Diversity & Inclusion

Montagu respects and values the different perspectives and backgrounds of our people and customers and employees at the companies we invest in.

We have developed a Diversity and Inclusion Policy to set out our ambition to maintain a culture of equity for people from all backgrounds, underpinning Montagu’s recruitment practices, the development, and retention of employees, and the way we engage with companies on board appointments.

And this commitment extends to our portfolio. Montagu continuously engages with its portfolio companies on diversity and inclusion topics, providing templates, tools and guidance from external experts.

Furthermore, Montagu hosts regular events with portfolio companies focusing on D&I, including the Women in Leadership Conference in 2019 and the virtual roundtable in 2020 for portfolio HR managers. The roundtable featured sessions on how to prevent unconscious bias and foster inclusive corporate cultures.

In 2021, we continued to engage with our portfolio companies on this topic, through roundtables and Human Capital Connect, our online community for HR leaders across the portfolio. We also launched a dedicated D&I working group with representation from across the portfolio.

D&I round table and working group

Launched as a pilot with the UK & Ireland portfolio companies in December 2019, Montagu’s HR roundtables were established in 2020 to provide a forum for portfolio company HR Leaders to discuss and share best practice on topics of strategic importance to the HR agenda.

As a priority for our portfolio companies, we chose diversity and inclusion as the theme of the 2021 roundtable following the pilot. We invited external speakers to join us and lead a discussion on how diversity and inclusion is fundamental in building a culture for success.

The event was well received and led to the formation of a diversity and inclusion working group. The group comprises portfolio company HR representatives and Montagu’s Portfolio Talent team, who meet on a quarterly basis to share experience and knowledge, raise questions and report on progress in relation to D&I policy and working practices.

Members were also invited to participate in practical workshops led by an external speaker, who provided advice and recommendations on how to get started and maintain momentum with a D&I strategy.

We want every individual person, whether at Montagu or within our portfolio, to feel accepted for who they are, and know that they bring something unique to the world. By challenging existing norms we want to create workplaces where everyone feels comfortable to voice their opinions in line with our belief that there is always more to learn.

Wiet Stokhuyzen, Partner