UK Women In Finance Charter

Aug 20, 2018 8:45 AM ET

In 2017, Northern Trust signed the UK Women in Finance Charter and committed to raise the ratio of women in the levels of senior and executive vice president to at least 35 percent by 2020. This is a commitment by the UK’s HM Treasury and signatory firms to work together to build a more balanced and fair finance industry

The charter reflects the UK government’s aspiration to ensure gender balance at all levels across financial services firms. A balanced workforce has positive effects for customers, for profitability and for workplace culture, and is increasingly attractive for investors.

The charter:

  • Commits firms to supporting the progression of women in to senior roles in the financial services sector by focusing on the executive pipeline and the mid-tier level
  • Recognises that firms will have different starting points and that each firm should set its own targets and implement a strategy appropriate for its organisation
  • Requires firms to publicly report on progress in order to support the transparency and accountability needed to drive change

Northern Trust pledges to promote gender diversity by:

  • Designating one member of our senior management team as responsible and accountable for gender diversity and inclusion
  • Setting internal targets for gender diversity in our senior management team
  • Publishing annual reports detailing our progress toward achieving these targets
  • Having an intention to ensure a link between pay of the senior executive team and delivery against these internal gender diversity targets

Northern Trust joined a group of more than 150 CEOs from some of the world’s leading companies in signing the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Each signatory has committed to taking the following steps to increase diversity and foster inclusion within their respective organizations and the larger business community: 

  •  Continue to cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion
  • Implement and expand unconscious bias education
  • Share best known—and unsuccessful—actions

For more details please visit CEOAction.com

Read the entire 2017 CSR Report here