In a statement, released this morning, LGBT Great revealed the first five founding members of the initiative, which will aim to drive forward LGBT+ inclusion globally. They are: Fidelity International, Legal & General, T Rowe Price, St James Place Wealth Management and Northern Trust.

The organisation, led by managing directors Matthew Cameron and Clare Scott, also announced the launch of its Investment Industry Benchmark Tracker (iiBT) for the global investment industry. The iiBT is a specialist tool developed to provide a bespoke analysis of LGBT+ inclusion maturity across individual firms. The purpose of the iiBT is to enable firms to measure, review and track LGBT+ inclusion progress with a benchmark that is modern and relevant. The tool is made up of nine core areas based on internal and external inclusion indicators.

Commenting further on today’s announcements, Cameron said: “The sector needs to develop LGBT+ inclusion at home, while also developing a broader external agenda too. There is a real opportunity to integrate LGBT+ issues into active portfolio allocation and investment strategies to help drive forward global equality and human rights.” 

He added the iiBT provides a “starting point for these improvements” which will lead to better support for the “industry and society alike”.

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