Leathwaite

Project ReMAKE and BecomingX: Empowering Prison Leavers Through Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We’re excited to announce Project ReMAKE’s latest collaboration with BecomingX, led by CEO Paul Gurney. Together, we are launching an app designed specifically for prison leavers, giving them access to vital resources, tools, mentoring, legal help, assistance with opening bank accounts, and much more. Everything in in place and on your phone! Many individuals re-entering society from prison are unaware of these services or how to access them—our Advance app is fills that gap and ensures a smoother, more successful transition. Additionally, Project ReMAKE is launching a Venture Studio, a unique business launchpad for prison leavers. This venture is a collaboration between universities, corporate partners, the The British Library, Big Issue Invest, Linklaters, and more. It’s a dedicated space where prison leavers with entrepreneurial potential can receive the support they need to turn their business ideas into reality, benefiting both themselves and the broader public. The launch event this week at The Clink Charity restaurant at HMP Brixton brought together an incredible group of corporate partners, with dinner and inspiring conversations. Highlights included the passionate speech by the Minister of Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, who spoke from the heart about the importance of redemption for marginalised communities. James Timpson is the Godfather of Redemption! A huge thank you to our corporate guests including representatives from Knight Frank, Accenture, Virgin, bp, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, Ministry of Justice UK, and many others, for making this event a success. Big thanks to Clink Restuarant and staff and the Project ReMAKE team! Special thanks to Spencer Stuart, Rowen Bainbridge and Leathwaite, Neil Ejje for supporting the gathering. Project ReMAKE is actively seeking partners who share our vision and can help move these ideas forward. If you’re inspired by our work and want to be part of this transformative journey, please get in touch. Timpsons Limited Anglo American Panmure Liberum Holly Addison Lady Val Corbett #prisons #rehabilitation #entrepreneurship

Last week we were invited to join the Eagle Club in a discussion around the interim legal market. Fantastic discussion with fantastic individuals. Many thanks to Lesley Wan for the invitation. Are interim legal hires the General Counsel’s secret weapon? With a continued focus on cost and permanent recruitment taking longer; contract recruitment has arguably become the darling of the in-house legal market. From analysing the shift towards fixed-term contracts over day-rates, the rising norm of a contract completion bonus and looking at the expansion of the alternative legal services providers, there has been a positive shift in the perception and value of interim legal professionals. Its been a busy interim market at Leathwaite with Kersty Bletso and Mary Driscoll on board. #interimlegal #generalcounsel #leathwaiteinterim

📈 The percentage of people from lower socio-economic backgrounds in senior roles in #financialservices has increased from 26% to 28%. 📈 Today we launch Progress Together’s 2024 data report - Shaping the Sector - a study of 200,000 financial services employees in the UK. It shows that cracks are beginning to show in the financial services ‘class ceiling’ but there’s still work to be done. Some other key findings from the report – which was compiled in collaboration with our data partner Bridge Group - include:  🔹 58% of employees are sharing socio-economic background data, up from 49% in 2023.  🔹Levels of socio-economic diversity reduce as seniority increases: 58% of those at senior levels are from a higher socio-economic background, compared with 45% at junior levels.  🔹The proportion who attended an independent school is 21% among those in senior positions – three times the national percentage of 6.5%.  🔹White men from higher socio-economic backgrounds are 33 times more likely to be found in senior roles in financial services compared with ethnic minority women from a lower socio-economic background.   🔹People from a higher socio-economic background are promoted on average six months faster than those from a lower socio-economic background.    We’re working with financial services firms and advising them to:    🔹Set goals and be accountable for change.  🔹Explore the relationship between socio-economic background and performance.   🔹Develop talent and leadership.  🔹Implement policies and approaches that measure and ensure greater equality in work / client / project distribution by socio-economic background.  🔹Explore the experiences and perspectives of employees to help inform action.     A diverse corporate culture is associated with a wide range of benefits including:     🔹Better decision making through reducing groupthink 🔹Being better placed to serve the needs of customers from all backgrounds  🔹Greater productivity and business success while reducing recruitment costs  🔹The ability to attract top talent from the widest possible pool of candidates    You can find out more in the full report: https://lnkd.in/eU3TvjNy   Help to build a more inclusive financial services sector. Find out more about becoming a member: https://lnkd.in/eiqehtHS    #ShapingtheSector #ProgressTogether #SocialMobility

Two weeks ago, I found myself scurrying across the halls of HKCEC once again, darting from one theatre to the next, at the one and only ReThink HK. It was great to see the collective progress made over the past few years. While progress should be celebrated, there is still much work to be done ⌛ Gloom and uncertainty hung in the air at the end of some of the panel discussions as speakers served a strong dose of brutal honesty with a side of compassionate truth: • Comfort is the enemy of progress. Balancing profit and purpose is tough, yet aligning financial success with environmental stewardship is essential for both business and the planet. • Long-term impact requires cross-sector collaboration, breaking silos, and individual accountability for advocated causes to achieve necessary change. • Investments made in technology, regulatory frameworks, staff engagement should be viewed as opportunities with positive returns. There is a need for a shift in mindset within organisations, led from the top, whereby sustainability acts as a guiding principle for all. • Inclusive practices promote diversity of thought, driving innovation, better decision making and stronger workplace cultures. Health and wellbeing should be viewed as a core strategy as there is strong linkage of that to productivity and engagement, recognising individual interpretations of what wellbeing means, be it physical, mental, financial or intellectual.  • Education empowers those in authority to recognise privilege, embrace equity and yield control more willingly. Adequate support and training can help those in supervisory roles leading diverse teams to navigate differences through empathy, active listening and mutual respect. • While the demand for green skills is expected to double by 2050, the current supply is not keeping up pace. The lack of organic talent has led to the emergence of competence greenwashing, especially at the executive and board levels, which poses a huge risk on the ESG industry. • There is a growing pool of young talent that aspire to forge a path into the industry but still very limited opportunities for training and exposure which support the green ‘school-to-work’ transition. • Greenhushing intensifies with stricter environmental regulations as businesses downplay sustainability efforts to avoid penalty or backlash. This lack of transparency can be perceived as insincerity, eroding stakeholder trust in environmental commitment. Very grateful to Chris Brown ♻️ and team for this platform to reconnect, rethink and reflect. And for new perspectives: Sonal Chugani (She / Her), Donna Buckland, Ulrike Klemm, David S. Lee (이승우, 李乘雨), Haily Chan, Jennifer Choot, Paddy Balfour, Celina Kwong, John Haffner, Matthew Friedman, Brett Verschoor (He/Him), John Pabon, Natalie Wu, Johnny Wei, Zoe Lau, Charlotte Chan, Angela Wong, Pia Wong Thank you for reminding us of how far we still need to go 🌍 #ReThink2024 #theonlywayforward #acceleratethechange

Bradford Literature Festival has appointed John Makinson as the new chair of the Board, effective from 1st October.