Barclays publishes new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report

As part of its ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and engagement, Barclays has published its third annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) report. Find out about the progress the bank made last year – and its strategic priorities for 2023 and beyond.

In 2022, Barclays set out a revised Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy, as part of its vision to strengthen its culture – enabling it to better support colleagues, customers, clients and the communities where it operates.

Now, the bank has published its third annual DEI report as part of its commitment to greater transparency, accountability and engagement. It captures the progress made in 2022 – which included introducing ‘equity’ to the Diversity and Inclusion strategy, relaunching the colleague networks as 12 Employee Resource Groups, and surpassing its Race at Work Ambition to double the number of Black Managing Directors in the US and UK by the end of the year.  

“Barclays employs over 90,000 people and they are our greatest asset. It is important that we build a workplace where each one of them can grow and thrive,” writes C. S. Venkatakrishnan, Group Chief Executive, in the introduction. “We must continue to break down barriers to equality of opportunity wherever we come across them.”

The newly-launched DEI report is structured around five strategic priorities (Workforce Diversity, Inclusive and Equitable Culture, Leadership Accountability, Data Transparency and Accountability, and Optimisation of External Relationships), which are designed to guide future progress. Each section of the report shares how this framework is helping the bank to deliver against its six core diversity agendas: Disability, Gender, LGBT+, Multicultural, Multigenerational and Socio-economic inclusion.

Within the report, dedicated ‘spotlight’ interviews showcase the roles individuals are playing in supporting Barclays’ wider DEI strategy – whether it is driving new development programmes or improving hiring efforts. Laurence Beard, a Remediation Analyst at Barclays UK, shares his perspective on introducing more inclusive features to the bank’s internal colleague directory, while Jhansi Ghattamaneni, Chief Data Officer, Human Resources at Barclays, discusses co-chairing the socio-economic inclusion ERG, Inspire.

But while headway is being made, Ray Dempsey, Group Chief Diversity Officer at Barclays, emphasises that it is crucial for the bank to maintain its momentum to attract and retain the best talent, and build stronger teams that optimise outcomes for customers and clients.

“I am passionate about cultivating a consistently excellent organisation where DEI is woven into the fabric of what we do,” he says.

“The work of DEI within the organisation is ongoing, and while there are clear signs that measurable progress has been made, there is always more work to be done. I am excited to see what we can achieve moving forward as we encourage commitment and engagement from all colleagues in building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation.”

To find out more about the bank’s progress to date and future priorities, read the Barclays Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report.

Barclays’ annual DEI report shares the progress made and ongoing work taking place to support a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture.

In 2022, the bank:

• Increased the representation of women at Director and Managing Director levels to 29%
• Achieved the ambition to double the number of Black Managing Directors in the UK and US by the end of 2022
• Launched ‘Count Me In’ campaigns to encourage self-identification for disability in the UK and India
• Relaunched colleague networks as 12 Employee Resource Groups
• Improved its Inclusion Index score to 82% (from 79% in 2021)
• Appointed sponsors from the Group Executive Committee to champion and galvanise support for each of the six DEI agendas.

To find out more, download Barclays’ DEI report 2022.(PDF 34MB)

Barclays aims to strengthen its diverse, equitable and inclusive culture to enable all its colleagues, customers, clients and communities to grow. This is more than just the right thing to do ­– it is a source of real business value. It helps the bank attract and retain the best talent and build higher-performing teams that generate better outcomes for customers and clients.

For more information, visit the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page.