Founder of Board Racial Diversity UK, Malcolm John is a passionate advocate of equity, diversity and inclusion on trustee boards. He shares his thoughts below with practical tips on how your board can be more diverse and inclusive going forwards
Why diversity matters
The LGBTQ+ human rights activist Stuart Milk once said: “We are less when we don’t include everyone.”
This quote, like many thought-provoking ones I have shared across my previous blogs since launching the Action for Trustee Racial Diversity campaign in 2019 (now Board Racial Diversity UK) , aptly underpins this piece.
The benefits diverse leadership brings to governance and decision-making
I believe that there is a general lack of understanding of the considerable organisational benefits of diverse boards.
But don’t just take my word for it.
Research in 2015 by the international management consultants, McKinsey, found that companies who were more gender diverse were 15% more likely to outperform their peers. In that same study they looked at ethnicity, and found that companies who were more ethnically diverse were 35% more likely to outperform their peers.
Similarly, further research by McKinsey in Latin America found that employees in companies committed to diversity are about 150 per cent more likely to report that they can propose new ideas and try new ways of doing things.
So, in a nutshell, diverse boards:
give organisations capacity to reflect and discuss as a whole the benefits of diversity, and how actively embracing it will help their organisation be more effective
bring in an untapped pool of people with new ideas and different experiences, particularly younger people with different perspectives
avoid the risk of “groupthink” or “collective blindness” when all trustees come from the same social, educational and racial background, and stop challenging each other
give those from racially diverse communities supported by charities, the reassurance that these organisations are keen to see them represented at their top level, and then to adapt and deliver their services to meet their needs as effectively as they can.
So, what stops charities recruiting people from underrepresented backgrounds?
For me, there are three key reasons.
The overwhelming prevalence of informal recruitment: over 75% of charities recruit informally.
The overwhelming number of charities lacking knowledge of, or access to, Black and Asian network organisations - including potential trustees from these charities.
Lack of support from the Chair and the CEO as strong champions of greater racial diversity on their boards.
What prevents individuals from underrepresented backgrounds applying for and remaining as trusteeships?
I think there are four key reasons for this.
A lack of confidence within individuals from Black and Asian backgrounds that the charity is genuine about wanting to increase the racial diversity of their boards.
The belief that their appointment is tokenistic and not based on their skills and experience.
Trustee vacancies not being advertised in places which might be visited by people from Black and Asian backgrounds.
Appointed Black and Asian trustees not finding themselves in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Reaching diverse networks.
An initial mapping survey which Action for Trustee Racial Diversity (now Board Racial Diversity UK) carried out evidenced that a lack of knowledge and awareness of Black and Asian network organisations was a crucial factor in the perpetuation of racial inequality.
‘Any charity can now use AI in an affordable way to search for their own local networks of Black and Asian organisations’
The frequent use of the term “hard to reach” and the cries of “we can’t find the talent” were commonly spouted by organisations many of whom - whilst aware that they were starting from a low diversity baseline of “an all-white” board - were totally at sea about how to go about changing this.
Action for Trustee Racial Diversity’s unique database of over 500 Black and Asian network organisations across sectors, skills and professions - compiled by us largely searching the internet - gives the lie to the myths of “hard to reach” and “they don’t exist”.
I’m ceaselessly struck by the extraordinary diversity and creativity of these networks - many of which operate through social media. To give just a flavour of the range, they include The Association for BAME Engineers, Black British in STEM, Black South West Network, Black Funding Network, Black Women in Finance, Black Young Professional Network, and East Asian Lawyers and lots more.
A free tip. Any charity can now use AI in an affordable way to search for their own local networks of Black and Asian organisations. So, what’s stopping you in your quest for more diverse trustees?
How organisations can recruit trustees more inclusively
Board Racial Diversity’s excellent guide on recruiting Black and Asian trustees - From Here to Diversity - offers valuable advice on inclusive recruitment.
Here are a few key tips drawn from our guide:
use inclusive language
don’t ask for senior leadership/senior management experience or previous trustee experience
only use CVs as evidence of a candidate’s background, not how well they might perform
explain clearly why you’re looking to recruit more diverse trustees
encourage other formats for applications such as video applications for people who might be neurodivergent
allow enough time for the recruitment process to reach and engage diverse applicants who might not normally apply to your trustee vacancies
advertise in places which might be visited by people from Black and Asian backgrounds, for instance LinkedIn, Reach Volunteering, and, of course, Board Racial Diversity UK!
write your recruitment advert and pack in an inclusive and welcoming way which is backed up by your internal policies and processes .
How charities can develop and maintain an inclusive board culture, and not just representation
All too often, I’ve been approached by individuals from Black and Asian backgrounds for advice on how to deal with a lack of inclusive practices on their boards. Or they might be concerned that a board they’re thinking of applying for, might lack an inclusive culture and that their appointment is a tokenistic one.
Here are some tips:
don’t just recruit one diverse trustee, recruit two or three to change the board dynamic
offer a “buddy” to new trustees from the existing trustees
review or rotate the times of your board meetings to accommodate different circumstances
review the language you use at the board, for example, don’t use terms like “general purposes”, “nominations”, “remuneration”, “ex officio” and AoB!
continually ask new diverse trustees what changes they’d like to see to ensure they can contribute effectively
ensure that your Chair - and indeed all trustees - are enabled to lead the board in an inclusive way.
Reflections on the future of trusteeship and inclusive leadership within the VCSE sector
Finally, what’s my roadmap for more diverse and more inclusive leadership at charity board level?
Below are my four key steps.
A much sharper focus from boards on how and what they need to change to create a more inclusive environment for new diverse trustees; seek external help, if necessary.
A requirement for boards to develop their own pipeline of future diverse trustees. eg use AI to identify and engage with local Black and Asian organisations and/or set up board shadowing schemes.
More flexibility and clarity on how diverse trustees might contribute their skills and experience in a way which suits their varying professional or personal circumstances.
Developing more collective leadership models, including co-chairing, to enable the “power” on boards to be redistributed more equitably.
Malcom John is the Founder of Board Racial Diversity UK whose purpose is to address the underrepresentation of Black and Asian individuals on trustee boards. He is also a trustee of three charities - Association of Chairs, British American Drama Academy and the Charles Dickens Museum.
You can follow Malcolm on LinkedIn.