Corporate report

Priority focus: Race action plan 2020 to 2021

Updated 30 March 2023

Board and Executive Committee commitment

The CMA’s Executive Committee (XCo) and Board are committed to the personal and professional development of all staff, including those from all under-represented groups.

We commit to:

• educate ourselves about the barriers and challenges facing colleagues from ethnic minority communities, both inside and outside the CMA:

• removing barriers to career progression for colleagues from ethnic minority communities
• address the lack of ethnic diversity in our senior leadership
• ensuring the CMA’s diversity at all levels reflects that of the UK public
• delivering a range of initiatives in the coming year that will impact the organisation and ensure sustainable change for colleagues from ethnic minority communities
• work in partnership with our EDI Working Group and our Race Network to deliver the ambitious work programme outlined in this plan

Racism and discrimination of any sort have no place in our society and no place at the CMA. We all have a personal and professional duty to know where inequality persists and to call it out if we see it. We must address these issues together, as colleagues and as citizens, to make society fairer and to support each other. 

Action 1: Investigate ways to ensure greater ethnic diversity and diversity of thought at the senior leadership level

The CMA Board and Executive want to ensure that the voice of under-represented groups, with a particular bias at this time towards colleagues from ethnic minorities, is heard and understood at the most senior level of the CMA’s decision making.

We will investigate a range of different options to better hear and represent those diverse voices at senior levels of decision making – considering such options as a shadow board or shadow executive committee and other options that better ensure diverse voices are heard at a senior level.

The CMA Board and Executive want to increase the leadership development opportunities for non-executive staff and consider this route one good way to achieve that provision of opportunity.

Action 2: Sponsorship and the creation of an internal CMA development programme for aspiring colleagues from under-represented groups

The CMA will introduce a sponsorship programme for Grade 6 and Grade 7 BAME staff, who will be paired with an Executive or Senior Director sponsor for 1 year. The senior sponsor will actively seek opportunities for their colleague, such as training and development programmes, work shadowing opportunities, secondments and job opportunities in and outside of the CMA.

The CMA will develop an internal Positive Action Development Scheme (‘PADS’) for aspiring colleagues from under-represented groups (including, but not limited to, BAME colleagues). Like the equivalent Civil Service-wide Positive Action Pathway, the PADS would aim to increase skills and knowledge, develop the confidence of participants to overcome barriers and help participants compete on an equal footing for progression.

Action 3: Use data to challenge and check our progress on recruitment outcomes and pay and also review the CMA’s ethnicity pay gap

We will continue to commission and regularly review data on pay, performance and recruitment outcomes for colleagues from ethnic minority communities, with a view to assessing progress.

XCo and the Board have specifically commissioned a review of the CMA’s ethnicity pay gap.

Action 4: Creation of the Positive Action Steering Group (PASG)

To ensure we deliver our Race Action Plan and continue to hold our Executive and Board to account, we will establish a Positive Action Steering Group.

The Group will be led by Erik Wilson, Chief Operating Officer and the Board’s race champion.

We commit to reporting regularly on our progress to deliver our Race Action Plan.