This year, for the first time, Change Grow Live is publishing our gender and ethnicity pay gap data as a single report. We have chosen to do this to acknowledge that structural inequalities don’t exist in isolation. This report is an opportunity for us to better understand our own organisation, and to ensure we have an organisation where people from every background can experience a sense of belonging, the way a modern and inclusive organisation should be.
We serve all communities, and that means our people should represent all communities. By positioning ourselves as sector leaders in EDI, we can build a team that truly reflects and represents the people and communities we serve. It’s the right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do.
This year’s report paints a complex picture. On one hand, we’ve achieved significant milestones. Our ethnicity pay gap is negative, meaning colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds earn more on average than white colleagues.
Our Executive Leadership Team is now more ethnically diverse than ever before — an important and encouraging step toward greater inclusivity. However, we recognise that these achievements, while positive, are only part of the journey. Disparities persist.
The ethnicity pay gap is not uniform across all teams or ethnic minority groups, and broader representation in senior roles remains a challenge. Similarly, although we’ve narrowed the gender pay gap, structural imbalances still exist. Women are disproportionately represented in frontline roles, often in lower pay quartiles, while men continue to be disproportionately represented in senior positions.
We have made undeniable progress, but we cannot allow ourselves to be complacent. Addressing these inequities requires intentional and sustained action.
As we look forward, the challenge to us as an organisation is not just to reduce the gap, but to understand it fully. Transparency and accountability are key to ensuring long-term, meaningful change.
Together, we will keep pushing to create an organisation where everyone can thrive and achieve their full potential.