Enlightened hiring managers can boost ethnic inclusion, says Bank of Ireland's HR lead

Bank of Ireland's goal is to attract the best talent in the market, from all backgrounds, reflecting the diversity within its four million customers 

Prasad Shastri, chair of Race Equality Task Force, Bank of Ireland, Edima Inyang, African Professional Network of Ireland, Matt Elliott, chief people officer, Bank of Ireland, Kate Butler, head of inclusion and diversity, Bank of Ireland, Conall Mac Coille, chief economist, Bank of Ireland, Laura O’Donovan, Irish Centre for Diversity, and Meena Karunanidhi, Bank of Ireland Multicultural Network pictured at Bank of Ireland, Baggot Plaza, Dublin, launching the bank's new 'Fostering Ethnic Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace' report. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Hiring managers who have attended training on inclusiveness are far more likely to recruit people from ethnic minority backgrounds, according to Matt Elliott, chief people officer, Bank of Ireland.

After Bank of Ireland's hiring managers attended a series of mandatory workshops on unconscious bias, the bank found that its recruitment of people from ethnic minorities rose to 19% of all new hires in 2024, up from around 7% in 2022.