KNOWLEDGE

Morton Fraser joins 30% Club in push for gender & ethnic diversity

Morton Fraser Chief Executive Chris Harte
Author
Chris Harte
Chief Executive and Partner
PUBLISHED:
06 August 2020
Audience:
source:
Insider
category:
Press Release

Morton Fraser, one of the largest independent law firms in Scotland, has become only the sixth business out of more than 350,000 headquartered in Scotland to join the influential 30% Club.

The 30% Club sets targets for gender representation at Board and Executive Committee levels amongst the FTSE 350 and asks 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.

Maggie Moodie, Chairman of Morton Fraser, said: “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: “We’re delighted to welcome Morton Fraser to the 30% Club and encouraged by the level of gender representation that the firm has already achieved at Board and senior management level. 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.”

According to The 30% Club, the proportion of women in board positions in the FTSE 350 has increased from 9.5% in 2010 to 32% now.

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

Read more about our involvement and what we are doing as a firm in terms of our diversity, inclusion and belonging initiatives at our dedicated page

Disclaimer

The content of this webpage is for information only and is not intended to be construed as legal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for specific advice. Morton Fraser LLP accepts no responsibility for the content of any third party website to which this webpage refers.  Morton Fraser LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.