Sandra Kerr (diversity adviser)

Sandra Kerr CBE is a race, gender, and disability business and policy advisor in the United Kingdom.[1] Kerr is currently the Business in the Community's Race Equality Director and has worked in the Cabinet Office.[2][3]

For the folk singer, see Sandra Kerr.
Sandra Kerr CBE

CBE
OccupationNational Campaign Director for Business in the Community’s Race Equality campaign
Organization
  • Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group (EMESG)
  • Royal Society Diversity Committee
Known for
Board member of
  • Business in the Community Race Leadership Team
  • Cabinet Office Race Board

Professional background

Between 1999 and 2003, Sandra Kerr worked in the Cabinet Office advising on policies on race, gender, disability, and work-life balance across Whitehall.[3] Prior to this, Kerr worked in the Department for Work and Pensions delivering front-line services to 33,000 customers whilst also managing a team of 120 employees.[4] Kerr also worked as a personal development and IT skills trainer.[2]

After her time in the Cabinet Office, Kerr joined the Business in the Community Race Equality campaign as the National Campaign Director where she works with the race advisory board to set the agenda for issues around race and employment in the United Kingdom (UK).Between 2012 and 2016 Kerr chaired the Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group (EMESG), advising the Government on issues and employment barriers facing individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds.[2] [5]

In 2015, the Royal Society invited Sandra Kerr to become a member (2015-2021) of their Diversity Committee. [6] In 2018, Sandra Kerr was named as one of the panelists comprising a Cabinet Office task-force to create a public leadership center. [7]

Key works

Aspiration and Frustration (2010)[8]

'The publication of this report comes at a critical moment. the new government is grappling with an extremely challenging political agenda in the face of the toughest economic times for a generation. the task is to put the country back on a path of sustainable growth. this makes it an ideal opportunity to ensure that the workforce of tomorrow reflects the population of today – and especially in the professions and industries that will become so important to the UK in the 21st century and beyond.' - Sandra Kerr

Race into Higher Education (2011)[9]

'This report, a comprehensive review of ethnic minorities in higher education today, will, I hope, be of interest to Government policy makers, university boards and UK industry, all of whom will want to see how the current ethnically diverse generation will slot into tomorrow’s workforce.' - Sandra Kerr

Race and Recruitment (2012)[10]

'Having reviewed the findings of our latest research, ‘Race and Recruitment: Exposing the Barriers’ I am compelled to ask recruitment agencies and recruitment professionals to scrutinize their current processes to check for fairness and transparency when dealing with job seekers from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The BAME candidates interviewed in this research were more likely to be qualified to degree level than white respondents, but less likely to get a job through a recruitment agency.' - Sandra Kerr

Race at the Top (2014)[11]

'By 2051, one in five people in the UK will be from an ethnic minority background, representing a scale of consumer spending and political voting power that business and government alike cannot afford to ignore. The gap must not be allowed to widen further, but without action, little will change. I am calling on government for a ‘Lord Davies’ review to amplify understanding around the barriers BAME employees face in reaching management positions, and for two simple words – “and race” – to be added to the UK Corporate Governance Code. We urgently need these to happen if we are to ensure that we don’t pass the point of no return.' - Sandra Kerr

Race at Work (2015)[12]

'This Race at Work report is a top line view of key trends and insights from the data collected. Several of the findings reiterate our existing knowledge about race inequality at work; some are surprising, others are concerning. More than 2,000 comments in relation to discrimination were submitted and a further 3,000 about leadership. Of course, we cannot do these comments full justice in this report. Our intention is to stream them by work issue and undertake further analysis to support future guidance for employers.' - Sandra Kerr

=== Race at Work 2018 Scorecard Report https://www.bitc.org.uk/report/race-at-work-2018-the-scorecard-report/ provided a one year on review of employer performance against the McGregor-Smith Review: Race in the workplace 2017 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/594336/race-in-workplace-mcgregor-smith-review.pdf

=== Race at Work Charter. Employers sign up to five key calls to action: Leadership; capturing ethnicity data; zero tolerance on bullying and harassment; managers promoting equality; and supporting the progression of ethnic minority employees in the workplace. the Race at Work Charter now has more than 500 employer signatories https://www.bitc.org.uk/race-at-work-charter-signatories/

=== Race at Work Charter 2019-one year on report https://www.bitc.org.uk/report/the-race-at-work-charter-one-year-on-2019/

=== Race at Work Charter 2020 report https://www.bitc.org.uk/report/race-at-work-charter-survey-report-2020/

=== Race at Work Black Voices Report was published in August 2020 to support in employers to take action to ensure they are including their black employees in the workplace and including black enterprise in their supply chains. https://www.bitc.org.uk/report/race-at-work-black-voices-report/

Honours and awards

Kerr was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2012 for services to Black and minority ethnic people and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to equality and diversity.[13]

In April 2015, she won the Women: Inspiration and Enterprise (WIE) Equality Award.[6]

Footnotes
  1. "Sandra Kerr". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  2. "Biography: Sandra Kerr OBE". Race. 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  3. "Interview with Sandra Kerr, OBE: the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities at work". Guardian Jobs. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  4. "About Us - Association For BME Engineers (AFBE-UK)". afbe.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  5. "Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  6. "Sandra Kerr | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  7. "Cabinet Office taskforce to create new public service leadership centre | Civil Service World". www.civilserviceworld.com. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  8. "Aspiration and Frustration". Race. 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  9. "1.Race Into Higher Education 2.The Race Into Work". Race. 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  10. "Race and Recruitment-Exposing the Barriers-Recruitment Industry Engagement". Race. 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  11. "Race at the Top". Race. 2014-06-16. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  12. "Race at Work Report". Race. 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  13. "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B9.
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