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West Midlands Mayor Andy Street visited Severn Trent’s HQ in Coventry to see the company sign up to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)’s Inclusive Leadership Pledge.

The Mayor, who also chairs the WMCA, met with CEO Liv Garfield as the company committed to the Pledge which encourages organisations to increase diversity within its leadership teams.

Liv said: “We absolutely want to create an environment where it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, all that matters is getting the job done for our customers.

“We’re extremely lucky to be based in an area already rich with diversity, and believe we’re making steps towards creating an open and diverse culture to welcome all walks of life, who can go on to flourish and become future leaders.”

By joining the Pledge, Severn Trent is building on its strong and ongoing diversity plan which saw the company sign the Social Mobility Pledge earlier this year.

The company’s commitment to diversity has already been recognised after placing fourth among FTSE 100 companies for the gender diversity of its executive team and their direct reports in the 2018 Hampton Alexander Review, as well as being ranked as one of the Top 50 employers in the Social Mobility Employer Index in 2018. 

West Midlands Mayor and WMCA chair, Andy Street added : “It’s fantastic that Severn Trent has joined the Pledge, along with some other great companies across the West Midlands, they’re committed to creating fair opportunities for all and putting their focus on talent, rather than background.” 

Other Midlands-based organisations such as the University of Birmingham, KPMG and West Midlands Fire Service have also signed up, with the WMCA now aiming to get 1,000 businesses and organisations to sign up to the Pledge over the next year.

To find out more about the Pledge, visit http://wmca.org.uk/pledge.