Anne Farlow
A Chair’s Perspective

I am very proud to work with Pershing Square Holdings’ diverse board. Diverse teams are more likely to solve problems and innovate. I have seen how varied experiences have added significant value to our board discussions.

Today’s challenge is how to recruit, train and retain a genuinely diverse workforce so their skills influence all organisational levels. We need to acknowledge the unconscious bias of senior executives in hiring, and broaden recruitment to give candidates with non-traditional backgrounds opportunities.

Cultural changes may be required so women and employees from diverse backgrounds feel welcome and able to progress. Companies need progression and retention programs to ensure diverse candidates get advice and training to succeed, and ultimately attain senior executive and board roles.

I don’t underestimate the difficulty of implementing some of these changes, but I am optimistic that companies will make the investment, not only to meet corporate or boardroom targets, but because it is good for business to do so.

February 2022