The team at Freeths, a key player in the legal profession in Manchester, are celebrating after being named Equality Trailblazer of the year – a Diversity and Inclusion award, sponsored byFacebook, at the British Chambers of Commerce’s annual Chamber Business Awards 2021.

The event, now in its 17th year, is one of the showpieces of the business calendar, highlighting the role of business in delivering growth and prosperity for the UK and local communities. 

The judges were impressed with the way Freeths has consistently driven positive change to provide equal opportunities and eradicate discrimination. They were also taken with their work on gender equality; internally they have a network for women in law and provide talks and training, and a mentoring programme focusing on progressing women into senior roles.

The company, which is a member of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, has also created a Black Lawyers Network, focusing on the ethnicity pay gap, raising awareness of important topics like Black Lives Matter, and celebrating its black heritage employees.

Sarah Howard, Chair of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: 

“What really stood out for us is the clear commitment across the whole organisation to be more inclusive. It is very apparent that everyone at Freeths supports this culture, and this award recognises the energy and passion of the company. It is impressive to see an organisation  embedding this ethos so well across all facets of its operation.”

Sinead O’Grada, Head of Economic Impact EMEA at Meta, said:

“The ethos and commitment to embed diversity and inclusion as key pillars of the culture at Freeths is inspiring to see. With their impact supported through companywide principles for areas such as recruitment, enabling social mobility and female career progression. Along with their industry leadership to engage not only their own teams but broader communities and stakeholders.”