Highlights from the 2024 Workforce & Justice Summit — RBIJ’s First in the U.K.
In November 2024, RBIJ brought our annual Workforce & Justice Summit to the U.K. for the first time. Building on the success of our W&J Summits in the U.S., this event convened over 100 business leaders, policy experts, and justice advocates for a day of exploring how corporate action on criminal justice reform can strengthen the U.K. economy.
Morning Session: The Business Case for Fair Chance Hiring
Ken Oliver (RBIJ Advisory Council) and Matthias Stausberg (Virgin Group)
The Summit began at Virgin HQ in Central London with an inspiring conversation with RBIJ Advisory Council member Ken Oliver, who shared his remarkable journey from incarceration to executive leadership. The session was led by Matthias Stausberg, Group Advocacy Director for Virgin Group, a company that has recently ramped up efforts to recruit candidates with criminal records and encouraged other businesses to do the same.
Oliver spoke about the business community’s responsibility in making Fair Chance Hiring happen: “We shouldn’t be asking employers to lower the bar for talent, but we should be asking them to lower the barriers.”
He went on to say that hiring untapped talent carries benefits for U.K. employers, given the country’s ongoing skills shortages, and that more businesses than ever need qualified workers.
Read more about Ken’s insights from the 2024 W&J Summit in People Management.
Left to Right: Maha Jweied (RBIJ), Katie Dash (Confederation of British Industry), Paul Cowley (Iceland Foods), Colin Shute SBFM), and Darren Burns (Timpson Group)
Following Oliver’s keynote, a dynamic panel of leaders explored why tapping into the U.K.'s vast pool of justice-impacted talent is an essential recruitment strategy for the country’s employers. Darren Burns, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Timpson Group; Paul Cowley MBE, Director of Rehabilitation at Iceland Foods; Katie Dash, Chief of Staff at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI); and Colin Shute, Group CEO and Founder at SBFM, shared each of their company’s reasons for hiring formerly incarcerated individuals.
“One of the things we hear from our [CBI] members quite a lot is that businesses are looking for top skills and talent,” remarked Dash. “Fair Chance Hiring is simply looking at an untapped talent to fill in those talent gaps.”
A huge thank you to our morning session host, Virgin Group — and our other incredible event partners, BusinessLDN and CBI — whose support made this event possible.
Evening Reception: Reforming the U.K. Criminal Records System
Ken Oliver and Lord Dr. Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE
Our evening session was graciously hosted by Lord Dr. Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE at the House of Lords. Lord Hastings led a conversation with Ken Oliver on the importance of the #FairChecks campaign, which is calling for a review of the outdated U.K. criminal records system, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Jo Easton (Unlock) and Penelope Gibbs (Transform Justice)
Jo Easton from Unlock and Penelope Gibbs from Transform Justice, two U.K. charities at the forefront of the #FairChecks campaign, encouraged employers to eliminate unnecessary background checks in their hiring processes. One in four working-age residents in the U.K. has a criminal record, and the impacts of a record can follow them for the rest of their life. Government officials and policy experts need to work together to reform the records system and give citizens a fair chance at employment opportunities.
Thank You to Our Event Partners
Each year, the Workforce & Justice Summit leaves us inspired by the expertise, innovation, and passion that emerges when the business community joins forces with justice reform advocates. We are so grateful to our event partners – BusinessLDN, the CBI, and Virgin Group – whose support made this year’s Summit a reality.
Read more U.K. Criminal Justice News:
