Uzma Hamid-Dizier named responsible business director by Slaughter and May
The Magic Circle firm stated that the appointment reflected its commitment to put sustainability ‘at the heart’ of its
By : Legal Era
Update: 2022-05-04 07:30 GMT
Uzma Hamid-Dizier named responsible business director by Slaughter and May
The Magic Circle firm stated that the appointment reflected its commitment to put sustainability 'at the heart' of its activities
The UK law firm Slaughter and May has appointed Uzma Hamid-Dizier as a director of responsible business. Based out of London, she will take charge of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda. Her appointment follows a flurry of initiatives by the firm to improve its credentials in the sector.
Uzma will report to the firm's chief operating officer, Jill Hoseason, who joined the firm from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer last year as part of a wider shake-up of its leadership. She will also work closely with corporate partner Jeff Twentyman, the firm's head of sustainability.
Uzma's responsibilities will cover the firm's D&I commitments, carbon emission reduction targets and its pro bono and collaborative partnerships with charities to combat climate change and improve social injustice.
In May last, it set D&I targets for the first time. The firm ensured that by 2027, at least 40 percent of its equity partner promotions were women. Meanwhile, beginning from May 2020, it hopes that a minimum of 15 percent of equity partner promotions in London and Brussels will be from ethnic minority backgrounds by April 2025.
In July last, as the lockdown norms eased, the firm unveiled three part-time working programs for associates. These were designed to allow junior lawyers to take more control of their flexible working arrangements.
Later, in November, it joined forces with seven leading law firms to launch an initiative to tackle the under-representation of the black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the UK legal profession.