Equity in Diversity, equity and inclusion

Governance - corporate governance - organisations - social sustainability.

In the social sustainability and treasury context, equity is the fair treatment and full participation of all people.

The principle of equity recognises that some people are disadvantaged by disability, discrimination or other factors, and allocates resources accordingly to reach fair outcomes.

True success & shared prosperity

"Equity is the compass that guides us, we all need to recognize that true success lies not only in financial gains but also in fostering an inclusive environment.

Our team collaborates, celebrates diverse perspectives, and ensures that every stakeholder has a seat at the table.

Together, we build a treasury that thrives on fairness, respect, and shared prosperity."

Alex Ashby FCT FCCA, Group Treasurer, WPP.

Equity in treasury practice

"When working with my teams and external partners I’m looking for equity in our approach.

By this I expect people from both teams to get a chance to have their voices and ideas heard, to grow in experience and have upside in the relationship.

In this way we build strong diverse teams and great communities with our partners equitably."

Neil Wadey FCT, Group Treasurer, British American Tobacco.

Diversity award criteria

"These awards will be presented to individuals or organisations who have gone the extra mile to champion diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives either across the organisation or more widely.

Criteria may include (but are not limited to)... equity/social mobility: considerations made to provide equal opportunities irrespective of background and socio-economic status, and span to include those championing non age-biased recruitment...

ACT Diversity & Sustainability Awards - criteria.

Extending equitable thinking

"Equity is often harder to give than equality and always needs more thought. A few cases:

A good starting point for a team leader is to treat people how they would wish to be treated. That prevents a lot of bad behaviour, but the next stage is to understand that not everyone wishes to be treated the same and to understand their preferences (more or less information about upcoming changes; face-to-face or virtual; speaking their mind or writing a considered email).

In some respects, equity is already a fundamental part of how we manage our teams. We wouldn’t expect everyone to eat the same food and drink the same wine at a team dinner. In fact, we wouldn’t make a team dinner mandatory, because not everyone is free of other responsibilities in the evening. We just need to extend that thinking to all the ways we work. For example, in most jobs we don’t need everyone to work the same hours, or be present in the office at the same time – we just need people to do their jobs and work well with their colleagues. That might mean five days in the office from 9-5 for one, or 3 days in the office from 7-3 and two at home for another – they aren’t equal, but we expect equal commitment to the job from each of them.

At its simplest, equality could be having a townhall and inviting everyone. Equity means reserving a seat for me near the front, because my eyes are so bad I can’t read the presentation without sitting close to the screen.

Treating people equally might mean allowing anyone to apply for open positions in Treasury. It fails to acknowledge that some people are more likely than others to apply for a promotion, even if they are both equally good. We have also seen that cultural background can have a disproportionate influence on how well people perform at interview. Equity means taking the time to identify who might be good in a job, and encouraging them to apply. It can also mean offering interview practice and training to selected groups."

Frances Hinden FCT, Group Treasurer, Shell.

See also

• 30% Club
• Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT)
• BAME
• Board of directors
• Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion
• Corporate governance
• Corporate social responsibility
• Corporate treasury
• Digital exclusion
• Diversity
• Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
• Equality
• Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
• Equitable
• Equity
• Ethics
• Financial exclusion
• Financial inclusion
• Financial markets
• Financial wellbeing
• Glass ceiling
• Guiding principles for diversity and inclusion (ACT)
• Inclusion
• Lifelong learning
• SDG 4 - inclusive & equitable quality education & lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Social sustainability
• Townhall
• Treasury
• United Nations Global Compact

Other resources

• Guiding principles for diversity and inclusion (ACT)
• ACT Diversity & Sustainability Awards - criteria
• United Nations Global Compact - Social sustainability