Future Proofing 'S' as a Governance Topic

What is Change the Race Ratio Campaign?

Change the Race Ratio is a campaign to increase racial and ethnic participation in British businesses. It calls for business to set and publish clear targets for greater racial diversity. This year, 2020, nine banks have for the first time designated NEDs with responsibility for employee relations and representation. Social, the S in ESG, is increasingly important and I predict in 2021 and 2022, many more Boards will have a dedicated board member with this responsibility. It highlights the 'Social' part of Environmental Social Governance. The campaign uses the same instruments as for instance, the Women in Finance Charter: transparency, evidence of change, accountability.

The City produces an oversupply of talented executives who have made more than enough money. To recruit diverse boards, you need a mix of skills. Focus instead on the skills of candidates, not on their experience. Your next job, as you climb the greasy ladder, will entail leveraging what you know and learning new things. There is no reason why it should be different in the non-exec world.

What is the NEDS Campaign?

Karina considers the following three recommendations as valid for the next couple of years'

NEDS' new campaign is called Invest for Change, and she predicts its impact will be gigantic. Students and academics want funds invested to make a positive difference, basically social impact. Everything should be run through a social media lense as the downsides, the damage to your brand, can be immense.