The Pensions team from independent UK law firm Burges Salmon has been named as a finalist in the ‘Organisational Award for Supporting Diversity’ category at the Women in Pensions Awards, which is run by leading sector publication Professional Pensions.
Alice Honeywell, a partner in the Pensions team at Burges Salmon, says: “Whilst we believe that the pensions industry is relatively inclusive, we acknowledge that women can face barriers to starting and progressing a career, particularly where there is intersectionality. In order to overcome these barriers, we must work together.
“The responsibility should be on organisations and the wider industry to create environments in which women and minority groups thrive.
“Our key message for women and indeed all in the industry is to seek out initiatives which aim to level the playing field and get involved. There is a desire to improve things, but we have to work to make that happen.”
Diversity and inclusion are integral to Burges Salmon’s firm-wide strategy. Its culture is open, collaborative and inclusive, enabling the firm to recruit, retain and motivate the highest calibre of people. Within the last 12 months, Burges Salmon has introduced and continued to deliver a number of initiatives improve diversity both within the firm and with the wider industry. These include:
- diversity networks BProud, BCultured, Family Matters and BBalanced, which support the firm’s LGBT+ colleagues, celebrate ethnic diversity, promote gender balance and champion those with caring responsibilities.
- an employee-led disability forum (BEnabled), of which one of the firm’s Pensions team senior associates is a co-chair
- training sessions on issues including menopause awareness and unconscious bias
- launching an ethnic diversity reverse mentoring scheme
- Richard Pettit, a partner in our Pensions team, joining the Pension Regulator’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
- launching a Power of Inclusion and Gender Equality video campaign to highlight our people’s perspectives.
The Women in Pensions Awards aim to shine a spotlight on the work of inspirational women in the pensions sector, along with the mentors and organisations supporting them.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 15 November in London.