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Update - Voluntary Code of Conduct for Recruitment and Executive Search Firms

In June 2016 Ibec and the 30% Club launched a Voluntary Code of Conduct for Recruitment and Executive Search Firms who are involved in senior level recruitment. This initiative is another tool to help organisations achieve gender balance in decision-making roles and hire the right candidate for the job, male or female, from 100% of the talent pool.

Executive search firms are seen as key stakeholders in changing the landscape of women in senior management and on boards. Some research suggests that unless executive search consultants are engaged in the solution to gender balance at executive and board level the ‘old boys’ network is replaced by the ‘new boys’ network which contains their contacts.

At a review event to assess progress around gender balance with the Code signatories more than a year later, members reported that certain roles and industries are easier than others to provide gender balanced candidate lists for client companies. For example roles in the media, communications, marketing and commercial space are very gender  balanced whilst technical and financial are not as balanced. Signatories reported improvements in some fields for example banking which many now rank very positively towards gender balance while SME's were identified as still requiring education and support around the benefits of diversity and inclusion.

Ibec and the 30% Club have committed to promoting the Code and its signatories with our members, encouraging them to engage in future with recruitment and executive search firms who are as committed to diversity as they are. By working together we hope that we can make further advances to address the challenge of gender balance in decision-making roles and select the best candidate for the role. This is not a women's issue but a strategic business issue that only a naïve employer would ignore.

Following the event we were delighted to welcome two new signatories to the Code - Diversity Search and The Panel.

Signatories to the Voluntary Code of Conduct:
Accreate Executive Search
Amrop
Ardlinn
BDO Recruitment
Brightwater Recruitment
CareerWise Recruitment
CPL Resources Plc
Cronin Partners International Search
Dalríada Executive Search and Selection
Diversity Search
Elevate Selection
Executive Connections
GMB Executive Search & Selection
Harvey Nash
Hays
KPMG Executive Search and Selection
Lansdowne Executive Search
MERC Partners
Mullins Cuddihy & Associates
O’Connor Executive Search
Paragon Executive
Principal Connections
Public Appointments Service
PwC
RFC Executive
SRI-Executive
The Panel Search and Selection
Wallace Myers International

Code Steering Group members:
Deirdre O'Shaughnessy, Amrop
Mairead Griffin, CPL
Conor O'Leary, Greencore and 30% Club
Mike McDonogh, Hays
Kara McGann, Ibec
John McCullough, KPMG
Maura Quinn, Institute of Directors Ireland
Ellen Roche, PwC
Michelle Noone, Public Appointments Service
Thursday, 26 October 2017