Radley James Limited, a specialist recruitment company within the financial and investment markets, hosted a breakfast meeting on October 23rd 2013 promoting ‘Diversity within the Recruitment Process’ to around 40 high profile Heads of HR and Diversity Representatives from within the financial sector.

The audience heard from an expert panel of four experienced speakers who provided an engaging and interactive Q&A session covering diversity topics such as the challenges faced within the recruitment industry, uptake from line management, performance from recruitment agencies and resourcing partners and more.

The Panel of Speakers consisted of:

Nicky Moffat CBE, Leadership Consultant and Speaker

Amir Kabel, Group Diversity & Inclusion Lead – Direct Line Group

Anthony Watson, Managing Director & Chief Information Officer – Barclays

Simon Feeke, Director and Head of Workplace – Stonewall

Nicky Moffat CBE chaired the panel and put the topics below to the speakers for open discussion:

• Outline the business case for the employment of diverse talent.
• Consider the role of senior leadership in establishing the conditions for the recruitment and retention of diverse talent.
• Consider how best to attract and retain diverse talent.
• Offer views on what ‘good’ looks like in a potential future employer, from the perspective of a diverse candidate.

Nicky Moffat CBE, Leadership Consultant and Speaker said, “The discussions we had will help Radley James and their clients to understand better how to access and retain excellence from a wide and clearly untapped pool of diverse talent. I was delighted to be able to contribute to this important initiative.”

Following the Q&A session, the panel opened up questions to the floor generating a diverse range of questions and comments from the audience on how diversity in the workplace should be tackled when recruiting.

Amir Kabel, Group Diversity & Inclusion Lead – Direct Line Group commented, “Diversity is a business imperative, and no longer just a HR agenda. For companies who want to be leading the market and to be forward thinking, they need to understand the business benefits on diversity, what this can bring to the business and to truly adopt an inclusive culture.  It’s the only way forward.”

“Radley James is tirelessly working to ensure diversity is embraced within the workplace.  Yesterday’s event was assembled with a highly experienced and respected panel of experts who openly shared their experiences and expertise with key HR and Diversity Representatives from the financial sector,” said Paul Garrett, Managing Director, Radley James.  “The UK market has an increasing demand for a diverse approach to recruitment and Radley James is striving to support this requirement.  By working in partnership with our key decision makers we can ensure diverse candidates are being hired within the financial sector and effectively working with diversity champions we will continue to build a strong network and reputation for delivery of talent and solutions to the market.”