Embracing equity: International Women’s Day 8th March
Diversity and inclusion are considered business critical; it’s an important measure of economic growth and success for many businesses. A recent study* on talent in creative industries in the UK urged the wider industry to address its talent shortages through two key areas – better attraction and recruitment of new talent, and increased development and retention of existing talent. Recognising a critical skills shortage across the UK, the acute lack of talent has lead many firms to reappraise hiring policies and understand whether a more diverse workforce matters to their output and growth.
Bringing equity to the table
This year, the BPMA are hosting their inaugural International Women’s Day (IWD) Lunch on 8th March at 30 Euston Square in London. The reasons for kicking off dialogue with the industry starting with women was driven by several factors. One was this year’s IWD theme of embracing equity, not just equality; recognising each person has different circumstances and by allocating the right resources and opportunities to enables everyone reach equal outcomes. This rich territory for its members looking to attract and retain talent means the premise for the lunch is not only to bring our members together, but to celebrate the amazing talent we have and how we attract more.
The lunch also welcomes guest speaker, Kathryn Jacob OBE, CEO of Pearl & Dean who also leads the ALL IN programme. Kathryn will be addressing guests on the benefits of a diverse workforce and her driving belief behind why every business should embrace a rounded approach. BPMA members are taking part in the ALL IN census on 15th March for the first time this year to understand more about the opportunities and challenges in our industry. ALL IN is a nationwide census that looks at the diversity of creative industries but also seeks to improve the experience of several specific areas such as Asian talent, social mobility, older workforce talent through to mental health and more. The report, compiled by Kantar, will help the industry look more broadly at a range of initiatives to support and grow our talented, entrepreneurial industry.
Tickets for the lunch are still available and every member is welcome. Visit bpma.co.uk/events for more information. ALL IN information can be found at adassoc.org.uk/all-in-hub/
*Credos: Investing In Our Talent’s Future, January 2023
