Our people
20 June 2022
We are proud to be No.1 on Stonewall’s 2022 Top 100 Employers List.
Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers List is the UK’s leading ranking of employers from public, private and third sector on how inclusive their workplaces are. Macquarie first became a top 100 employer in 2016 and achieved the 33rd position in 2020. We’ve risen to the top of the list after continuing to build on our inclusion work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Pride EMEA Employee Network Group was also awarded Highly Commended Network Group in the 2022 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
Paul Plewman, Chief Executive Officer for Macquarie Group in EMEA (he/him), said: “We’re thrilled with the recognition of how important LGBTQ+ inclusion is to Macquarie globally. This achievement recognises years of work to ensure that all our people feel empowered and can thrive and is a tribute to the commitment of the whole Macquarie team.”
Policies, processes, and benefits are regularly reviewed and improved to ensure they meet the needs of all LGBTQ+ employees. Understanding that everyone holds multiple identities, they do this holistically to ensure their policies meet the needs of all underrepresented groups. Examples of this include their buddy program for new employees, offering new employees the chance to choose a buddy with a shared identity (such as East Asian and gay) as well as their LGBTQ+ inclusive sponsorship program, which provides senior leader sponsors with training to understand and mitigate the barriers faced by people from under-represented groups.
Sarah Fennell (she/her), Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Macquarie Group in EMEA comments: “For us, DEI is about increasing diversity so that everyone can be their authentic selves and feel safe in their work environment. We do that by embedding the idea in the entire employee life cycle. That includes empowering employees to do what they need to create more inclusive teams.”
Macquarie’s Pride EMEA ENG aims to empower LGBTQ+ colleagues, clients, communities, and allies, by building an environment where everyone has equitable opportunities. The Pride EMEA ENG is made up of over 700 members of Macquarie staff – representing around a third of the staff population in this region. The network is regularly consulted on Macquarie’s inclusion work and runs a formal ‘reverse mentoring’ scheme to support senior leaders to develop their understanding of an LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace.
This year’s Pride Month celebrations are shaping up to be the biggest yet - comprising several events ranging from educational sessions on intersectionality, becoming the headline sponsor of the 2022 British LGBT Awards, and staff sharing their personal experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community at Macquarie. In the regionally headquartered London office, an impressive 50-foot Pride Progress flag featured in the atrium as well as important messaging around LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the lobby. Where a 50-foot flag doesn’t fit across our other offices, we have provided smaller Progress flags and other themed decorations.
While the celebrations run across the month, the business of celebrating our differences and embracing DEI continues year-round. “Pride Month for us is in many ways a continuation of what we do throughout the year, which is acknowledging the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community and highlighting the work still to do,” explains, Harry -Walton (he/him), co-chair of Pride EMEA. “It’s just that during Pride Month, our activity is much more of a celebration.”
Macquarie’s support for LGBTQ+ equity extends to their supply chains, customers, clients and communities across the UK having supported fundraising efforts raising over £110,000 for charities including the Outside Project, who also participated in our Community Resourcing (CoRe) programme. Both the organisation and the Pride EMEA network have consistently supported and funded LGBTQ+ community initiatives.
“It’s important that we have external visibility so that our clients, communities and potential new recruits can see the work that we’re doing and the type of organisation we are,” says Charlie Clark (he/him), co-chair of Pride EMEA. “Our chosen charity is the Outside Project, an LGBTQ+ community shelter and place for domestic abuse refuge. The choice of charity is voted on each year by the committee.”
The Macquarie Group Foundation have also supported LGBTQI+ charities during the pandemic such as GiveOut and Opening Doors London, and through a £750,000 donation to the London Community Response Fund which used equity partners including LGBTQI+ advisors to help funders to shape funding programmes and processes to deploy over £57 million to organisations supporting the COVID response.
Macquarie has also led on a wide range of awareness-raising intersectional activities. Recent events, driven by the Pride network, have placed focus those who identify as LGBTQ+ alongside other social characterisations. The growing importance of intersectionality has allowed the Pride network to collaborate with Macquarie’s Fusion Employee Network Group which seeks to empower colleagues of different races, ethnicities, cultures, and faiths.
Harry explains: “We’re placing emphasis on marginalised communities emerging within our staff population such as colleagues who identify as LGBTQ+ and are part of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community. We hosted an event with the Fusion network, featuring Munroe Bergdorf, trans model and activist, in conversation with Lady Phyll, co-founder of UK Black Pride. It’s about people being able to embrace their entire identity – not just one part of it.”
“It’s really important to us that as an employer Macquarie places trust in the committee to do what they believe they need to. It means people really put their hearts into it and are proud to be ambassadors and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Macquarie’s ongoing commitment to workforce DEI ensures that our business remains innovative, sustainable and continues to meet the evolving needs of our clients, community, shareholders, and our people. We are making positive progress to increase diverse representation at all levels and sustain an inclusive workplace.
Sarah adds: “Our purpose is to ‘empower people to innovate and invest for a better future’ and we want to be creating an inclusive environment where all of our people feel able to be themselves and empowered to perform at their best.”
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