Pinsent Masons recognised in Top 50 Employers for Women list by The Times

The unranked alphabetical list commends UK organisations that are leading the way in gender equality and diversity in the workplace by actively recruiting, retaining and progressing female talent. The list is published in partnership with Business in the Community, the Prince of Wale’s Responsible Business Network, as part of the charity’s Responsible Business Week.

The recognition is further endorsement of Pinsent Masons' market-leading approach to diversity and inclusion. The firm was the first legal firm to be ranked in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, and is currently the top-ranked professional services firm in the influential list.

Pinsent Masons was also in the vanguard of law firms to set targets for senior female representation within its business. Sky, the firm's gender balance initiatives, was launched in 2013 and aims to remove the obstacles to female career progression and release the full potential of its workforce. The firm aims to ensure women will comprise at least 25% of the firm's partnership by 1 May 2018. The latest partner promotions raised the proportion of women in the partnership to 23%, closing in on that target.

Earlier this year the firm announced the appointment of Douglas Alexander as a strategic consultant. Mr. Alexander, who served in both the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown Cabinets, has a remit to help advise clients of the firm on responsible business and how organisations can tackle inequality.

Richard Foley, Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons, says:

"Our vision is to be recognised as a market leader in the global sectors in which we operate, differentiated by our approach to innovation. We see market leadership as being about more than simply being excellent lawyers, however. It's about having a people strategy that allows talent within the firm to flourish - irrespective of gender and background - and innovating for and with our clients who face similar challenges. This ranking is a welcome validation of the work we have been doing to achieve that, albeit we recognise there is more we must do."

Linda Jones, employment practice head and leader of Sky, commented:

"This recognition is an immense achievement, which is a result of a continued focus on creating an inclusive culture across the business. A diverse workforce means our clients benefit from a range of knowledge and experience, and a more innovative work product. We are committed to building an environment in which our employees can thrive and become true high performing individuals."

Kathryn Nawrockyi, Gender Equality Director at Business in the Community, said:

“Huge congratulations to Pinsent Masons on being named in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2016 – the process was highly competitive so they should be extremely proud of their success.  They have demonstrated a commitment to fundamentally changing workplace processes and cultures to make them inclusive to all, benefitting women and men at every level in their organisation, and I hope they inspire other employers to do the same.”

The full alphabetical and unranked list can be found online: http://gender.bitc.org.uk/TTT502016