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HomeAbout usDiversity, equity and inclusionOur framework and targets
people listening in a meeting

Our framework and targets

We are building an inclusive culture where everyone is valued for who they are and what they bring. Targets help us ensure our actions are making a difference and drive transparency and accountability for progress.

Our diversity, equity and inclusion framework helps us make a positive impact throughout our operations and guides the action we are taking, across four consistent priorities:
Board
DEI is part of our purpose
What we say must be what we do. This means embedding our commitment to DEI through our brand, culture, the suppliers and partners we choose, and the way we engage with the companies we invest in.
Group
Our ways of working are inclusive
Formalised blended working is now our standard way of working. Our priority is to make sure people feel connected and involved, that opportunities and progression are equitable for all – and that managers lead in a way that builds inclusive ways of working in hybrid teams.
We feel included and valued everyday
We focus on building the capability and awareness to drive conversations and active allyship. Creating ‘safe spaces’ enables colleagues to think about how they influence the environment around them, share experiences and be curious to learn more about each other.
We bring diverse talent into and through our company
We take actions to address all areas of DEI when it comes to attracting and developing talent, with a particular focus on three main areas where our data tells us we need to tackle underrepresentation: gender, ethnicity and social mobility. We focus on minimising any potential bias or barriers in our processes, policies and approach.

Our targets for 2025

We achieved our first gender targets for representation of women at Board and senior leadership in 2020 (both targets were 33%), and built on this progress with new targets from January 2021, including an ethnicity target for the first time.

  Position at 31 December 2023 2025 Target
Gender  plc Board  40% women  40% women | 40% men | 20% any gender 
Gender  Senior leadership  34% women  40% women | 40% men | 20% any gender 
Gender  Global workforce  43% women  50% women (+/-3%) 
Ethnicity  plc Board  10% (1 director) ethnic minority  Ambition: 2 directors identifying as minority ethnic 

We have structured our 2025 targets in this way for a number of reasons:

  • To line up with our external engagement approach and voting standards (PDF)
  • To ensure we maintain our policy of always appointing the best person for a role
  • To recognise that gender is not limited to male and female identities
  • The Sir John Parker Review (2017) recommended all FTSE 100 companies to have at least one director who identifies as ethnic minority by 2021, and all FTSE 250 companies to do the same by 2024. Since 2019 we have met this recommendation and have set our own target for an additional director by 2025.
More in our diversity, equity and inclusion report 2022Opens in new window

Find out more about our work to address gender balance.

Addressing gender balance

Our approach to addressing ethnic minority under-representation.

Addressing ethnic minority under-representation

Learn more about our abrdn employee networks.

Employee networks

More on our approach to partnerships and measuring impact.

Partnerships and measuring impact

How we aim to improve social mobility outcomes at abrdn.

Addressing social mobility

Find out more about how we're implementing diversity, equity and inclusion into everything we do at abrdn.

Diversity, equity and inclusion