YDWC House Of Lords Debate On Ethnicity Quotas
“This House believes that corporate institutions can meaningfully improve workplace diversity and multi-cultural representation by implementing quotas”.
On a Thursday evening, we queued anxiously and feeling thrilled as we stepped back into time, entering the Grade 1 listed building in Westminster. Overwhelmed, we saw statues of preceding Prime Ministers and other figures of power that influenced British history over centuries, now ornamenting the walls of the House of Lords. We were there to attend a significant and poignant debate; one not on the future leader of this economic powerhouse but a cause far greater in importance - how to raise equality in humanity.
Lord Hastings, KPMG’s Global Head of Corporate Citizenship and host opened the evening after a warm welcome by Joel Semakula, an Exec Member of the Young Diverse World Changers social enterprise, organisers of the event. Taking a moment to commemorate the brave soldiers of D-Day enabled some time for introspection. This followed a show of hands for who in the room had a desire to change the world for the better. The room, which was pleasingly full of a truly diverse group of English, African, American, Asian and LGBT members all outstretched their arms, smiling keenly in response to Lord Hastings endeavour to ignite the spirit.
This was the preface before the debate began on whether a quota mechanism should be introduced to secure a seat in the Executive Board room for the most qualified Black and Ethnic Minority (“BAME”) employees. Homage was paid to William Wilberforce, a white wealthy Englishman and one of the youngest politicians who dedicated his life in the 19th Century to abolish the slave trade. Wilberforce was fighting a great battle, with a sword of morality and a shield of philanthropy, to help those enmeshed with injustice. He didn’t know a single slave personally, but his heart had told him what was happening was wrong. Lord Hastings shared his personal experience and made us think about whether we want to strive to get to the top of the food chain, or instead use our energy and time to help those who have much less than what we already have today. Marisa Hall, Director at The Thinking Ahead Institute, a not-for-profit research-led network, shared her personal journey from childhood in Trinidad to Actuary and Director in a large Global US based company at Willis Towers Watson. Her success left her asking “What next?”, reflecting on her desire to help others and her senior leadership position. Ifeoma Ike, a Nigerian-American activist, artist, attorney and co-founder of Think Rubix, a social impact firm, shared her personal experience of dedicating her life to helping minorities by creating strategies to improve equity, across the Atlantic.
A quick reshuffle to a larger committee room filled the audience with excitement, desperate to secure the best seat in the house before the debaters entered to take their seats. Six highly eager contenders faced off, seated at the front on green-leather, antique Parliamentary chairs at opposite ends of the glistening solid wood table, with Lord Hastings chairing from the middle of the room. The rest of us watched on, the lucky few seated, some standing perching on the sides and some finding a patch on the floor to sit on, if that meant being as close as possible to the action.
First the proposition was made for the introduction of ethnicity quotas. A key point raised was that if you want to win the race, you have to be in it. It was pointed out that the gender pay gap had actually increased over time so intervention was necessary; Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand unfortunately did not apply to the labour market, at least thus far. They also noted the quota system was only intended for those companies that were unable to make good judgement on equality and not for those that did as they would already be filling their quotas. A quota would incentivise recruiters to ensure they put forward candidates from diverse backgrounds, thereby impacting the whole supply chain not just the Board room.
The opposition raised strong points, noting that a quota is mere a plaster to a problem and would only encourage a minimum quota being filled in order to ‘tick the box’ of equality. They raised the need to educate from the core those in power, to show it makes good business sense to have a diverse Board. They also pointed out that there is strong momentum in 2019 for diversity, with companies supporting Committees and holding corporate events, outwardly signalling that Leadership do now recognise the importance of diversity. A strong question raised was: Would seeing a BAME Director of a company with a quota in force signal the individual was given the position to fulfil a rule or had they achieved their success as a result of their own merit? Nonetheless, the opposition argued, their qualification to be a true Leader would regrettably always be in question.
The audience had a chance to contribute and raised some interesting points, which possibly had debaters on both sides rebutting their opinions. The overall victory, decided by an audience vote, went in favour of the proposition for quotas. Perhaps representing the desire a diverse community has for change after years of frustration growing impatient having waited long enough for meritocracy. My thoughts still side with the opposition in the belief that all it will take is a handful of Wilberforce’s, education to help leaders un-learn everything they have been taught that leads to discrimination and ultimately faith in evolution advanced by the millennial generation. The networking continued over canapés and drinks until late in the evening, giving everyone an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings, safe in the knowledge that there would be no judgment.
An African quote shared at the beginning of the evening, which has since not left me, summarised the evening for businesses and humanity:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”