Brexit, ‘Megxit’ and David Attenborough’s pronouncements over the past week have shown us there is simply no compromise for people sitting at the extremes.
So often we see the vilest accusations and fiercest diatribes slung from both sides of every debate, drowning out the reasonable middle: those people who have a certain view but are happy to engage in civil discourse.
This, as Anna Sofat, founder of Addidi Wealth and the ‘Are You In?’ campaign, says, used to be called ‘tolerance’.
Over the past 20 years, the financial services industry has made great strides forward in tolerance, developing ways to promote and encourage people of all backgrounds to join it and thrive within their career.
Financial advice has gone from an old boys’ club to a far more diverse, outward-looking and thoughtful arena, making advice an excellent career path for women and minorities.
But there are still so many ways we can collectively improve and become a beacon to other industries, showing how to be diverse and inclusive in a positive way.
By working to ensure everyone in the advice chain operate in an ethical and fair manner, you can demonstrate to clients that not only can you manage their money well, but you are building a resilient, fair and successful business.
This is what the regulator should be looking for, and this is what Financial Adviser is calling on the Financial Conduct Authority to do: not to make diversity and inclusion some box-ticking, wrist-slapping exercise, but to ensure that such policies are embedded in everything the industry does, and to help companies engage at all levels.
Over the next quarter, Financial Adviser is calling on regulators and the regulated alike to share their best practice ideas and help positive diversity and inclusion policies become as natural as leaves on a tree.
Let’s show the world how tolerant and open to change we are, and lead the way in 2020.
Our 2020 Diversity in Financial Services awards opens for entries next week. Find out more at ftadviser.com/diversity
