Equality and diversity in the workplace means “people can bring their true selves to work”. So says Enrique Sacau, who was named group CEO at Kneip, a fund data management company, in July 2020. “Identity is not a private matter. Your gender identity, your sexuality, your race, your religion, people say it’s a private matter. It’s not.”
Sacau says that bringing personal identity “to the office is essential” because if you can’t, then “you will feel less safe. And I don’t want anybody in an organisation I lead to feel unsafe about their identity and not be able to express themselves freely.” When they can, it makes for “better employees and improves the quality of the organisation.”
“I am married to a man,” he explains. When he worked in the City of London, “I wasn’t sure I could be open in the office.” That took a toll on his performance, Sacau reckons. It is important “to be out to employees and clients… it’s an important matter to me personally.”
As for covid-19, “the pandemic hasn’t had any good effects on anything generally,” but it placed unique burdens on some. Many “saw the workplace as an escape valve, a separate world than their families” as “some families can be difficult,” as he puts it. There has, however, been an upside. “Computer screens make us more equal.” Teleworking broke down “cliques at work… the boys who go to the pub after work and the girls don’t get to take part in those discussions.” In that sense, being stuck behind a screen has “equalised us”.
The asset management sector is “all about ESG” right now, says Sacau. He is referring to environmental, social and governance criteria, which are meant to guide sustainable and responsible investments. In Sacau’s view, ESG includes how bosses behave, not only how fund outfits manage investors’ money. “Diversity and inclusion are definitely part of that journey. We are very aligned to what our clients see as priorities.”
In the financial sector, “every year, for many past years, has been better” for equality and diversity. The coming year “will not be an exception”. But Sacau stresses that bosses need to step up their efforts. “Respect is good, but not enough… we have to be deliberate, we have to be open… we have to be more proactive about communication.” His firm, for example, celebrated Pride and Black History Month online during confinement. “We will do a lot more in 2021 than we’ve ever done.” Kneip launches a new initiative, “with a focus on gender, ethnic diversity, LGBTQ, and mental health and disability,” in January.