“As an organisation, we are proud of the strides we’ve made in creating an inclusive culture where every individual can thrive. A key success we have celebrated in recent years is the increased representation of women across our workforce. However, as highlighted in this year’s gender pay gap report, we must confront the reality that despite our efforts, the gender pay gap has widened in favour of men. Both the median pay gap and the bonus gap have increased, and we continue to see disparities, particularly in lower paid roles and in certain centres and teams.
“One of the key factors influencing this gap is that we have attracted and retained a higher proportion of women in lower-graded roles, where the pay tends to be lower. Whilst we are proud of this representation, it has had an impact on our gender pay gap. The concentration of women in these roles, combined with challenges in representation in technical specialist roles, has contributed to the widening of the gap.
“We recognise that having more women in the organisation has not translated into having the pay equity we aspire to, highlighting that achieving gender balance is just one piece of the puzzle. Addressing the gender pay gap requires more focused, systemic actions to address the underlying factors contributing to these disparities, such as occupational segregation.
“At the senior leadership level, we are proud of our achievements, such as achieving a better balance of male to female colleagues in our Senior Leadership Team. This is a positive step towards greater gender diversity at the highest levels of our organisation. However, we know that we must continue to build on this progress.
“Through ongoing monitoring of our recruitment and promotion data and more frequent reporting on gender pay, we aim to identify trends and take proactive steps to address the gaps.
“We are committed to undertaking further initiatives, including widening our focus to report and take action on other pay gaps, such as disability and ethnicity, to ensure fairness across all areas of our organisation.
“This report is not just a reflection of where we stand today; it is a crucial tool to help us understand where we must focus our efforts moving forward. We are committed to using key analytical tools to gain deeper insights into our pay gap data, allowing us to make more informed decisions and track our progress accurately. By leveraging these insights, we are confident that we will identify more effective targeted actions to close the gender pay gap.
“While we celebrate the steps we have taken, we acknowledge that we have much more to do. Our commitment to gender equity is at the heart of our culture and operations. It is not only the right thing to do but essential for our continued success. Closing the gender pay gap is a key part of building a stronger, more innovative organisation, and we will continue working closely with our teams to ensure that everyone, regardless of gender, is recognised and rewarded fairly for their contributions.
“Together, we will lead by example, demonstrating that achieving gender equity is not just an ethical imperative, but a business and strategic advantage that will benefit the entire organisation.”
Mike Thornton (chief executive officer) and Jenny Jarvis (chief operating officer)