Sainty, Hird & Partners Becomes Supporter of Progress Together
November 25, 2024 – Sainty Hird & Partners recently became a supporter of Progress Together, a membership that focuses on senior level, socio-economic diversity in the financial services sector.
“By becoming a Progress Together Supporter, Sainty Hird demonstrates a commitment to improving socio-economic diversity at senior levels,” said Sophie Hulm, Progress Together’s CEO. “Socio-economic diversity benefits individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Executive search firms have an important role to play in building a diverse and dynamic workforce in which talented people from all backgrounds can succeed.”
In their role as a supporters of the organization, Sainty Hird & Partners will lend the firm’s voice to further Progress Together’s aim of socio-economic diversity through: participation in roundtables and webinars, advising Progress Together on executive search best-practice and utilizing their resources to better support the firm’s clients from across the financial services spectrum as they seek to attract and retain a more diverse workforce.
“There is not just a clear moral case for greater diversity in all its forms across financial services, but a strong business case too,” said Tory Hyndman, partner in the firm’s wealth & asset management practice. “We know that those organizations with more diverse workforces – in which all voices are heard and people from all backgrounds are championed – benefit from greater productivity, innovative and creative approaches to new challenges, and are better able to maximize their competitiveness.
Progress Together was launched in 2022 as the result of a government commissioned taskforce led by the City of London Corporation. Through a series of workshops, resources, firm-to-firm mentoring and benchmarking, Progress Together helps its members to progress and retain a socio-economically diverse workforce. They focus on socio-economic diversity at senior levels, defined as non-executive board, executive committee and two levels down.
Progress Together is a not-for-profit membership organization working to improve socio-economic diversity at senior levels in U.K. financial services. Progress Together’s report, ‘Shaping our Economy’, revealed that socio-economic background has a greater impact on career progression than gender or ethnicity. The organization is working with firms to create an environment in which all employees can succeed based on job performance, not the circumstances of their birth.
Related: Deploying the Right Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Strategy to Drive Business Results
Sainty, Hird & Partners was founded in 1996 and its search capabilities span all products and functions within the financial and professional services sectors where the firm operates at all levels of seniority and experience. The firm works closely with clients to ensure that there is a diverse candidate pool, in order to provide equality of opportunity. As well as conducting regular assignments in the U.K. and continental Europe, Sainty, Hird & Partners has a track record of completing placements in Asia-Pacific and North America.
Certified B Corporation
Last year, Sainty Hird & Partners became a Certified B Corporation (B Corp). “We are delighted to be an accredited B Corp,” said Rupert Mathieu, partner at Sainty Hird. “This announcement reflects not only ourvinternal good practice but also our commitment to helping and finding leaders for all our clients committed to being forces for good. We believe that as our service offering continues to grow, so too do our responsibilities to our colleagues, clients and the communities we operate in. This includes a responsibility to meet the highest standards of performance across a range of social and environmental metrics – and consistently being transparent and accountable for these.”
2024 Corporate Culture ReportAs leaders recognize the critical role of culture in organizational success, building sustainable cultural change for engagement, performance, and growth is now essential. Emphasizing psychological safety allows employees to express ideas, take risks, and voice concerns, driving innovation and engagement.
Hunt Scanlon Media’s 2024 Corporate Culture Report shows how a strong, cohesive culture transforms organizations. By prioritizing cultural synergies and shared values, companies can attract and retain top talent while fostering innovation. Download now!
The non-profit organization B Lab oversees the B Corp verification process, which evaluates a company’s social and environmental performance. To attain Certified B Corporation status, businesses undergo a rigorous examination of how their operations and business model affect their employees, customers, communities, and the environment. Achieving a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment is a prerequisite for certification.
The processes to become a B Corp took Sainty Hird over a year, and its accreditation will be reviewed every three years to update its impact assessment and recertify as a B Corp.
Related: Achieving True Diversity: The Power of Inclusion and Evidence-Based Recruitment Strategies
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
