Our 2025 Progress Report shows the average ethnic minority representation in senior management across our membership has risen from 9% to 15.6% over the past four years, constituting a 75% increase. Board representation among members now stands at 20%, and more than half our members have boards comprising two or more ethnic minority directors. This collective achievement reflects the deliberate action, leadership accountability and intentional EDI strategies adopted by our members, who represent the leadership group on businesses taking action. 

However, data from the 2026 Parker Review shows that progress achieved by our members is not yet reflected across the wider FTSE350, which would suggest greater ethnic minority representation in junior roles is not translating to increased diversity in senior management pipelines. This is increasingly referred to as the ‘leaking pipeline’. As such, we have worked alongside our members to produce a good practice guide with case studies that showcase how to transform leadership pipelines.  

Organisations are taking a dual approach to closing the representation gap. The first is by creating initiatives that are wholly inclusive by redesigning mainstream people practices, while the second is a more targeted intervention specifically for ethnic minority colleagues where evidence shows distinct and significant barriers exist.

Within the broader ethnic minority picture, the latest Parker Review data shows that Black representation is lagging behind other ethnic minority groups and requires specific attention. Despite this clear evidence of underrepresentation, organisational action remains limited:

• 37% of survey respondents disaggregate Black employee data from wider ethnic minority data. 
• 36% have Black-specific targets. 
• 33% report zero Black representation at senior management level. 
• 26% have programmes, networks or partnerships specifically designed to support Black employees.

To tackle these representation gaps in senior leadership, this guide provides real business examples where different strategies have been applied from within our membership. It serves as a good practice tool to take inspiration from and draw principles that can be applicable to your business. We encourage CPOs, HR Directors, EDI practitioners and senior leaders to share this resource across their organisations and to draw on it when designing or reviewing their talent development programmes.

The evidence from our members can be summarised into five actionable recommendations for organisations committed to making sustainable progress:

1. Set ambitious and publicly stated representation targets for ethnic minority colleagues at senior leadership and board level, framed as a business objective and tied directly to executive accountability. The data shows that organisations that measure representation are significantly more likely to increase it.
2. Invest time and resources in understanding the composition of your workforce, including voluntary disclosure campaigns and disaggregated analysis that tracks ethnic minority representation, progression and tenure.  
3. Audit existing leadership development and succession processes for nomination bias. Replace manager-led selection with transparent, self-nomination and anonymised assessment processes that give colleagues the opportunity to put themselves forward regardless of their visibility within existing networks.
4. Make targeted interventions effective and impactful by involving line managers and peers in parallel training that plays an active role in participants’ development and progression outcomes.
5. Set Black-specific representation targets and introduce programmes or partnerships designed to address the distinct barriers Black colleagues face. 

A big thanks to members AMS, Adecco, Autotrader, Aviva, Diageo, EY, Lloyds Banking Group, Mace Construct and TSB, each providing case studies that offer practical takeaways that can be embedded within your own organisation.

For more information or to share your views, contact:
Yusuf Ali-Hassan, Inclusion Policy Manager, Change the Race Ratio