DWF named in list of top 50 employers for women

DWF has been named one of The Times Top 50 Employers For Women for the second consecutive year. Run by Business in the Community (BITC), The Prince’s Responsible Business Network, the list is the UK’s most highly profiled and well-established listing of employers improving gender equality in the workplace. It acknowledges companies making gender equality part of their business strategy and integrating it into all levels of their organisation.

Nine City law firms were recognised in the list, which is not ranked and also features the Big Four and investment banking heavyweights. Alongside DWF were Addleshaw Goddard, Allen & Overy, Burges Salmon, CMS, Eversheds Sutherland, Linklaters, Norton Rose Fulbright and Pinsent Masons. Baroness Helena Morrissey, chair of BITC’s gender equality leadership team, said a record number of companies applied for a place this year despite the difficulties of the pandemic, and that it’s “wonderful to see companies showing brave leadership to ensure they are good places for women to work”.

Seema Bains, partner and head of the diversity and leadership inclusion group at DWF, who are to be featured in BITC’s official celebration report, said: "In a year like no other, we have ensured that building gender balance and equality in our workplace remain priority areas of focus across our business… We're delighted to be recognised for our intersectional approach and creating an environment where all women are included in our efforts to effect meaningful change."

In her introduction to the list, Morrissey said that “the best companies set their own agenda” rather than simply being reactionary, and that there is now “a new opportunity to modernise work” as the pandemic has shown how ‘hybrid’ working could be a viable future for the UK. She concluded that it is “radical thinking that drives progress” and that “today is a moment to be bolder and more ambitious”.