Black History Month

Tushar Morzaria, Barclays Group Finance Director, was speaking at a panel discussion on ethnic and racial inclusion in the workplace held at Barclays’ head office in Canary Wharf, London as part of Black History Month.

The event – hosted by Barclays’ Black Professionals Forum earlier this month – brought together black, Asian and ethnic minority leaders from across the business, including Rick Vassell, MD Chief Compliance Officer Barclaycard UK and Vandana Siney, Group Chief Controls Officer, as well as Morzaria. 

Lord Michael Hastings, Global Head of Citizenship at KPMG International and Pamela Hutchinson, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Bloomberg, were among the business leaders from outside the bank who also joined the discussion, which looked at the barriers faced by people of colour in the business world – and how to overcome them.

Kelechi Onukogu, Director, Group Chief Controls Office and Co-Chair of the Black Professionals Forum told the audience: “As much as today is about celebrating success, for me today is also about acknowledging how far we are yet to go in bridging the gap of reaching true racial equality, especially across the industry.”

From foreign-sounding names on CVs and accents in interviews to cultural communication norms and skin colour, the panel addressed some of the challenges facing people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and related their own workplace experiences.

Sharing his memories of starting out at a UK-based law firm, Vassell said: “When you come from a different background, your norms are completely different – it feels quite alien to try and have to change that. I kept getting feedback that I was aggressive, and I wasn’t listening. So, I found that in some eyes I had to moderate it. I knew it was a cultural thing.”

“I come from a Caribbean family – we speak loud, that’s just the way it is,” added Hutchinson. “For me, growing up in a house like that, to then come into an environment and be quiet didn’t feel right. I was wearing somebody else’s skin. And slowly but surely, I started to let who I really was out. As I started to do that, and the passion and the excitement for what I do began to show, I started progressing very quickly up the corporate ladder.”

Siney agreed, advising the audience of over 100 Barclays colleagues: “Be yourself more, with skill.” She continued, “I think self-awareness is the key. The more you know yourself – the good, the bad and the ugly – the better you interact with others.”

Discussing the future of Black History Month, the panel agreed that reflecting on the stories of the past and celebrating the achievements of the present is necessary for progress.

“What do I feel about Black History Month? I am a champion of Black Futures Month. We could reflect on history endlessly – I want to get to the point where we’re only about possibilities” said Lord Hastings.

“I’d much rather we thought along the lines of Martin Luther King Jr. who had the dream that his sons and his sons’ sons will be known not for the colour of their skins, but for the content of their character.”

Evelyn Agbara, PMO Finance and Research Lead at Barclays – who kicked off the event with a moving rendition of the song ‘Glory’ from the soundtrack of the civil rights film ‘Selma’ – said: “I seize any opportunity to celebrate the accomplishment of black people. It’s important for us to highlight areas that have not been attended to in the past.”