Matheson today hosted the Pathways to Belonging Conference in association with Trinity College Dublin. The conference featured insights from senior leaders from national and international businesses and organisations.The conference, which took place at Regent House, Trinity College focused on how building an inclusive workplace that attracts talent, drives innovation, and supports employees to bring their whole selves to work is a priority for many businesses.
Speaking at the conference, Michael Jackson, Managing Partner at Matheson commented; “This is a very important conference that draws together some of the most forward thinking and progressive businesses and organisations operating at a local, national and international level across a wide variety of sectors. Issues concerning diversity and inclusion are some of the most pressing within the corporate environment today, whether it is addressing legacy issues or building successful organisations for the future. I believe that those issues can best be addressed, and lasting improvements accelerated, when businesses and organisations like those gathered today come together to share their experiences and ideas, and work together for progress”.
“It is encouraging to see the understanding and remit of diversity and inclusion expanding, as reflected by the agenda for this conference. Issues such as supporting neurodiversity and intellectual disability within the workplace, as well as the creation of LGBTQ+ customer and colleague experiences, point to the imperatives for businesses and organisations as a whole. The development of a diverse talent pipeline, including through social mobility and gender equality, creates real opportunities for businesses.”
“At Matheson, we are pleased to have the opportunity to support and promote these issues as we are committed to fostering diversity and inclusiveness across our business. We have taken a number of specific initiatives to make tangible progress towards achieving our strategic goals, including setting up an internal diversity and inclusion steering group and nominating ambassadors within the firm. In March of this year, we announced the establishment of the Matheson Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship in association with Trinity College to encourage social mobility among law students.“
“Another demonstrable element of our commitment to empower diverse talent and inclusive teams is the Matheson Agile Working Programme which we launched during the summer. Through this programme, we recognise that not everybody works in the same way and to the same schedule, and that agile working arrangements are fundamental to achieving real workplace diversity.”
“Our approach to diversity and inclusion is holistic and in June we were recognised by the Irish Centre of Diversity and awarded its Investors in Diversity Silver Standard. As the first Irish law firm to receive the standard, we are very proud of the accreditation. We have also been ranked Most Innovative Irish Law Firm in Europe for Diversity and Inclusion at the prestigious Financial Times 2019 awards for Legal Innovation. The work to date, combined with this recognition, continues to focus our determination with regard to diversity and inclusiveness across our firm, and the insights gained from this conference will aid us as we evolve as an organisation”.
Professor Mark Bell, Head of the Trinity Law School and Regius Professor of Laws commented; "Trinity Law School is very grateful to Matheson for the opportunity to work in collaboration on the Pathways to Belonging Seminar. The Law School has a long tradition of championing diversity and inclusion, both within our educational programmes and through contributing to social and legal reform in Ireland. We are delighted to be able to continue those endeavours through this event."
