Siân Skelton
Inclusion Partner
UK Executive Board
We're committed to delivering an inclusive culture and a progressive environment where we empower all our people to lead, learn and grow. By bringing new experiences and viewpoints into the firm we're able to gain new perspectives, enhance teamworking and create extraordinary results for our business.
Our inclusion programme has five priority areas, each with partner champions and network groups to drive engagement. Across these areas we focus on:
- Gender balance: achieving greater representation of women in the partnership and better gender balance in leadership roles.
- Race and ethnicity: increasing the representation of colleagues from ethnic minority communities at the firm.
- LGBT+: providing an open work environment where sexual orientation and gender identity are accepted.
- Social mobility: improving access for social mobility students into the legal profession through schools and student outreach.
- Mental and physical wellbeing: promoting good mental and physical wellbeing, raising awareness of visible and invisible disabilities, creating an accessible, safe and healthy workplace.
Inclusion priorities
Strategic priority
Executive board reviews strategy
Gender balance
Inclusion priority
Achieve greater representation of women in the partnership and better gender balance in leadership roles.
Key focus
Gender plan delivery: Enhancing the career experience of our women colleagues.
Social mobility
Inclusion priority
Improve access for social mobility students into the legal profession through schools and student outreach.
Key focus
Develop apprenticeship opportunities for school leavers and Tomorrow's Talent.
Mental and physical wellbeing
Inclusion priority
Promote good mental and physical wellbeing, raise awareness of visible and invisible disabilities, creating an accessible, safe and healthy workplace.
Key focus
Introducing neurodiversity for family and colleagues and for managers.
LGBT+ Sexual orientation and gender identity
Inclusion priority
Provide an open work environment where sexual orientation and gender identify are accepted.
Key focus
Expand opportunities for change and profile through our relationship with MyGwork, and maximise member benefits.
Strategic priority
Executive board reviews strategy
Race and ethnicity
Inclusion priority
We will increase the representation of colleagues from ethnic minority communities at Taylor Wessing.
Key focus
Recruit more diverse talent and understand the employee experience.
In the last year, our Inclusion Board has helped deliver progress and change in these five priority areas through targeted initiatives.
Our Belonging inclusivity series
Last year, our Inclusion Board introduced a new inclusivity series, Belonging. This series examined inclusivity through the lens of 'belonging' – exploring what it means to belong across all aspects of life. Each session used the power of storytelling to emphasise our commitment to providing an inclusive culture that empowers our people.
During this series we heard from inspirational speakers like Belton Flournoy, who shared his powerful story of growing up as a black, LGBT+ man in Southern America, Dr Kamel Hothi OBE, British banker and financial adviser, and Jacqui Gavin, an influential transgender rights speaker who shared her story of determination and how she overcame prejudice and bias.
Mansfield Rule UK
In 2021 we announced our support of the Mansfield Rule UK. The goal of the Mansfield Rule is to boost the representation of underrepresented lawyers in firm leadership.
It's become the standard by which law firms track and measure. They've considered at least 30% women, lawyers from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, lawyers with disabilities, and LGBT+ lawyers for:
- top leadership roles
- senior-level lateral hiring
- promotions into the equity partnership
- participation in client pitch meetings.
With support from more than 160 large law firms in the Mansfield Rule Certification process, we were one of the first law firms to pilot its expansion to the UK. Over the last year the Mansfield Rule has helped us focus on monitoring our recruitment and promotion activities and improving the diversity of our firm. We will be participating again in 2023.
Inclusive learning
Our vision for learning focuses on enabling our people to lead, learn and develop in an inclusive and sustainable environment. We continue to promote inclusive learning where all our people can access personal and professional development opportunities so they can thrive in their roles.
Through our Always Learning portal, colleagues can access learning when it works for them as well as discovering topics important to them, their skills and their work. We're also mindful of ensuring that we design and deliver face-to-face programmes that match various learning styles, so that everyone feels comfortable, engaged and happy to participate in the sessions.
In recognition of our approach to learning, and the 50+ programmes we deliver each year in the UK, we were the only law firm shortlisted in 2022 for Learning Team of the Year at the global awards hosted by the Learning and Performance Institute.