We’ve published today our new UK Diversity & Inclusion strategy for 2021-24. The four-year strategy sets out a journey and a commitment to embed diversity and inclusion in everything we do.
Led personally by Chief Executive Mark Naysmith, our new strategy builds on work already underway to foster a culture at WSP where differences of all kinds are celebrated and valued, whether that’s gender, disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age.
WSP believes in building relationships with clients and delivery partners which are based on shared goals and values. By sharing our own vision, we want to be open about our commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable industry.
“Our new strategy sits at the very heart of ensuring WSP is a place where all of our people feel respected, valued and accepted. It is only through this understanding that we achieve our full potential and bring our true self to work”, said Mark Naysmith, UK & MEIA Regional Chief Executive Officer.
We believe as one of the leading consultancies in our industry that we should aim high, striving to set the standard and lead through example. WSP UK has above industry average representation of female and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues but we intend to do more and go further.
WSP solves important problems for our clients and communities with creative solutions, and to achieve this we need a diverse workforce.
“I’m very proud to have led on the development of our new strategy alongside such a fantastic team. There has been incredible support from across the business for what we are hoping to achieve and I’m confident our strategy will build on the great progress already made to make WSP an inclusive and accepting place for our people to belong”, said Jane Grant, UK Director of Learning, Development, Diversity & Inclusion.
We have set progressive workforce diversity targets through consultation with several external sources, which will be tracked and reported on between 2021-24 to ensure we’re delivering on what we said we would.
Our targets have been developed through recommendations put forward by EY in our National Equality Standard accreditation in 2019 and though consultation with partners including the Association for Black and Ethnic Minority Engineers (AfBE UK), ensuring best practice and leadership within our sector.
“The WSP strategy demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion. It gives underrepresented groups the confidence to explore opportunities and experience professional development in the same way as their non-BAME counterparts. We are committed to supporting WSP in the implementation of this strategy to deliver the outcomes to ensure all have a sense of belonging at WSP”, said Mara-Tafadzwa Makoni, Corporate Partnerships Lead at Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers.
Building a workforce which brings diversity of thought, creativity and innovation and is reflective of the communities in which we work is a priority for us. Through this strategy we want to make WSP a respectful, stimulating and inclusive work environment which attracts and retains the best talent.
Click this link to read our 2021-24 UK Diversity & Inclusion strategy.
