The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) has appointed two diversity and inclusion (D&I) ambassadors as part of its campaign to champion and improve diversity and inclusion in the recruitment industry.
The roles have been awarded to Scarlett Allen-Horton, Director of global energy and engineering executive search firm Harper Fox Partners and finalist in the 2019 series of The Apprentice, and former England and Harlequins rugby union star and sports presenter Ugo Monye.
Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the REC, said:
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Scarlett and Ugo as our D&I ambassadors. They both have a wealth of experience in tackling diversity and inclusion issues in their professional and personal lives, and will be able to share their knowledge and passion with recruiters all over the country. Our industry is diverse and vibrant, but we know we have more to do. I look forward to working with them in the coming months as we strive to help our industry become more inclusive and drive change within the business world at large.”
Scarlett Allen-Horton said:
“‘Having been in industry for the last ten years, as a passionate advocate of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), I am truly delighted to be working with the REC as a diversity and inclusion ambassador. Fervent about embedding real positive change across recruitment practices, EDI plays an essential part in building more profitable, more successful, and more engaging organisations. Together with the REC, I have no doubt we can be the change we want to see, creating impactful and inclusive practices for all.’
Ugo Monye commented:
“After the events of the past year, it is more important than ever that we make progress on equality and diversity. I am passionate about ensuring that progress happens in sport, particularly by bringing through young people from under-represented communities into leadership roles. I look forward to working with the REC to help the recruitment industry do
the same.”
As the REC’s D&I ambassadors, Scarlett and Ugo will play a key role in a campaign to increase D&I in the staffing industry. They will use their experience and knowledge around the issue to help raise awareness of how recruitment business can achieve best practice in making their organisations diverse and inclusive so people can progress their careers with equality of opportunity. They will champion the sector’s successes and advocate for good recruitment as a way to increase D&I in all workplaces. Recruiters are central to helping their clients create a diverse workforce.
This follows recent research from the REC and APSCo which found that two in five recruitment businesses don’t record any demographic data on their own workforce – an important starting point in measuring and improving D&I in the sector.
