- Matheson receives the Gold Standard from the Irish Centre for Diversity for its investment in Diversity and Inclusion.
- Matheson is the first organisation in Ireland across all industry sectors to receive the Gold Standard for D&I.
Pictured above (l-r): Matheson HR Director, Lorraine Roche with Country Director at Irish Centre for Diversity, Caroline Taylor and Matheson Managing Partner, Michael Jackson
Matheson has been awarded the Investors in Diversity Gold Standard by The Irish Centre for Diversity. Matheson is the first organisation in Ireland, across all sectors and industries, to achieve the Gold Standard distinction.
The Gold Standard is awarded to organisations that can clearly show how D&I forms an integral part of their business, and firms are assessed across five pillars:
- Diverse and Inclusive Leadership
- Policies, Procedures and Processes
- Recruitment, Retention and Progression
- Recording and Monitoring
- Impact on External Diversity
The award of Gold Standard follows on from Matheson receiving the Investors in Diversity Silver Standard in June 2019, when it became the first law firm in Ireland to receive Silver, in recognition of the firm’s development and implementation of its people-focused D&I programmes.
Matheson has invested heavily in its D&I strategy, entitled the Cara Commitment, in memory of the firm’s late partner, Cara O’Hagan, who was active in spearheading many of the firm’s D&I initiatives. The Matheson D&I philosophy is built on six pillars: Generational; Gender; Family and Working Parents; Disability; LGBTQ+; Multiculturalism and Social Mobility. Matheson has established a range of initiatives across each of the pillars including: the formation of a D&I Ambassador Committee; Open Doors Month and Matheson Week – a celebration of people, values, and culture; the Matheson Agile Working Programme, the Matheson Maternity and Paternity Programmes; Matheson’s D&I Scholarship in partnership with Trinity College Dublin; the Matheson Life Stages Series; Matheson’s Annual D&I Conference in partnership with Trinity College Dublin; and the launch of the firm’s Values Wall. Matheson was also one of Ireland’s founding members of the OUTLaw Network which is aimed at promoting the inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees across the legal sector in Ireland.
Commenting on the award, Caroline Tyler, Director, Irish Centre for Diversity said:
“The Investors in Diversity mark is Ireland’s first all-encompassing equality, diversity and inclusion accreditation and offers a clear and structured framework to transform diversity practices and culture within Irish businesses. The Investors in Diversity Award consists of three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold, with organisations across Ireland working towards each of these different levels.
The Irish Centre for Diversity is delighted to award Matheson the Investors in Diversity Gold Award. Matheson is the first organisation in Ireland to achieve the Gold Award, a testament to its engagement with the Irish Centre for Diversity, and its significant commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.”
Michael Jackson, Matheson’s Managing Partner commented:
“This recognition is a significant milestone for Matheson and represents a clear validation of the D&I initiatives which we have embedded across the firm. Matheson’s D&I programme embodies our Cara Commitment, and encapsulates our core values of Partnership, Respect, Innovation, Diversity, and Entrepreneurship. We have clear goals that are underpinned by measurable outputs, for example our commitment to have 40% female representation on our leadership team by 2024, and this work will continue”.
“I would like to thank and commend the Matheson team members and colleagues whose collective work and dedication across the firm to deliver on our D&I promise has made this Gold Standard possible. In 2019, we were the first Irish law firm to achieve the Silver Standard, and I am very proud that in 2020 we are now the first organisation in Ireland, across all sectors, to achieve the Gold Standard.”
Commenting on the achievement and D&I at Matheson, Lorraine Roche Matheson HR Director stated:
“We have worked hard to develop and implement our vision for D&I at Matheson, and it will continue to evolve in the future. Our approach is to harness collaboration across the business, with inputs from all our people to ensure cross-firm representation and tangible outputs to benefit colleagues.”
The Irish Centre for Diversity, supported by Ibec and the DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion, works in partnership with organisations across Ireland to help them embed equality, diversity and inclusion in their businesses.
