The Female FTSE Board Report 2017

SPONSOR’S FOREWORD

If this was easy it would have happened already. Beyond the simple fact that equality at all levels in the workplace is intuitively right, the business case for diversity is now also widely understood. But the complex barriers that have held back successive generations of women are still slowing down the change we wish to see. Of course, not everyone is doing the right thing but more and more organisations share the view that I and the board at Aviva have long held: don’t limit the talent available to your business. Allow people to be themselves. Build an inclusive organisation and a leadership team that truly represents the diversity of your customers, and your business will be better for it. As this report underlines, although we are making progress, we still have not achieved the fundamental change in culture that is needed. Ultimately, our society’s ability to strip away the barriers that have built up over decades depends on understanding them. We need the data on diversity not because the numbers are important for their own sake. Rather they are vital because of the insight that comes with evidence. I welcome the fresh perspective brought by the Board Evaluators’ Study contained in this year’s report. I trust that it will add to our combined understanding of what more needs to be done to accelerate the pace of change. Having an inclusive culture that leads to a diverse workforce at all levels of the organisation is central to Aviva’s vision of our future success. Many other organisations think the same way. The better we all understand the obstacles, the more easily and quickly we will overcome them to achieve that shared ambition.

Sir Adrian Montague Chairman, Aviva