for Everyone Diversity Strategy 2017-2020 Welcome clients demand it. There is We started with a group-wide a compelling commercial survey to establish who we imperative as well as a moral are right now and to forge a one to reflect the world we greater understanding of our live in. If we don’t, we die. diversity. Now we’re planning actions to build on our In immediate response to strengths and find solutions Brexit, the Trump presidency to address our weaknesses. and the xenophobic hate that We’re setting targets for has again found a platform, all new commissions on we’ve launched Argonon and off-screen using the for Everyone, a group-wide Commissioning Diversity campaign to find, support Guidelines. Diversity is critically and nurture a diverse team important to Argonon – and across Argonon. Vintage Revival It’s my commitment for us to me personally. Confidently (HGTV) (MTV) be a leading example among Leopard USA Remedy Productions and resolutely we combine As a group, we’ve made media groups, working exceptional creative and progress on diversity and My Brilliant collaboratively with others social mobility, but there’s Brain (National in the industry to make our entrepreneurial talent Geographic) from all backgrounds, still a wealth of talent to be Windfall Films teams more diverse and regardless of race, gender, tapped and a lot more to be produce content that truly age, sexuality, religion or done. Our campaign strongly reflects the world we now disability. Our rich mix is supports Project Diamond live in. I need your help to what makes us great – to help determine if the TV do this. Together, we can and indeed who we are. industry truly reflects the make a difference. I’m Our very DNA is diverse. UK population. It also draws looking forward to the on initiatives at Channel 4, journey with you. Argonon has a long history the BBC and elsewhere. of finding and nurturing As part of the initiative, we’re James Burstall, diverse talent on and off launching several schemes Chief Executive Officer screen. We have been to open the group further to Argonon signed up to the Diversity the very best talent from all Pledge for many years. backgrounds, and to include Now with extreme politics diversity in everything we Contents emerging across the planet do. We’ll be looking for threatening our plurality and more talented presenters, 4 Argonon for Everyone: An overview openness, it is ever more writers, producers, directors, urgent to commit further and executive producers, script 6 What we’ve achieved act upon supporting and editors, researchers and 8 Our new strategy and action plan nurturing a mixed, diverse skilled technicians – in fact ecology. Our audiences and diverse talent at every level. Eve (CBBC) Leopard Drama 14 Where does all this lead? 2 Argonon for Everyone Argonon for everyone 3 Argonon for Everyone: An overview Argonon already has a As a group of companies social class, personality, diverse representation in Argonon wants to ensure language, accent and so on. the workplace and we are that diversity and inclusion It also includes the personal proud of that. However is embedded in our culture – characteristics that are despite our best efforts and see that translating into protected by the Equality and in common with the our processes and decision Act 2010 – age, disability, rest of the media industry, making. Diversity and gender, marriage and civil we haven’t nurtured inclusion should naturally partnership, pregnancy enough talent with be reflected in our ways of and maternity, race, disabilities or Black, Asian working, decision making religion and belief, sex and other ethnic minorities. and recruitment processes. and sexual orientation. Although we already By raising awareness of have a strong female diversity our aim is to see Argonon celebrates the representation in our an accurate representation fact that we already have Executive team, we would of our local communities a workforce that represents like to further increase in the workplace. a diverse range of voices their representation. from a variety of communities What is diversity? and backgrounds. Diversity includes everyone and we believe that Argonon As a company Argonon is is for everyone! So therefore, further committed to fostering diversity will always be at the equality and diversity by heart of everything we do. ensuring that more people from under-represented At Argonon At Argonon we understand groups will feature in both that everyone is unique. We our workforce and our we understand recognise that we all have content on-screen. individual differences – both that everyone visible and non-visible. That is unique Race & Intelligence: could be the differences of An Englishman Science’s Last Taboo our personal characteristics, In New York (Channel 4) (ITV) Leopard Windfall Films cultural background, Drama 4 Argonon for Everyone What we’ve Tourettes: Let Me Entertain You (BBC Three) achieved Leopard Films UK Argonon’s diversity survey, % of our current % of our workforce % of Argonon staff Creative Access Our challenge which was launched in 16 workforce are from 54are women. 