The new additions to the CEO pledge – Virginia Monk of Motif, Jem Fawcus of Firefish and BVA BDRC’s Crispian Tarrant – take the total number of signatories to 21.

The Manifesto for Opportunity was launched in 2019. By signing the CEO pledge, companies commit to:

1. Publish pay statistics annually and demonstrate clear progress towards gender and BAME pay parity
2. Work towards ensuring all staff­ are fully representative of the UK’s diversity 
3. Work towards achievement of government targets on inclusion of women and BAME people at executive and board level
4. Improve recruitment of a representative intake, ending unpaid internships and supporting school, university and apprenticeship programmes
5. Create safe places to work, committing to: the timeTo Code of Conduct; a proactive culture that supports whistleblowing; and training staff­ to create systems to support those who need help for stress or mental health issues.

The full list of signatories can be found on the MRS website.

Jane Frost, chief executive of the Market Research Society, said: “In a great start to 2020, I am delighted to welcome Motif, BDRC and Firefish to the CEO pledge, our Manifesto for Opportunity. It is particularly good to see the growth in support from smaller agencies – proving this is an initiative for all, not just for the well-resourced large organisations!”