City firm Osborne Clarke has formed a governance board of partners and senior staff to monitor its diversity efforts, in a push for ‘meaningful change’.
The ‘diversity champions forum’ will consist of 13 board members and will focus on race and ethnicity, social mobility, gender, sexuality, 'mind and body', corporate responsibility and age, as well as the impact of Covid-19 on staff wellbeing.
The board has been instructed to ‘challenge and support’ the firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts, to ensure they achieve measurable change in the recruitment, retention and engagement of a diverse workforce.
Chair of the board Victoria Parry said: ‘We want all our people to feel comfortable and confident to be themselves, and at the same time, that they belong to a supportive culture that's inclusive for all. My colleagues and I are working on a number of programmes that will embed D&I into sector and client strategies, normalise conversations around diversity and educate colleagues about the key issues.’
Yesterday, magic circle firm Linklaters announced a ‘black hair code’ to protect staff who come to work with Afro-hairstyles such as braids, cornrows, twists and Afros. The code is one of many diversity measures designed by City firms during lockdown.
Earlier this month Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer published an 'ambitious' set of diversity targets under the leadership of its first female senior partner, pledging that women will occupy at least 40% of leadership roles by 2023.
