trading company board, which we aim to increase to 35% by 2028. We currently have three female board members and would like this percentage to increase over time in consequence of our overall approach and culture. This is dependent on an objective assessment of all candidates for board positions, regardless of gender.
