Press release: 8 March 2021
Client Talk and Doing Diversity Differently, have entered into partnership to improve diversity in professional services firms. A chance encounter in 2019, which led to multiple collaborations over 2020, has strengthened yet further in 2021, with the announcement today that they will be doing even more together in the coming months.
The statistics speak for themselves. In the latest SRA survey, whilst below partner level in England & Wales, 59% of lawyers are reported as being female, they still represent only 34% of partners (and it is less than that at larger firms). BAME lawyers represent 21% of lawyers, however, the largest firms reported only 8% BAME partners. At the start of 2020, it was reported that only 11 of the 3000 UK partners across the Big Four were black. More needs to be done.
Claire Rason, founder, said:
“I created Client Talk to change the conversations that professional services firms are having. One of those conversations needs to be about diversity. I am believer in the power of diverse thinking to solve problems; the problems that professional services firms face are not one dimensional. We need to challenge what good looks like if we are to create the best teams to tackle our clients’ issues. Not only that, if we challenge what good looks like, we create firms where everyone has a voice and where everyone feels like they belong.”
Chico Chakravorty is a diversity consultant who set up Doing Diversity Differently to do just that. Client Talk’s partnership with Doing Diversity Differently brings together their experience working with professional services firms, with the latter’s strength in diversity consulting. The union represents the best of what diverse thinking can bring. Chico adds:
“We challenge each other to look at problems from different perspectives and provide a unique solution for professional services firms.”
Notes to editor:
Client Talk is a professional services consultancy that brings together marketing and business development excellence with training and coaching to optimise performance. Client Talk was created to change the conversations that professional services companies are having with - and about - their clients. They do that by promoting active listening, leveraging empathy and championing diverse thinking. Their unique approach recognises the role that professionals have in the organisation's success.
Claire Rason is the founder of Client Talk . She found her passion for marketing and business development over 14 years ago and has worked in leading global and regional law firms across the spectrum of marketing and business development. She has brought about significant positive change in the organisations she has worked for. Claire is a qualified lawyer, having trained and practised at Herbert Smith Freehills. She is also an accredited coach and holds a postgraduate certificate in Coaching and Behaviour Change.
Doing Diversity Differently was founded by Chico Chakravorty. Chico has over 15 years professional leadership experience across various sectors. Prior to setting up his company, he consulted as the Managing Director of a Diversity and Inclusion firm to make a difference to both clients and candidate experience around D&I initiatives. He helps organisations approach D&I through innovative and agile means. Chico completed his MBA at Durham University Business School focusing on Management Consultancy and Leadership Culture. A keen violinist, Chico plays with different chamber groups and orchestras (including as a leader), chairs the board of trustees for a South Asian Dance Company, as well as a professional orchestra, and spends his remaining free time volunteering and advocating for numerous charities.
For more information contact: info@clienttalk.co.uk.
