Our People
Moving the needle on gender balance
Our work to improve female representation in senior roles at our Firm is not new. We launched our Achieving Balance initiative in 2016 to identify ways to improve the retention, progression and development of female talent within the Firm, to Partnership and senior leadership roles.
This year, we’ve upped our game, increased our ambition and our initiatives. Our initial target: to increase the number of female partners in the UK to 35% by 2024. We’ve also opened up a dialogue across the Firm, holding six roundtables over the past year, led by our D&I Lead Partner for Gender, Sarah Anticoni. Our people told us they’ve noticed the steps we’ve taken, they shared their perspectives on the challenges that remain for women’s progression to the top of the Firm and helped to identify actions to drive change.
Says Sarah: “The past year has been about listening and taking stock. The next step is about ensuring that what we’ve learned informs our strategy and that we put together an action plan that can be evaluated and measured so that we are all accountable for our actions." “Change is real and it's happening right now. When we look back on 2021, we will see it was the year in which we really picked up speed. Charles Russell Speechlys will be richer for it, because it will be a place where we have stayed true to our core values and developed a way of delivering first-class client service in which everybody can participate.”
Evolving story
Our female leadership programme, Evolve – one of a number of development programmes offered by our Charles Russell Speechlys Business School – has received an extraordinary level of interest. Three cohorts of talented female lawyers and resource professionals moved through the course, which focuses on recognising their strengths, cultivating their personal brand and leadership skills – with the added benefit of developing new contacts and strong networks across the Firm. One of the attendees, Charlotte Duly, Head of Brand Protection commented: “The course allowed me to reflect on my strengths and leadership style and identify ways to get the most out of my career. It’s incredible to be given the opportunity to stop, reflect and grow during the working day.”
Enabling everyone
We understand that female career progression is often impacted by family life and caring responsibilities. This is why we began offering family-friendly coaching that prepares those taking maternity, adoption, surrogacy or shared parental leave to manage a smooth transition out of and back into working life. By promoting family-friendly programmes around days such as Fathers’ Day and International Men’s Day, we’ve made it clear that our policies are of benefit to all parents, irrespective of gender.
“When we look back on 2021 we will see it was the year in which we really picked up speed. Charles Russell Speechlys will be richer for it”
- Sarah Anticoni, Gender Diversity and Inclusion Partner, Charles Russell Speechlys
35%
female Partners in the UK. This is our target for 2024.
80
participants attended our Achieving Balance roundtables.
59
women have participated in our Evolve female leadership programme.
6
female associates qualified through the Middle East Trainee Solicitor programme.
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