Yesterday afternoon (Thursday 5 September) saw the first of our autumn events on strategic purpose, with members and other invited guests joining us for a discussion on diversity and inclusion.

We heard from Bob Wigley, UK Finance Chair, who opened by explaining that UK Finance had been undertaking work on strategic purpose and the idea that firms should be mindful of the interests of key stakeholder groupings in setting their strategic priorities. A report on ethics in banking and finance published jointly by UK Finance and Linklaters earlier in the year had identified colleagues, customers and the wider community as particular focal points.

Charlotte Duerden, UK Managing Director, American Express, spoke of the priority that AmEx places upon creating an inclusive workplace. We then heard from Vivienne Artz, Chief Privacy Officer, Refinitiv and president of Women in Banking and Finance, and Suki Sandhu OBE, CEO of INvolve, about the breadth of work undertaken in their networks. Debbie Gupta, Director of Life Insurance and Financial Advice at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), completed the panel and underlined the extent to which the regulator views a firm's culture as being central to its conduct.

The Q&A session established that in addition to the areas typically profiled these days - gender, LGBT+, ethnicity - we should also not lose sight of social mobility and disability, nor of the fact that small steps can make a difference in creating a more inclusive workplace. Training should embrace all employees, in order to change attitudes, in addition to more focused activity.

Concrete steps are being made. There were plaudits for the Treasury's Women in Finance Charter, and it was noted that boards are more gender balanced than a decade ago. It would be good to see more women chairs. Benchmarking was seen as a trigger for momentum and an agent for change.

Inclusion needs to be embedded into the key HR stages - recruitment, appraisal, training, pay and promotion - and applied throughout the business. The aim should be to become substantially closer to achieving fully inclusive workplaces within the next decade.

The discussion closed with a quick run through of 'top tips?. These included:

• Removing implicit bias from job descriptions
• Flexible working
• Parental leave, over maternity and paternity
• Fair bonus structures
• Realistic role models
• Sharing additional opportunities outside of usual working remit
• Mentoring
• Ensuring diverse representation in committees and panels
• Asking difficult questions about how and why things are done
• Showing colleague empathy

Our second event in the Strategic Purpose Series takes place on 5 November, and will focus on climate risk, green finance and sustainability. Book here: http://bit.ly/SPSeventCRGF