• Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Anton Ferdinand join launch

• RACE Code already adopted by 30 organisations

• Better representation boosts competitiveness, access to talent, profitability and creditworthiness.

In the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter campaign in 2020, leading governance experts and proponents of race equality developed an accountability framework to assist boards in promoting race equality. The RACE Equality Code drew together over 200 recommendations outlined in reports, charters and pledges and aimed to tackle diversity and inclusion. The RACE Code, which has been adopted by thirty organisations in the last year, will officially launch today ( Wednesday 1st December).

The primary objective of the RACE Code is to turn the dial on the ethnic representation in boardrooms and in senior leadership with an overarching vision to tackle structural racism and create prosperous and inclusive organisations.

The Code does not create new obligations, but provides one set of standards and an overarching accountability framework based on existing laws, codes and best practice. It not only recognises legislation such as the Equality Act 2010, but adopts a simple yet robust ‘apply and explain’ approach within its four key principles: Reporting, Action, Composition and Education (RACE).

The Code has been developed by Dr Karl George MBE who runs Birmingham-based the governance forum (tgf). He commented:

““One year on we are still tackling shocking and abhorrent racist behaviour. To take one recent example – Yorkshire Cricket Club – the club, the membership body and the governing body all seem to have failed miserably to protect an individual from systemic racism and then, when confronted, displayed a cognitive dissonance which led to another failure to address a toxic culture that has been allowed to thrive.

“Why, when these behaviours came to light, was there no examination of the governance structures that had allowed this to happen? Those same structures did nothing to address racism when it reared its ugly head.”

”

– Dr Karl George MBE

Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE will take part in the official launch of the RACE Code. Her son, Stephen, was killed in a racist attack in 1993 and she has since campaigned against racist crime. Speaking about the RACE Code she says:

“It’s something that is needed, and it is different to the other documents and reports that just sit on the shelf or skirt around the edges with no implementation.

“With this Code you can’t hide from it, and it can be used. We often talk about race relations but what does it mean in practice? The RACE Equality Code is a standard that organisations can hold up and actively state they are anti-racist.

“We should use it to challenge those companies that don’t want to do the work to show them what it means to be anti-racist and how they can reflect this in practice.”

Among the organisations to have adopted the RACE Code include Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Chartered Institute Housing. The Code’s methodology has been refined based on the experiences of thirty early adopters ready for launch.

Laura Shoaf, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), said:

“The RACE code was designed to help organisations take action and improve race equality in the workplace. We are committed to taking action to address regional inequalities in the region, so it was only right that we also take steps to do the same within our own organisation. The process itself involved an internal assessment which encouraged us to really discuss the issues, enabled us to identify key barriers and helped us develop an action plan which has then been embedded within our corporate priorities and objectives.”

Dr George added:

“Working with our early adopters has underlined that organisations without equal representation lack competitiveness; miss out on the best talent; experience negative impacts on profitability and creditworthiness and underperform in their contribution to the economy.

“Early adopters began to change the way they looked at things and have started to view everything through the lens of race which has resulted in policy changes; updating of terms of references and a review of job descriptions.”

Anton Ferdinand, who featured in a recent BBC programme on ‘football, racism and me,’ will also participate in the launch. He said:

“Organisations need to be accountable.

“The RACE Code gives organisations no way out, when you try and implement things around diversity they will try to get around it. This will make sure they are accountable.”

– Anton Ferdinand

Ex Footballer & RACE Code Abassador

Asked about representation in senior leadership positions, Baroness Lawrence responded:

“This is really simple – how can people of colour progress without representation? It’s difficult. Having representation in leadership positions reflects those like you and gives individuals the confidence to progress. It also helps those in leadership positions who have made it through to support those coming behind them…’you can make it too because I did’.”

The RACE Code can be found at: www.theracecode.org. Dr George is @karlgeorgembe on Twitter and Instagram.

Also appearing at the launch at 6.00pm on 1st December – Turn the Dial – will be author, speaker and broadcaster Rene Carayol MBE on racism on the corporate world. To register to attend the online launch, please visit: Eventbrite

• Progress in making Boards diverse – especially in terms of race – disappointingly slow

• Robust procedures needed to put more black people into leadership roles and make organisations accountable through what they publicly report

• RACE Code provides one set of standards and an overarching accountability framework under four key principles: Reporting, Action, Composition and Education

As Black History Month draws to a close, leading governance experts and proponents of race equality are launching an accountability framework to assist boards in promoting race equality. The RACE Equality Code 2020 draws together over 200 recommendations outlined in reports, charters and pledges which aim to tackle diversity and inclusion challenges.

In an open letter being sent on Friday 30th October 2020 to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and ministerial colleagues, those behind the RACE Equality Code state:

“Racial tensions being played out across the world have brought new focus to the lack of racial diversity in the leadership of many organisations… we are at a critical juncture in history with a real opportunity to target the embedded practice and consequences of structural racism. It is imperative that we act at this tipping point on race equality.”

The RACE Equality Code has been developed by Dr Karl George MBE who runs Birmingham-based the governance forum (tgf). He is backed by a Steering Group which includes Gary Elden OBE, Chairperson at Amoria Bond and Recbid and Charlotte Valeur, Founder and Chair of Board Apprentice Global and Chair of Blackstone. The letter states:

“Empirical evidence shows that since the 2017 Parker Review, 11 additional FTSE 100 companies now have a non-white director on their board, taking the total number of boards with diverse racial representation to just 37%. Entering the final quarter of 2020, almost 70% of FTSE 250 companies still have no diversity of race on their boards.”

Dr George and his colleagues highlight initiatives from credit agency Moodys and Legal & General which are challenging companies to improve boardroom diversity. The authors state:

“The most diverse companies are now more likely than ever to outperform non-diverse companies on profitability.”

The Code does not create new obligations, but provides one set of standards and an overarching accountability framework based on current laws, codes and best practice. It streamlines existing recommendations into actions for organisations and their workforces across every sector. It adopts a simple yet robust ‘apply and explain’ approach as part of its four key principles: Reporting, Action, Composition and Education (RACE).

1. Let’s talk about race unapologetically 

2. Let’s sign up to and report on the four key RACE principles

3. Let’s sign 100 organisations up to the Code by December 2020.

The RACE Equality Code will be published this evening (Thursday 29th October 2020) alongside The Lunar Society’s Sir Adrian Cadbury Lecture. Dr George will be making a presentation on the outcome of the Society’s Governance Inquiry and will be joined by Liam Byrne MP (Birmingham Hodge Hill). Sir Adrian Cadbury, one of the founders of the modern day Lunar Society, gave his name to the Cadbury Code in 1992 which was the first to give direction to UK companies through a set of principles for good governance.

Dr Karl George MBE commented:

“The long-overdue need to tackle a woeful lack of racial diversity in the leadership of many of our organisations is finally getting the attention it deserves. Real change only happens when you are able to influence leadership - the board and executive management - and hold organisations to account. So, the focus of the RACE Equality Code is firmly on how we deal with race inequity in the boardrooms and senior leadership teams of the UK.”

Dr George added:

“Black workers with degrees earn 23.1% less on average than white workers. In Britain, only 5.7% of black people work as managers, directors and senior officials, compared with 10.7% of white people.

“The full and equal participation and progression of black people in senior leadership roles would bring huge benefits, socially, culturally and financially. According to the McGregor Smith Race in the Workplace Review, the potential benefit to the UK economy from full representation of race across the labour market, through improved participation and progression, is estimated to be £24 billion per year.”

“We must have robust procedures to put more black people into leadership roles and make organisations accountable through what they publicly report. That is the driving force behind this new Code.”

– Dr Karl George MBE

The RACE Equality Code has been developed following the death of George Floyd in the United States and the global Black Lives Matter campaign. As well as the Steering Group, members of the West Midlands Branch of the Governance Institute have provided technical support. Lord Simon Woolley, the founder and director of Operation Black Vote, has been an adviser to the process.

A number of ‘Early Adopters’ have also been working with the RACE Equality Code and will continue to contribute to its development. These include Birmingham City Council, Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid, West Midlands Combined Authority, Doncaster NHS Trust, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and housing organisations, Nehemiah Housing and Trident Group.

Details on the RACE Equality Code can be found at: www.theracecode.org. Dr George is @karlgeorgembe on Twitter and Instagram. The primary hashtag being used in social media activity on the RACE Equality Code is #race.

Issued for immediate use: 29th October 2020

Notes to Editor

Open Letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson can be found below.

For further information, please contact:

Kevin Johnson, Urban Communications

On behalf of the governance forum and the RACE Code Consultancy

T: 07831 595365 | E: kevin@urbancomms.com  

• 12 more footballers say ‘We’re Board Ready’ as they graduate On the Board

• Less than 2% of senior governance and administration positions at governing bodies and professional clubs held by BAME staff

• At least one black person should be on every sporting board by start of Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022

Six leading figures from professional football have endorsed a campaign that declares ‘No Excuses’ when it comes to appointing more people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities (BAME) to boards of directors.

