What good is opening doors for diverse talent if the ladder to the top is broken? In a global financial capital generating astronomical wealth, why does someone's socioeconomic background still dictate their chances of senior promotion, leaving so many navigating unwritten rules and hidden corporate codes?
As the gap between entry-level recruitment and senior leadership representation persists across the Square Mile, a critical question emerges: how can employers shift from performative goodwill to systemic change, making invisible barriers visible to ensure performance and not privilege determines career progression?
In this sixth episode of A City That Works - the brand-new podcast from The Finsbury Institute at City St George's, University of London - host Diana Beech is joined by Dr Haseeb Shabbir (Co-Director of the Centre for Poverty and Innovation at City St George's) and Shraddha Kaul (Director of Growth and External Affairs at Progress Together). Aiming to bring research, policy, and practice together to ensure the City of London continues to thrive. They unpack the structural hurdles holding back working-class talent across financial and professional services from the vital role of executive sponsorship over passive mentorship to the emerging risks and opportunities of AI literacy, they challenge us to rethink corporate social responsibility as a driver for internal mobility.
Moving beyond superficial headcount metrics, this episode explores the necessity of tracking socioeconomic data alongside gender and ethnicity, the hidden curriculum of professional life, and how universities and employers must collaborate across the full career pipeline. By outlining how board-level accountability can turn good intentions into measurable promotions, this discussion provides a rigorous, cross-sector roadmap for ensuring the City of London remains competitive, safe, fair, and vibrant for all those who live, work, invest, and trade in it.
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Join the Conversation: If you have a comment on any of the themes discussed, we would love to hear from you. Follow The Finsbury Institute on LinkedIn to share your thoughts or visit us on The Finsbury Institute website.
This series is proudly funded by the School of Policy and Global Affairs at City St George’s.
You can access a transcript of this conversation here.
This is a Research Podcasts production.
Episode Credits
Presenter: Diana Beech, Director of The Finsbury Institute at City St George's
Guests: Haseeb Shabbir and Shraddha Kaul
Producer: Catherine McDonald, Research Podcasts
Editor: Alex Canner, Research Podcasts
Music: Indie House - Modern City, Sonican from Pixabay
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