National Race Equality Week took place 5-11th February 2024. During the week, Sharonjit Clare took action to call for better leadership diversity.
What needs to change?
The West Midlands is by far the most ethnically diverse UK region outside of London. But this fantastic diversity is not represented at leadership levels. People from racialised communities also face more barriers to getting senior roles. The Race Equalities Taskforce wants to change this. Our Race Forward report calls for action to improve leadership diversity.
What happened during Race Equality Week?
Sharonjit Clare is the independent chair of the Race Equalities Taskforce. She led and supported action during national Race Equality Week to call for better leadership diversity. This included:
- Bringing together senior leaders at big employers in the West Midlands.
- Speaking to the region’s political leaders at the WMCA Board.
- Backing BRIG and Karl George’s Birmingham Board Challenge.
Talking to senior leaders
Sharonjit convened a roundtable with the Mayor, Taskforce member Annum Mahmood and senior leaders at big employers across the West Midlands.
Hosted by EY, the roundtable explored practical ways to create fairer career pathways for people from racialised communities. All of the employers who took part agreed to dedicate staff time to support next steps.
Speaking to political leaders
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Board brings together the Mayor, the political leaders of local councils and the Police and Crime Commissioner. Sharonjit Clare spoke at their meeting on 9th February 2024.
Sharonjit started by thanking the WMCA Board for setting up the Taskforce. She then asked the Board members to commit to taking action to improve leadership diversity. This included a specific ask that Board members create shadow positions for councillors from underrepresented backgrounds. Andy Street (WMCA Mayor), Councillor Kerrie Carmichael (Sandwell Council) and Councillor Steve Simkins (Wolverhampton Council) agreed to the ask.
Backing the Birmingham Board Challenge
Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG) and Karl George of RSM launched the Birmingham Board Diversity Challenge on 7th February 2024. Sharonjit Clare joined the panel at the launch event. She backed the Challenge and agreed to work together with BRIG and Karl to promote it across the region.
The Challenge asks boards public service organisations and employers to:
a) Publish a photo of their board and executive team on their website.
b) Set race equality targets.
c) Commit to the 12 musts from the Race Equality Code.
d) Measure and report on the 9 NHS Workforce Race Equality Standards.