VIEW: The case for diversity

Greater Diversity is in "our own interests"

John McVay, CEO, Pact

The creative industries are thriving, bringing £87.4bn a year and almost 2 million jobs to the UK economy.  We are a growth area with a world class reputation.

As a sector, we all rely on reaching and appealing to audiences to increase our success and growth and to do that sustainably we need talent from all walks of life.  But in an increasingly fast moving, de-centralised and diverse world, the make-up of our creative industries has been and still is; white, mostly male, London centric and university-educated.

People and cultures are our currency, and to maintain our position as global players we need to be able to draw on a rich and diverse pool of people, and to allow that talent to flourish and innovate we need to build truly inclusive cultures.

It is clear that it is in our own interests to work with government to create greater diversity and inclusion.  We are on our way; most of the creative industries now have measures in place to monitor, incentivise and equip with the tools needed to get us there.

There is a great platform with the CIC for us to collaborate, share ideas and grow together.  Achieving diversity and creating inclusive cultures is very difficult, but I firmly believe that those who can get there will reap the rewards.  It is a creative opportunity, which will not only make our businesses great places to work but will also make us more commercially relevant.

Find out more about Pact's diversity commitment here.