Sky aims for 20% BAME workforce

European satcaster Sky has set a target to increase black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) representation to a fifth of its staff in the UK and Ireland by 2025.

Stephen van Rooyen

Sky said the 20% BAME target – with a quarter of these employees being black people – also applies to its top 300 leadership team. The broadcaster has dedicated £10m (US$13m) a year for the next three years to promoting advancement of minorities.

Among Sky’s 300 leaders, 1% are currently black, with 9% BAME representation overall. Sky’s employee base across the UK and Ireland is 14.7% BAME and 2.7% black.

Sky will measure its teams’ progress annually and plans to assign specific demographic targets to each area and professional pipeline. The satcaster appointed Denise Peart as chief talent, diversity and inclusion officer last week.

Stephen van Rooyen, executive VP and CEO of Sky UK and Europe, said: “There is clear evidence that businesses with greater cultural and ethnic diversity perform better. Getting this right will enable us to make better business decisions.”