The campaign, using the hashtag #NoExcuses on social media, launches today (Wednesday 8th July) as twelve more footballers graduate from the On the Board (OTB) training course.

Chris Hughton, Les Ferdinand, Nathan Blake, Michael Johnson, Darren Moore and Wes Morgan have advised on and endorsed the #NoExcuses campaign. They are joined by other OTB graduates and a range of supporters across football.

OTB works to create more diverse British boardrooms by equipping current and ex-professional footballers with the skills to take up roles as directors and non-executive directors when their playing careers wind down.

OTB is part of the Effective Board Member programme run by Birmingham-based the governance forum (tgf) led by Dr Karl George MBE. OTB is funded by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and actively supported by the Football Association (FA) and a range of partners.

“The terrible death of George Floyd and heightened awareness of #BlackLivesMatter have yet again emphasised the need for organisations to really address equality and diversity in governance and leadership.

“Diversity makes Boards better. Boards need to look, feel and operate differently. They need to reflect all communities and draw upon the widest range of skills, experiences and perspectives.

“Extraordinary contributions from Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford have had a quick and significant impact on political decisions and public understanding. Other sportspeople, including Dina Asher-Smith and Lewis Hamilton, have made powerful contributions to the #BlackLivesMatter debate. Their voices make a difference.”

We are launching no excuses on behalf of footballers but this issue is the same across other sectors and other black professionals who are board ready”

– Wes Morgan

Captain, Leicester City Football Club

& OTB Graduate

Supporters of #NoExcuses say sport and wider society will remain unequal, unreflective and unrepresentative without change in the Boardroom. Less than 2% of all senior governance and senior administration positions at governing bodies and professional clubs in England are held by staff from BAME backgrounds.

#NoExcuses is asking football, all leading sports clubs and governing bodies to make a similar commitment to proposals in the Parker Review of Ethnic Diversity of UK Boards which calls for at least one black person and 30% of women on every FTSE100 board by 2021. #NoExcuses wants the same by the start of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.

Wes Morgan commented “We are launching no excuses on behalf of footballers but this issue is the same across other sectors and other black professionals who are board ready”

Players behind #NoExcuses say “WE’RE BOARD READY”. Since 2013, 113 people have now graduated from OTB. 41 delegates have had 65 Board appointments (some delegates have had more than one appointment). Over 70 OTB more graduates are waiting for the call up to appropriate Board positions…

Passing a written exam at the end of the OTB programme results in a qualification accredited by the Association of Corporate Governance Practitioners (ACGP), Edinburgh Napier University and Open College Network West Midlands.

The graduation ceremony usually takes place at Wembley, hosted by the FA, but due to COVID-19 restrictions the event will take place on Zoom.

ends

OTB graduates leading the endorsements of #NoExcuses campaign are:

NATHAN BLAKE - former Wales forward gained a non-executive position at Newport County

LES FERDINAND MBE credited the OTB programme with helping him become Director of Football at Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club

CHRIS HUGHTON – former manager Brighton who played for Tottenham Hotspur and represented the Republic of Ireland

MICHAEL JOHNSON is now England U21 coach

DARREN MOORE – Manager of Doncaster Rovers, former West Bromwich Albion player and manager and Jamaican international

WES MORGAN – remains on the field as captain of 2016 Premier League winning side Leicester City.

Graduating OTB today are:

Emmerson Boyce – former captain of Wigan Athletic and Barbados

Marc Canham - Head of Coaching at the Premier League

Duane Courtney – school wellbeing manager who played at Birmingham City and Derby County

Lloyd Doyley - Jamaican international who played for Watford, Colchester and Rotherham

George Elokobi - captain of Maidstone United and a native of Cameroon

Leandra Little - Sheffield United Women player and education lead for the Liverpool FC Women’s Super League Academy

Mark Phillips - former player with Southend United, Millwall, Brentford, Darlington and AFC Wimbledon

Eartha Pond – Assistant Head Teacher and local councillor who played with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham

Bradley Pritchard - Zimbabwean international footballer, with spells at Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient

Neil Saunders - Head of Youth at Premier League and former Watford FC player

Mark Sinclair - Head of Education and Player Care at Birmingham City Football Club

Javan Vidal – currently playing for Kettering Town and a former England under-19 and under-20 international.

*(November 2016), the Sports People’s Think Tank (SPTT), in association with the FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) network and the University of Loughborough, third annual update about ethnic minorities and coaching in elite level English football.

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