City firms pressured to sign equality charter

Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and other city firms have been asked to sign a gender equality charter after being pressured to do so by the Chairman of the Treasury select committee, Nicky Morgan MP.

The Women in Finance Charter commits firms to building a more gender balanced industry, including hiring more women in senior roles. It currently has more than 160 signatories representing more than half of the finance industry.

The Telegraph reported that Goldman Sachs, Invesco Perpetual and NFU Mutual have confirmed they would be among the next round of signatories, and Swiss banking giant UBS would also consider joining.

“The aim must be to see all firms in the financial sector sign up to the Charter and make a concerted effort to improve their gender diversity, particularly in senior roles,” said Morgan. “As the Charter states, a balanced workforce is good for customers, profitability and workplace culture.”