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Our governance framework enables leaders and employees to deliver the strategy and play a part in delivering an inclusive environment. This guiding principle starts with the oversight and commitment of the GEB and is implemented by leaders across the firm. We leverage communication channels, workplace forums and councils and engagement plans to drive awareness and accountability. In every location in which we operate, we continue to act in accordance with the current law and regulations and will monitor any changes to ensure we remain consistent.

Our strategy is reinforced by our public commitments to support all employees, including, but not limited to, the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, the Valuable 500 and the Race at Work Charter (in the UK). Of particular note is our commitment to the Valuable 500, a global business collective of CEOs and their companies focused on advancing disability inclusion that we have partnered with since 2021. In 2025, we strengthened disability inclusion by embedding a dedicated social media strategy and an accommodation request form into our recruitment processes, introducing additional resources, such as our Guide to Accommodation Conversations and Group-wide digital accessibility e-learning, and expanding our employee Ability network membership in support of employees with disabilities and allies. We also conducted an external vendor-led assessment of our branches and offices to evaluate physical accessibility. These efforts led to our first-ever recognition as a top scorer in the 2025 Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by the Disability Index®.

We hire the best people for the right roles, to deliver for our clients, our businesses, our shareholders and the communities we serve. We focus on brand awareness and on attracting talent for professional- and entry-level roles in our organization, ensuring our recruitment process is accessible for everyone. For example, in 2025, we launched a disability inclusiveness and accessibility tool kit aimed at recruiters and managers. Its purpose was to ensure an accessible application and onboarding experience for persons with disabilities, and all recruiters received detailed training. Additionally, our �鶹�� Career Comeback program supports candidates on career breaks who want to re-enter the corporate world. We see a career break or change as a source of transferable skills and experiences that can bring candidates back to the corporate world stronger than ever. 

We develop and promote with meritocracy at the forefront of decisions we make and provide employees with visibility and opportunities to enable successful and thriving careers. Development opportunities include mentorship, sponsorship, training, coaching and career mobility.

Furthermore, we aim to ensure that our promotion and succession planning processes account for the breadth of all employees’ skills, backgrounds and experiences. For example, in 2025, our six-month career development programs, the Growth Alignment Experience, for employees at the associate director and director levels, and our Not in Your Image program for employees at the authorized officer, associate director and director levels, provided cohort experiences that enabled employees to apply and drive their own development with active support from their line managers. Participants worked with external coaches to align their personal purpose with professional impact while expanding their networks.

In 2025, we partnered with the Executive Leadership Council’s Institute for Leadership Development and Research, along with organizations such as Luminary and the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, to increase access to external leadership development events that facilitate individual growth and build our talent pipeline. We also sponsored intergenerational reciprocal mentoring initiatives and a reverse-mentoring program that paired junior colleagues with senior leaders to strengthen inclusive leadership skills.

It is critically important to us that we respect an environment where all our employees are treated fairly and are able to reach their potential. A sense of belonging drives employee engagement and is vital for both individual and organizational well-being. In this respect, inclusive leadership and fair, transparent policies and practices are foundational measures. In 2025, we promoted inclusion and belonging through leadership training and through measures including flexible working arrangements, fertility support, parental leave, menopause support, transgender support and an ongoing focus on disability inclusion.

Acting as an engine for engagement and belonging, our employee network chapters around the world connect employees on a variety of topics. These communities, which are open to everyone, come together to celebrate all cultures, educate and raise awareness, offer peer support, allyship and networking opportunities, and help ensure the firm’s sustainable growth by further strengthening our inclusive culture.