BoardEx & Odgers Berndtson: UK Leadership Diversity Report 2021

Throughout a tumultuous year of pandemic, unrest and unbridled change in many lives, the global need for awareness and action on inclusion and diversity within our communities, schools and workplaces is as important now, as it ever has been. 

A study released by Odgers Berndtson, a leading global executive search firm, and BoardEx, a global executive intelligence service, has revealed how companies with strong diversity on their Boards and leadership teams have hired candidates from underrepresented groups.

The UK Leadership Diversity Report follows an in-depth survey of 623 non-executive directors and C-suite members from companies across the UK.

Here are some of the key findings:

• Report is based on the survey responses of more than 600 C-suite leaders and NEDS across the UK
• Companies with diversity on their board and leadership team are 3 times as likely to partner with I&D membership organizations to find and recruit talent
• Diverse companies are twice as likely to set diversity targets for the board and leadership teams
• Diverse organizations have measures in place to reduce bias in recruiting
• Over a third (36%) of NEDs said the Boards they sit on discuss I&D more than five times a year – a frequency that reflects the growing importance of I&D in the Boardroom.
• Respondents from companies with no diversity on their Board were nearly three times (30%) as likely to offer a job to a leadership team candidate who was not able to demonstrate an understanding of I&D compared to diverse companies.
• The report strongly suggests that UK business leaders view I&D as something that should be led by HR rather than any other function.

Read the full report