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One in five G15 board members from ethnic minority backgrounds, research shows
One in five board members for G15 housing associations are from an ethnic minority background, while representation at executive level is lower, research has shown.
A report from the G15, the group of London’s 12 largest landlords, has admitted that “there is far more work that needs to be done” with regard to diversity in senior roles in their businesses.
The report, published one year on from the group’s diversity pledge, found that among G15 landlords, 20% of board members are from ethnic minority backgrounds – up from 13% in February 2019. But at executive level, this proportion falls to just 15.57%.
At a managerial level, ethnic minority people account for 24.97% of individuals within the G15. The combined ethnic diversity of the G15 workforce is 34.23%.
Geeta Nanda, chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH) and vice-chair of the G15, said that since the G15 Diversity Pledge was signed, the group has set in motion a number of initiatives aimed at improving ethnic diversity at senior level.
Ms Nanda added: “The proportion of ethnic minorities represented on our boards has increased from 14% in 2019 to 20% in 2021. If there’s one thing the events of this year have taught us, however, it’s that there is far more work that needs to be done.”
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Part of the pledge is for the diversity of the G15’s collective boards to reach 30% by 2025, which the group said it is on track to meet.
MTVH, which owns and manages 57,000 homes, saw its third cohort of 19 employees and customers take part in its Black on Board programme, which aims to increase representation at board level. MTVH said that 99% of participants reported an increased confidence and a positive impact on their day-to-day roles.
L&Q implemented the ‘Rooney Rule’ when recruiting for senior roles. This means that at least one ethnic minority candidate and one female candidate who meet requirements for a role are progressed to the interview stage. Since its introduction, representation in the senior leadership group has grown to 40% women and 20% ethnic minority people. This compares with 21% women and 12% ethnic minority people before the policy was adopted.
Catalyst and One Housing also adopted the Rooney Rule.
Ms Nanda said the G15 is “by no means finished” in striving for greater diversity within its membership. She added that the group “remains committed to our original ambitions of becoming more visibly diverse at all levels of our organisations, collaborating to invest and support ethnic minority talent and to celebrate the achievements of our ethnic minority colleagues”.
London is the most ethnically diverse part of the country, with 40.2% of the population of city belonging to a Black or ethnic minority background. This percentage is likely to be even higher within the capital’s social housing stock.
