Great to see you are ahead of the curve on the issue of addressing the diversity of your SLT. Whilst you are completely right that inclusive recruitment practices and positive action could deliver 2 great campaigns I think you could start bigger right now and consider your ambitions and goals for diversity and inclusion which will impact on the behaviours your new candidates will walk into. Strong senior leaders will be looking at the positioning of your organisation ahead of even opening your campaign packs so time spent building reputation now won’t be wasted on many levels.

In reply to Sarah Maskell:

Hi Michael

In similar vein to Sarah, I'd think the physical attributes of your SLT of only minor importance compared with their individual and collective / corporate commitment to E & D. That said, as you surmise, three white males making up a team of three would hardly be representative of the current population and if the best candidate you can find is another white male maybe there's something amiss with your organisation's recruitment and selection processes - but maybe there isn't necessarily and it's just the broader thing that eg non-white females may not as yet be fully represented at this particular responsibility level.

I think at some point organisations need to be bold and to stop doing what they always have done. All groups need role models they can aspire to and perpetuating the stereotype that leaders come from a certain group in a fair and open competition is simply wrong for me.


The competition is neither fair or open.

So I would encourage you to push this as far as you can go. To teeter on the very edge of promoting under represented groups. To look at the overall composition and make up of your leadership team as part of the selection criteria rather than taking each decision in isolation.

Good luck

In reply to Keith:

Thank you all three for your responses. Part of my aims for the next financial year is to undertake a EDI audit, and look how we can enhance our position going forward. We have always making positive steps year on year, however as I feel David has touched on, having a senior team made up of one characteristic does not show the current population. As opportunities within this group do not come around often (departing SLT member has 16 years service), being able to have a diverse SLT would help with developing initiates, ideas, and leadership in EDI matters. We are looking at splitting the SLT role into two, as we have significantly over the last few years, and both roles will be in Fundraising and Marketing. In my experience I feel these working sectors do have strong exposure to a diverse pool of applicants, which is why I feel this is a great opportunity to take advantage.

Keith - you suggest to teeter on the very edge of promoting under representation, and I assume you mean making changes to our recruitment process to help encourage that diverse pool of potential applicants, in line with David's comments.

What I am concerned about when I wrote the initial post, is a combination of creating a potential process that could be open to indirect discrimination due to positive action, whilst working in a recruitment market where people are wary of moving due to the economical circumstance. I guess maintain a consistent and open recruitment process will help with minimise potential discriminatory scenarios.

In reply to Michael Small:

You have to evaluate if the fear of a discrimination case is actually far bigger than the likelihood…