Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms

Odgers Berndtson are founder-signatories to the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms.

We are accredited in the Enhanced Code segment, a position we have held since the Code was first developed in 2011.

Recognised for our work supporting FTSE 350 organisations, we adhere to a higher standard of best practice on gender-equal selection.

Our Commitment 

FTSE 350 gender diversity statistics 2023

In 2023, again we excelled in our appointments of women to FTSE 350 boards across executive and non-executive roles.

• Women made up 60% of shortlists.
• 53% of appointees were women.
• 77% of the women we helped introduce to a FTSE350 board were new to that community.
  

Our initiatives to support and develop a diverse talent pipeline

We continually seek to expand our knowledge of and exposure to aspiring board directors. We do this through launching and hosting internally developed programmes, as well as supporting external initiatives, amongst which are:

• Sponsorship of the Next Generation NED Network, an initiative organised by Simmons & Simmons aimed at high-potential executives who are considering becoming non-executive directors.
• Hosted events by our sector and functional practices, targeted at talented executives who have the potential to progress into executive and non-executive board roles.
• The creation and running of multi-faceted, year-long mentoring programmes to champion diverse future leaders. These are currently being run for the procurement function, up-and-coming finance directors, the technology sector, and the food & drink industry.