Diversity and Inclusion

We aim to create a diverse and inclusive work environment for all of our staff.

As a business, we have an obligation to make our own contribution toward a society worth living in. This begins with providing a positive environment and culture for our people.

We have a responsibility to give our staff equal opportunities to succeed both personally and professionally, and foster a culture where individuals are treated with respect and feel included. Through our initiatives, we aim to encourage diversity, maintain wellbeing, challenge perceptions and promote development.

Our employee-led initiative #included is central to our mission to build and champion a diverse and inclusive workforce. Although the characteristics of individuals that make up a business are numerous, we have chosen to focus on certain aspects of diversity which we feel will have the most meaningful impact in our business and industry.

Social mobility

We are committed to attracting a workforce that is more reflective of the socioeconomic composition of the UK. We are doing this by engaging with and developing talent early, such as:

Appointment of our Head of Human Resources, Jo Shackleton, to the advisory board on the City of London Socio-Economic Taskforce.
Sponsorship of Skills Builder, which helps cultivate essential life skills. As well as providing financial support for the programme, our employees volunteer their time to host sessions.
Co-sponsoring She Can Be, an initiative aimed at empowering young women to make informed decisions about their careers.
Partnering with Investment 20/20, a trainee scheme which hires for attitude and trains for skill, regardless of background.

Gender

We aspire to achieve greater gender balance (and ultimately gender parity) across all areas in our business. We are taking action by:

Being a signatory of HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter.
Publishing our gender pay gap report ensuring transparency with all our stakeholders about our current position and what we are doing to address this.
Challenging the norm of the paternity/second parent leave. Now, we offer six months equal paid parental leave for all our people to take within their first year of having a child.
In our recruitment process, we aim for a diverse pool of applicants in every role and require a 50/50 gender split of all entry level positions.

Ethnicity

We are dedicated to improving ethnic diversity across our business and creating an inclusive environment for individuals from all ethnicities. We are doing this through our:

Involvement in #10000BlackInterns, an internship programme set up in 2020 focusing on improving Black representation within the Investment Management industry which has now been widened to multiple industries.
Continued education and improved awareness of issues affecting different ethnic groups, including Lunch & Learn sessions with external speakers for Black History Month and a book distribution to employees.
Partnership with Investment20/20, a trainee scheme which hires for attitude and trains for skill, to access a more diverse ethnic pool of candidates.

Religion and culture

We believe that part of building a diverse and inclusive workforce is the ability for all people to feel safe and confident to express themselves and be their true selves.

Understanding our colleagues’ diverse backgrounds is encouraged and to assist in this we acknowledge, celebrate and educate on various religious and cultural events throughout the year.
Where staff are particularly passionate and willing, we facilitate and support network groups, such as the LGT Vestra Christian Network.
Where staff have special requirements relating to their faith or culture, we try to facilitate this.
- A permanent, discreet and dedicated multi-faith room is an example of something we are currently attempting to put into place.

LGBTQ+

We support a workplace in which all our people can be themselves, regardless of how they identify in terms of their sexuality or gender.

Belong, our LGBTQ+ network, is committed to creating an inclusive workplace.
Celebrating Pride month to celebrate our diversity.
Hosting lunch and learns to raise awareness.

Wellbeing

We aim to provide long-term value for our people.

"Belonging' is a human motivator for the LGT Group and has been an integral part of our culture since the firm was founded. We want to ensure our staff enjoy being a part of LGT Vestra and aim to improve their wellbeing through our internal social committee, sports committee and Enrich programme. Our Enrich programme includes coaching, wellbeing workshops, charitable giving schemes and wellness activities.

We also run a Mental Health First Aiders programme, acting as a first point of contact for employees who may require support during the working day.

Industry collaboration

Our focus is not limited to internal initiatives. In 2018, we joined up with other wealth and asset management firms to create an industry-wide group #includedAWM. Together with our peers, we discuss issues and challenges, and share practical solutions and ideas. Through our sponsorships and partnerships, we also have a wider dialogue with other industries and sectors, allowing us to consider the macro perspective of workplace diversity.