The Challenge
“We needed to correct our gender balance in order to respond to our clients’ needs.”
This organisation recognises that by building their pipeline of future women leaders, they will in time close their gender pay gap. This is the right approach for a leadership structure and system that is long established (they are over 200 years old). In recent years their investment in this area has seen some healthy results:in 2021 75% of people in the UK in the lowest pay quartiles were women, and more than 40% of their hires at the mid-level were women. But the challenge is and always has been, retaining women at the mid-level and above. They came to us in 2018 looking for ways to ensure this talent didn’t drop out of their system.
The Solution
“Shine is our Flagship programme, designed to empower women in leadership, and to drive their careers forward.”
Within a year, over 70% of senior women within the organisation had taken part in the Shine programme. Its success meant it was extended to include all senior women, and to date, all newly promoted and recruited women at Assistant Director level, as a way to target high-potential talent before they face what we at Shine call ‘the endless juggle’ – the typical moment that women’s careers stall. In late2022, we have also worked with the Women’s ERG and the leadership team, leading a session for women and men at their Women’s LeadershipForum, and we are running a French version of the core programme.
The Result
“Shine really helped me to view my current situation in a new light and boost my confidence.”
Since we started working with this organisation, whilst maintaining a higher proportion of women in the lowest pay levels,they have also increased the percentage of women in the Upper Middle (23 to30%) and Upper (10 to 14%) levels, meaning that their goal of retaining and developing women talent upwards through the pipeline is working. By2024, they have committed via the UK Women in Finance Charter to reaching30% women in senior leadership positions. ““We’re retaining and developing our talented women in a male-dominated industry."
Within a year, over 70% of senior women within the organisation had taken part in the Shine programme. Its success meant it was extended to include all senior women.
