REC Pledges No All-male Panels at Events

Ahead of International Women’s Day this Thursday, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) is announcing that they will ensure there are no all-male panels at any events they run for members or stakeholders, with immediate effect. 

At events that feature a series of keynotes or presentations, those with three or more speakers will feature at least one woman. When inviting speakers to events, there will be a continued awareness of other types of diversity, such as ethnicity, age and disability. This is a policy the REC will build on over time. 

This commitment builds on the REC’s work to promote diversity and inclusion in the labour market, which has included a partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women and Work this year, and research to support the Women on Boards campaign in 2014.  

REC chief executive Kevin Green says:

“At the REC, we truly believe that a good jobs market is one that provides opportunity for all and that organisations that embrace diversity are more successful. We want to live by our own standards and stay at the front of our industry, which is why we are making this pledge to include female speakers on every one of our panels.

“There are lots of talented, experienced and insightful women working in recruitment, in the wider business community and within the REC. It’s imperative that our audiences can hear from them.

“The UK has a long way to go when it comes to diversity and representation in business. This pledge helps demonstrate our commitment to it and that we are holding ourselves accountable. We hope that by leading by example, we’ll be playing our part in driving greater diversity within recruitment.”  

Ends

Notes to editors:

1. For more information, contact the REC Press Office on 0207 009 2157/2192 or pressoffice@rec.uk.com. An ISDN line is available for interviews on 0207 021 0584.

2. Jobs transform lives, which is why we are building the best recruitment industry in the world. As the professional body for recruitment we’re determined to make businesses more successful by helping them secure the people they need. We are absolutely passionate and totally committed in this pursuit for recruiters, employers, and the people they hire. Find out more about the Recruitment & Employment Confederation at www.rec.uk.com