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At Ridgeway, we celebrate and embrace our differences.
We actively request recommendations and introductions to new professionals in order to increase the breadth and diversity of our candidate network.
Inclusive Search Process
Ridgeway is committed to helping organisations build sustainable and inclusive businesses, with access to the very best talent across all industries. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do and we are proud of the diverse team we have built ourselves to be able to support our clients.
We are delighted to have been accredited once again by the FTSE Women Leaders Review, for our work in helping to increase the number of women in board and senior leadership roles in the FTSE 350 – please see the 2021 report here. Congratulations to all those women who have moved into new roles over the past year and to the Review team for their continued work and commitment.
At Ridgeway we want to be completely transparent about our performance and are pleased to openly share our data for 2021: across all company sizes and ownerships, 37% of our board placements and 33% of our non-board placements were female. In addition, 12% of our board placements and 17% of our non-board placements were of candidates who identify as being ethnically diverse.
We are extremely proud of the part Ridgeway has played in the progress made to date, but realise there is much more to do. We are committed to continuing to raise the bar for diverse boards and leadership teams. We have a robust monitoring process in place to ensure we are meeting our targets across a range of diversity metrics, as well as a series of inspiring initiatives to help us bring more diverse talent to the boardroom and C-suite roles
We actively request recommendations and introductions to new professionals in order to increase the breadth and diversity of our candidate network.
Longlists are always at least 40% female, with at least two female candidates included at shortlist.
In 2018, we committed to a voluntary target of presenting at least one ethnically diverse candidate per longlist, a target frequently and substantially exceeded.
All colleagues regularly undergo conscious inclusion training.
Network
We invest in active relationships with a diverse network of people in the workforce by regularly hosting and attending events and seminars.
30% Club
Ridgeway is an active supporter of the 30% Club, the global campaign to increase gender diversity at board and senior management levels.
Women in Finance Charter
We have been signatories to the Women in Finance Charter since 2016.
FTSE Women Leaders Hampton-Alexander Review
We are compliant with the Enhanced Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms and receive maximum accreditation from the Davies Review and Hampton-Alexander Review every year.
Business in the Community
We are now a signatory of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter, an initiative designed to improve outcomes for black, Asian and minority ethnic employees in the UK.
Community Support
Each year, we select a charity to support – assisting with fundraising, awareness, interviewing skills and work placements. Our 2022 charity and internship programme support diverse individuals and communities.
Ambitious about Autism
We are proud partners of Ambitious about Autism (AaA), the national charity for children and young people with autism. This year we have undertaken training, fundraising and an internship programme with AaA.
#10000 Black Interns
#10000 Black Interns’ mission is to transform the horizons and prospects of young Black people in the United Kingdom by offering paid work experience across a wide range of industries, as well as world-class training and development. We are signatories to the #10000 Black Interns pledge and will be hosting two interns per year from 2022 onwards.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee
DE&I is part of our DNA here at Ridgeway, and we celebrate the visible and invisible differences that makes each person who they are. We actively challenge ourselves and our clients to build more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces, allowing for better representation of the communities we work in.
DE&I Steering Committee Members
Louise Angel
Louise Angel
Partner, Board Practice
Emma Lucas
Emma Lucas
Executive Assistant
Rebecca Meredith
Rebecca Meredith
Senior Consultant
Sue O’Brien OBE
Sue O’Brien OBE
Executive Chair
Verity Symes
Verity Symes
Chief Operating Officer
Freddie Williams-Thomas
Freddie Williams-Thomas
Managing Director
Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson
Consultant
Dr Heather Melville OBE, CCMI
Dr Heather Melville OBE, CCMI
Senior Managing Director
Kate Chetwynd-Talbot
Kate Chetwynd-Talbot
Managing Director
Our Workforce by the Numbers
Ridgeway has always been a diverse place, and we’re improving day by day. Here’s where we’re at today with our 35 employees in our headquarters in London, United Kingdom:
Our colleagues hail from over five different countries around the world.
We are a 74% female workforce, with 64% of management positions held by women.
We value work life balance. We work flexibly with 26% of colleagues working part-time (4 days or less).
9% of our workforce identify as ethnically diverse –we are committed to understanding our base line and passionate about increasing our diversity within the business.
47% of our team attended a state school. 41% attended a fee-paying school, of which 3% attended on scholarship.
Above that, 9% went to school outside of the UK, and 3% went to a fee-paying school on a scholarship.
61% of the team’s parents did NOT attend university.
Ridgeway is a Teneo company.
Teneo is the global CEO advisory firm. To learn more, visit: