Posted 03.07.15
Housing organisations are signing up to improve the diversity of their leadership.
The Chartered Institute of Housing's (CIH) Presidential Commission on leadership and diversity is making a series of challenges to the sector in its final report, which was recently launched.
The report calls on housing organisations to sign up to and deliver against 10 challenges by 2020. Social landlords including Affinity Sutton, B3Living, Circle, Community Gateway Association, Genesis, Hastoe Group, Merthyr Valleys Homes, Midland Heart, New Charter, One Manchester and Stonewater are among the first to sign up.
The challenges include:
The report is also calling on social housing regulators to take into account the level of governance and leadership diversity when addressing and assessing organisational risk and performance. And it is challenging recruitment agencies and contractors working with the housing sector to work towards broadening talent pools so that all shortlists meet the requirements of their clients and include talent from under-represented groups.
The commission was set up last year by then-CIH President Steve Stride, to examine ways to improve the diversity of housing industry leaders. He said:
"We know there is an appetite for change and we would like to thank the hundreds of housing professionals who have come forward to work with us in developing this commission. We have heard about some great initiatives, but we have also heard about significant barriers preventing some housing professionals from progressing their careers and moving into leadership positions.
"This commission aims to challenge the housing sector to improve, and to start that journey of improvement now; so we are asking housing providers to sign up to and deliver against our 10 challenges by 2020.
"It's not about increasing diversity for the sake of it. It's about making our industry the best it can be, recruiting talent from the widest and most diverse of backgrounds; and making sure we don't get left behind. We want our leaders to be the best; and the best because they represent the diversity of our industry and the communities we serve."
Click here for further details about signing up to take the 10 by 20 challenges.
