Arup

Arup Equity Programmes

Clinching this year’s award for the best EDI initiative is global design, engineering and consulting firm Arup with what the judges described as an “exceptional entry that sets the standard for evidence-led, structurally intelligent EDI practice”. 

Arup’s Equity Programmes were launched in response to evidence that career progression wasn’t equitable for all its staff members, particularly at mid-career and leadership levels. While representation of women and global ethnic majority (GEM) staff was strong at early career stages, the company’s analysis of workforce data showed significant underrepresentation at senior levels, indicating that attraction was not the primary barrier, progression was. 

Staff survey data also indicated that only 37 per cent of GEM colleagues saw people like themselves in senior roles, falling to 18 per cent for Black colleagues.

In response, two 12-week Equity Programmes were co‐designed by EDI, L&D and employee networks, alongside an external partner, to simultaneously intervene at individual, managerial and systemic levels. The Race Equity Programme engaged GEM colleagues alongside their line managers, while the Gender Equity Programme paired women with senior sponsors, shifting accountability for equity from individuals to those who shape progression outcomes. Senior leadership also participated in ‘learning circles’, where leaders “engaged directly with programme insights, reflected on lived experiences and took ownership of change within their areas”.

Leaders actively role‐modelled commitment, setting the tone from the top and, as a result, programmes had an average attendance rate of 91 per cent across all participants, including line managers and sponsors, against a target of 90 to 100. Clarity on progression among GEM staff increased from 35 to 82 per cent, and women from 19 to 72 per cent, while the percentage of line managers who felt equipped to address systemic barriers rose from 13 to 91 per cent. 

The judges highly praised the dual-learning design, the “refusal to pathologise underrepresented colleagues” and the comparative progression and retention data, as well as the programme’s scalability, which is now operating across three global regions with board commitment to 2030 and “confirms this is embedded organisational strategy, not a time-limited initiative”. 

“The strongest submission in this category, this approach really helps those without lived experience to better understand and recognise systemic barriers that may still exist,” the judges said.