Jes Staley: One year on from the murder of George Floyd

As the world marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, today Barclays Group CEO, Jes Staley wrote an open letter to colleagues reflecting on the tragic moment that amplified the need for immediate social change.

Dear colleague,

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, a tragic moment that deeply affected so many people and opened the eyes of the world, amplifying the need for immediate social change.

The symbolism of his life and death, among so many others including Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, has propelled a global response to eliminate the systemic issues that directly contribute to racial inequalities.

I said at the time that this weighs heavily upon us all and that Barclays can do more as an organisation to help create a world in which racial discrimination is not tolerated, and in which we honour every individual’s background and uniqueness.

One year on we continue to move forward with great intention and compassion. We are determined to drive sustainable change and have prioritised listening, learning, and understanding from those most affected by these issues. This is helping us to reinforce our zero tolerance stance on racism and improving opportunities and representation for our ethnically diverse colleagues, with an emphasis on the advancement of our Black talent.

Since June 2020, we have established our Race at Work Agenda and launched our Race at Work Action Plan to drive cultural change, recruitment and support for Black colleagues. In March, we were joined by Ray Dempsey as the bank’s first Group Chief Diversity Officer. Ray leads our strategic global Diversity and Inclusion efforts, including the Race at Work Agenda. We have also developed guides and training for managers, and established mandatory race and ethnicity training for all colleagues that provides a framework of positive steps to create a more racially inclusive work place.

These are only small steps on a long journey, and by no means solutions in their own right, but they do represent progress to building a better Barclays.

Lastly, I also want to acknowledge the violence being committed against the Asian community. Discrimination of any kind is everyone’s problem, and we all have a role to play if we are to truly make a difference. I will continue to encourage all Barclays colleagues to stay informed, be engaged and speak up on how we can ensure that everyone feels respected, listened to and celebrated.

The road may be long, but guided by our Values and our zero tolerance stance on racism, Barclays will be part of the solution.

Yours,
Jes