Str
ate
gi
c rep
or
t
Financial statements
Dire
c
tor
s
’ and cor
pora
te governa
nce rep
or
t
: nom
inatio
n commit
t
ee rep
or
t
continued
We follow the process set out above when
making Board appointments. We disclose the
name
of the
independent search
rm
and any
other connection they have with the Group
in the annual report published following the
search. Audeliss were appointed in connection
with the recruitment of Kathy Quashie. In line
with the Code, Audeliss have a commitment
to promoting diversity and ensuring access to
a diverse pool of candidates. Audeliss has no
connection to the Group or individual directors,
other than providing executive search services.
The committee formally reviewed succession
planning for the executive directors and GMT
during the year. The review took account of
the opportunities and challenges facing the
Group and the skills and expertise that will
be required in the future. Our chief executive
manages the formation of succession plans for
senior management which are overseen by the
committee. We seek to ensure that we have
identied
appropriate opportunities
for people
who are key to delivering our strategy and any
areas needing further development. Where we
have not been able to identify an immediate
successor for a role, we have short-term
contingency cover in place while the committee
monitors the external market, as well as training
and development for potential future successors
in the medium to longer term.
During the year, the committee also reviewed
each division’s plans to oversee how its
management is developing its own talent
pools for future succession. Delivering on
our purpose means that we must ensure we
continue to develop and retain a talented
team, together with a pipeline of successors,
as this is fundamental to achieving excellence
in project delivery and customer service.
Our leadership development programme
provides core and consistent leadership training
for senior employees across the Group. In
addition, each division runs its own technical
and business training programmes to develop
the skills its business and its employees need.
These programmes range from apprenticeships
and graduate training to continued learning and
supporting employees through professional
qualications
(see pages
21 and
22
for more
Each division uses succession and development
planning tools appropriate to the size and
requirements of its business. As with succession
plans for the executive directors and GMT,
the divisional succession plans are structured
around planning for the short, medium and
longer term. Where practically possible, each
division considers its existing employees for new
roles and development opportunities and, in
2021, 535 employees across the Group were
We
believe that
a diverse
Board,
reecting a
broad mix of skills, backgrounds, perspectives
and experience, is critical for innovation and
will
enable us
to benet
from
a wider
range
of ideas and expertise. We consider diversity
in the broadest sense, including in terms of
age, gender, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic
background, disability and sexuality.
The chair leads the Board diversity agenda, with
the aim to continuously improve the diversity
of the Board. As a committee, we ensure our
selection processes for directors provide access
to a diverse range of candidates and will only
use
executive search
rms who
have
signed up
to the UK Standard Voluntary Code of Conduct
on Gender Diversity. Board appointments will be
made based on merit and objective criteria such
as the skills and experience needed, without
resorting to quotas but with due regard for the
benets
of diversity.
Our full
Board
diversity
policy, which was approved during 2020 and
sets out our ambition to become exemplary in
our industry, can be found in the Governance
section of our website.
With our strategy focused on growing the
business organically and generating long-term
prot
and social
value, it
is
important that
we
drive changes to ensure that we have diversity,
not only at Board level, but at all levels of the
business. While our Board diversity policy
applies to the Board and the GMT, it sets the
tone
Group-wide and
is reected
in
the divisions’
policies. It establishes our commitment to
embracing diversity and inclusion within our
culture and values so that every employee
is given the opportunity to use their abilities,
skills and experience to help us deliver on
our strategic priorities. Improving diversity
and inclusion across all levels of the Group is
therefore critical to implementing our strategy.
A diverse, talented team will align us better to
our client base and to society as a whole, and will
help us make better decisions for our business
The chief executive is responsible, on behalf of
the Board, for improving diversity and inclusion
across the Group and ensuring a fully inclusive
culture. We recognise that historically our
industry has not been attractive to a wide talent
pool of candidates, in particular female talent,
however, we are pleased that this is changing
and the Board is being kept apprised on each
division’s progress and initiatives to improve
diversity and inclusion (see pages 23 and 24).
While it will take time, we are committed to
levelling up diversity in its widest sense across
all levels of our organisation through the
identication
of barriers
which are
unique
to
our sector in order to drive changes to policies
and practices. We are working towards women
making up at least one third of our senior
management team (see page 23 for further
details of the gender balance of the GMT and
their direct reports). During 2021, we made
progress in increasing diversity among the GMT
direct reports which is now 26% female (2020:
16%), however gender diversity of the GMT itself
The Board meets the Parker Review target to have at
least one director from an ethnic minority background
by 2024. In addition, the Board meets the Hampton
Alexander Review target of ensuring women make up
at least 33% of the Board.
Board diversity
as at 31 December 2021 (%)
Women
Men
38
62