On the go: The Association of Professional Pension Trustees has launched a ‘hints and tips’ briefing focused on diversity and inclusion, in a bid to influence how trustees go about shaping their boards.
Increasing diversity has long been a focus of the industry and regulators. The Pensions Regulator in particular has stressed that there is not enough diversity on trustee boards, and has a working group exploring the issue.
The APPT’s briefing forms part of a programme of activities — branded APPT KnowHow — that will be available to members via a series of online videos.
The hints and tips brief begins by exploring whether trustee boards should have a diversity and inclusion strategy, and provides guidance on how to progress these strategies.
The guide will have a particular emphasis on expanding the diversity of thought on trustee boards and provide tools on how to achieve this.
It also gives advice on trustee selection, specifically on whether anything in the board’s current materials or process for selection could discourage certain people from applying for roles.
Having set this all out, the briefing additionally explains how periodic targets should be set, tracked and achieved, and underscores the importance of board advisers reflecting diversity and inclusion goals.
APPT diversity and inclusion committee chair Manpreet Sohal said: “We engaged the APPT membership through a survey on the topic of D&I last year. From that work it was clear that, although the majority of trustees and their trustee boards recognised the importance and value of diversity, equity and inclusion, many felt they could benefit from additional support and guidance on how to achieve inclusivity in practice.
“This insight helped the D&I committee determine the focus areas for a programme of knowledge-sharing material. Our next step will be a series of five short videos for members covering key aspects of D&I where the best practice and wide experience of members and professional advisers can be harnessed for the benefit of everybody.”
APPT chair Harus Rai added: “The importance of making progress in this area has been detailed by the government and regulators, and only recently we have seen that surveys of the sector in future will be monitoring how trustees are responding to the dynamics of D&I.
“As a body, the APPT is determined to help our members respond to the challenges so that the boards our members serve can have confidence in the tailored and best practice guidance they receive.”
