Sheldon Mills – Executive Director, Consumers and Competition at the FCA – gave a speech at the Accelerating Black Inclusion research launch on why black inclusion matters to the FCA. Highlights include:
- There is a lack of black people across senior roles in financial services, and there is a strong business case for improving diversity and inclusion at senior levels, with black inclusion being an important part of that;
- The racism that many black people face in the workplace is not overt, but subtle and insidious, and it adds obstacles for black people to succeed;
- Black inclusion is important to the FCA as a regulator. It wants firms to consider how they can accelerate black inclusion at all levels as part of their diversity and inclusion agendas. Data plays an important role in driving transparency and action; and
- FCA has recognised its own challenges as an employer and is taking action as an employer to improve black, Asian and minority ethnic representation and inclusion.