Morton Fraser signs up to 30% Club for diversity

Legal firm Morton Fraser has become only the sixth Scottish-headquartered business to join the 30% Club.

The Club sets targets for gender representation at board and executive committee levels amongst the FTSE 350. With the proportion of women in FTSE 350 board positions having increased from 9.5% in 2010 to 32% now, it is asking all members to embrace fully inclusive cultures that consider ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background and beyond. 

Morton Fraser’s own board is currently 60% female, and 52% of senior management roles are occupied by women. However, the firm has put diversity and inclusion at the heart of its growth strategy and is committed to encouraging greater diversity in the Scottish business community.

The firm will embark on a series of initiatives designed to encourage wider adoption of the 30% Club principles across Scotland.

Chairman Maggie Moodie commented: "The 30% Club actively lobbies for improvements in female representation at executive level, which is in keeping with our own values. We passionately believe in encouraging a diverse set of experiences, perspectives and backgrounds in our firm.

"We are on our own journey in that respect. Law firms have a long way to go before they can call themselves truly diverse. While we may have outstanding female leadership in our firm, we cannot ignore the wider challenge our sector faces to encourage and retain members of BAME communities in the industry. It was important to us that the 30% Club recently updated its targets to include people of colour."

Francoise Higson, campaign manager, 30% Club, added: "Creating an inclusive culture and realising the potential of a diverse workforce is a continuous journey and we’re delighted to have CEO, Chris Harte, and chair, Maggie Moodie, championing that from the very top."