A new scheme to encourage race equality in the boardroom is being piloted by the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Called the RACE (Reporting Action Composition Education) Code, it has been designed to help organisations ensure their boards and senior leadership roles reflect ethnic diversity.
It draws together more than 200 recommendations outlined in reports, charters and pledges which aim to tackle diversity and inclusion challenges.
As one of the first organisations to pilot the initiative, the combined authority will help to trial the RACE Code in the West Midlands, working with others to shape the framework as it is finalised and rolled out nationally as a free-to-download tool.
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West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: “The diversity of our communities is a huge strength but this is simply not reflected in boardrooms across the region.
“It is something I am determined to address which is why I set up the Leadership Commission in 2017.
“Evidence shows that a lack of diversity in leadership equates to organisations missing out on local talent and diverse perspectives which could help them to be more adaptive in these challenging times.
“Therefore, there is a moral and economic imperative for the WMCA to help the region address this issue.
“By being an early adopter of the RACE Code, we have the chance to shape a tool which other organisations can then use to deliver the necessary change that our region needs.”
Launched in 2017, the West Midlands Leadership Commission evidenced under-representation in leadership across the public and private sectors and called for widespread action to tackle the issue.
The RACE Code activity will form part of the commission’s new action plan which is now overseen and championed by Cllr Brigid Jones, a cabinet member at Birmingham City Council and the combined authority’s head of inclusive communities.
This new phase of activity will focus on finding and testing solutions for delivering more inclusive leadership.
She added: “I have said before that it is the duty of any board to ask what it can do to better represent the diverse makeup of our region and hear the voices which are not in the room.
“Testing the RACE Code could be part of the solution.”