4disclosed a disability. Since June 2014, Argonon Alma La Marr, September 2016, gave us a Black, Asian or ethnic has worked in partnership First Assistant a valuable insight into the minority background. % of our workforce % of our workforce with Creative Access to Accountant, make-up of Argonon’s 13 is currently lesbian, 18 disclosed that their give nine graduate interns Leopard USA existing staff. As well as % of Argonon’s bisexual, gay or transgender household received income from Black, Asian and The very nature of the showing us where we 29current executive – already above the national support at some point during minority ethnic backgrounds word diversity can make are already doing well team are women. average target. their school years. the opportunity for a paid one uncomfortable. The it also told us there is placement with various truth is, until we choose 75 more work to be done. Argonon % received free companies within the group. to create environments by age 57 19 school meals during Some of our Creative in the workplace, Here are some of the The survey their school years. Access graduates have education, government survey’s key headlines. painted a since secured contracts with etc that challenge our The results reflect the revealing % disclosed that their picture of the 23 24 the company. We are fully viewpoints on inclusion 16 parents/guardians numbers of Argonon age range of 41 committed to offering further instead of diversity, employees who responded Argonon’s didn’t complete a university placements to interns from we deceive ourselves Number of employees 1 1 to the survey... workforce. -18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ degree course or equivalent a BAME background that we operate in a Age groups such as BA, BSc or higher. at Argonon in the future. diversified climate. 6 Argonon for Everyone Argonon for Everyone 7 Wah! Wah! Girls Leopard Films Our new strategy and action plan Argonon has set a major The following are the Eve (CBBC) commitment to include activities we’ll be focusing Leopard Drama diversity in everything on that will have the biggest we do. The Argonon for overall impact... Everyone campaign puts diversity at the heart of all In-house our decisions across the staff diversity group, at every level, on Objective To provide and off-screen and across transparent targets about all our activities. our aims for the diversity of our employees that The campaign includes are measurable and several initiatives that will accountable. open the group up to the How We take an all- very best talent from all encompassing approach support diversity within our backgrounds and further to diversity that includes group, Argonon for Everyone include diversity in everything all aspects of people’s was launched 1 September we do. Argonon is committed differences, with a focus on 2016. Everyone in the group to reporting annually on imbalances within known was invited to complete our diversity goals and groups. As part of our a diversity monitoring their impact. commitment to nurture and survey and the results were analysed to determine the Diversity targets 2020 current level of diversity. Our campaign Our ambition is for employee diversity to reach or exceed the UK We recognise the need to average. Some categories have differing estimates of the national address low levels of BAME will open average (particularly around disability). In these areas, we have and disability representation set our own targets. at all levels and a low female Argonon to new BAME Female/Male Disability LGBT representation at Executive Staff now 16% 54%/45% 4% 13% level. The table on the left talent from all Exec now 24% 29%/71% 6% 29% explains our individual UK by 2020 20% 50%/50% 6% 6% targets for 2020. backgrounds When 2016 until 2020. 8 Argonon for Everyone Matthew Bourne Swan Lake Diamond diversity (Sky Arts) monitoring Diversity is Leopard Films Objective Working in our DNA collaboratively with Creative Jazz Gowans, MD and Diversity Network and UK Creative Director, broadcasters to deliver and Transparent TV create a high awareness Whether it’s finding diverse of, and commitment to, off-screen talent or telling the effective collection of stories from sections of diversity data within the the community that are company using Diamond. rarely heard, diversity is How Diamond (Diversity in our DNA. Putting it at Analysing Monitoring Data) is the centre organically and the system that will credibly instinctively is the only reveal the diversity of people way to effect any real and making and appearing meaningful change. on British TV. Each of the companies within our group champions will also need Diamond monitoring system, will identify a Diamond to explain why diversity which will give an indication champion who will complete matters to the industry and of change over time both on- the required training.