HSBC’s Balance network launched in October 2010 and was set up to help drive HSBC’s diversity & inclusion aim to increase senior female representation. Balance’s vision is to support the recruitment, development, advancement and engagement of a gender-balanced workforce within HSBC. The network now has 2,073 members in the UK and over 23 branches worldwide. Balance is different. When defining and designing Balance and how it was intended to make a difference, it was strongly felt that traditional “women’s networks” were not necessarily the right approach to impact gender diversity, and that to make a difference, both men and women had to be included from the start. Balance’s pioneering approach set out to impact gender diversity, appealing to and including both men and women equally. This has had the effect of generating interest and support from key groups of stakeholders that are often disenfranchised with a traditional women’s network. The impact and rapid growth of this astonishing network deserves to be applauded.
