Diversity, equality and inclusion within Trustmarque

As the year draws to a close, it is the perfect opportunity to look back at the last twelve months at Trustmarque, and how we have prioritised diversity, equality and inclusion.

We have achieved a great many things, from becoming one of the UK’s top VARs to welcoming Livingstone to Trustmarque Group and launching our new brand and employee value proposition (EVP) at our inaugural Fusion event.

We were also honoured to sponsor the annual York Pride parade and festival in June, supporting the York LGBTQIA+ community and joining in with the celebrations.

As an organisation headquartered in York and founded in 1987, this was a historic milestone in our 40-year history.

Building a brighter future in the tech industry

However, we also know that next year, and for the many years ahead of us, we have even higher targets to achieve with regard to pay levels and diverse tech talent.

For example, we made a transparent and candid statement when our gender pay gap report was released in March.

As an organisation, we have made great progress on the ratios of women versus men, but more is needed to make a difference at a senior level.

Welcoming new faces to our tech workforce

As a result, since March a series of changes have been taking place, with the arrival of Marsha Waugh Lewis as Chief People Officer triggering a step-change. As one of the most prominent female role models within Trustmarque, Marsha is driven to make a difference for women within Trustmarque going forward.

She explains, “We know the IT sector has a long way to go to support the women IT leaders of the future.

By encouraging women across Trustmarque to step into the light and promote themselves during these awards, we can hopefully empower more people to shout about their achievements.

I hope the ripple effect of these awards and our own DEI initiatives attract a more diverse, engaged and inspired workforce to Trustmarque.”

A few words from our Chief People Officer

As Trustmarque Chief Executive Officer, Simon Williams, said: “Having worked with Marsha previously, I know she is going to achieve great things at Trustmarque. Her immense focus on personal development and DEI passion will complement our growth plans and support the talented people within our business to be their best.”

Marsha’s arrival has brought a new focus for DEI within Trustmarque. She told Trustmarque employees on her first All Hands session in August 2023, “If I wasn’t in this job, I would still be banging the drum for DEI.”

Diversity’s competitive advantage in the tech sector

Meanwhile, Donavan Hutchinson, our Chief Revenue Officer, has long been dedicated to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the UK tech economy.

Having recently been recognised as one of the Top 10 Trailblazing Leaders Making an Impact in DEI for 2023 awarded by CIO Views Magazine and presented with the ‘Industry Achievement Award’ for tirelessly championing LGBTQ+ causes by CRN, Donavan believes that leaders who actively champion DEI initiatives set the tone for the entire organisation, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and heard.

Furthermore, Donavan is a vocal advocate for equity and accessibility in the workplace, while recognising diversity as a strategic advantage for tech organisations.

He believes that a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture bring a wealth of perspectives, experiences, and ideas that can drive innovation and creativity. These diverse ideas can be an enormous advantage in the technology sector.

Donavan’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunities for all employees is evident in his work, and he believes that creating an inclusive culture starts with removing barriers and biases.

Our long-term commitment to diversity in tech

Our longer-term action plan, which will continue into 2024 and beyond, has a focus on gender diversity – such as continuing professional development for women.

For instance, we will be launching a women’s coaching programme internally and working across Trustmarque to define career progression paths clearly and encourage gender diversity.

Externally, we will be removing ambiguity by advertising salary ranges in our job adverts to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for roles that match their experience and skills.

We have also moved to use a ‘blind recruitment process’ which removes identifiable characteristics from CVs. This will attract more diverse talent to our tech roles and lead to gender minorities and ethnic minorities entering our tech company.

An inclusive company culture

We want to be a great place to work, for everyone. Tech diversity is at the heart of everything we do, and that starts with tackling our gender pay gap as well as focusing on attracting and retaining talent from ethnic minority groups within the UK tech industry.

Ultimately, our focus is to make Trustmarque an inclusive culture for everyone. That starts with better gender diversity and ethnic diversity within our company.

Going forward, we are continuing to drive digital inclusion, by hosting workshops to improve digital literacy.

Our aim is to increase confidence and promote enhanced accessibility to digital skills education for everyone.

Closing the digital skills gap within the UK tech industry

Not everyone can take advantage of a new digital world, so we are using our expertise to host workshops to improve digital literacy among our tech workers.

This will not only reduce the digital skills gap costs and ensure equitable career progression, but it will also mean more individuals from diverse backgrounds can become senior tech employees.

Our aim is to increase confidence in our tech employees and promote enhanced accessibility to digital skills education for everyone.

This will ensure that more diverse talent can find tech jobs and have the chance to rise to senior tech positions within Trustmarque and in the UK tech industry as a whole.

Impacting the wider community

Our team is also working in partnership with education providers, charities, and councils to help young people reach their full potential.

This includes helping them develop the skills and confidence they need to choose a career path that is right for them.

We are committed to forging inclusive, sustainable and meaningful connections in the communities we serve. We can all do more, and we are working towards targets to make change happen.

We want to be a great place to work, for everyone. That starts with being transparent and tackling our gender pay gap as well as focusing on attracting and retaining talent from minority groups to join us.