HarperCollins shortlisted for Race Equality Awards

HarperCollins has been named a finalist in the Business in the Community’s Race Equality Awards for its work increasing black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) representation in the workplace. 

The publisher is one of 33 finalists for the awards - the only race equality at work awards in the UK - which comprised such companies as American Express, Deloitte, Teach First and the Ministry of Defence, across 10 categories.

HarperCollins received the most nominations of any organisation on the shortlist and is the only publisher nominated. 4th Estate marketing executive Candice Carty-Williams is shortlisted in the Role Models in the Workplace category for her work on 4th Estate’s Guardian-supported BAME Short Story Prize; non-fiction publisher Natalie Jerome is shortlisted in the Champion and Executive Sponsor category for her work with BAME charity Creative Access and HarperCollins’ diversity forum, All In, is shortlisted in the Employee Network category.

The nominations follow the launch of HarperCollins’ traineeship scheme targeting BAME graduates, which opened for submissions last Thursday (23rd June), when chief executive Charlie Redmayne said he hoped the scheme would bring the company "closer to truly reflecting our local communities, our readership, and society at large".

General counsel Simon Dowson-Collins was also recently named on the inaugural UPstanding Executive Power List of BAME business leaders at the end of May and the only person from a publishing company on make the list.

The awards, which recognise organisations taking action towards race equality and inclusion in UK workplaces, celebrate their 10th anniversary this year. The winners will be announced at the Business in the Community Race Equality Awards gala dinner at the London Hilton Park Lane on Tuesday 11th October 2016. 

HarperCollins director of people, John Athanasiou, said: “I couldn’t be more delighted that Candice, Natalie and our diversity forum All In have been nominated for the Race Equality Awards, and that HarperCollins is the most nominated organisation on the shortlist. In a week that has also seen us launch our BAME traineeship scheme, this is a real demonstration of the importance of diversity to our strategy here at HarperCollins, and that it is permeating through all levels of our business and, I hope, to the wider industry.”

Sandra Kerr OBE, race equality director for Business in the Community, said: “Congratulations to Natalie, Candice and HC All In on being named as finalists in three categories at the Business in the Community Race Equality Awards 2016. They are creating a workplace culture which puts race equality at the heart of their activity and ensures that diverse talent has equal opportunity to succeed at every level. It’s encouraging to see that they are addressing the need to reflect the clients, communities and customers they serve, and I hope other organisations will learn and be inspired to action from their example.”

Adrian Joseph, head of analytics and measurement services EMEA, Google, and Business in the Community Race Equality leadership team chair, said: “Natalie, Candice and HC All In have demonstrated that having a strong business case for diversity and inclusion in their workforce is key to creating real change. With research showing that the most ethnically diverse organisations are 35% more likely to outperform the least diverse, their focus on the benefits to employers of developing talent from all backgrounds offers a great example of how progress can be made, and I congratulate them on their success.”