Investec recently chaired a panel discussion with its charitable partner, the Black Young Professionals Network (BYP), exploring the relationship between belonging and performance in the workplace. Jason Spivey, Investec’s Head of People and Organisation, reflects on why belonging is about more than inclusion. It’s about having the opportunities and backing to succeed.
Black History Month gives organisations a moment to celebrate Black history, culture and achievement. But the harder question is what happens when the month ends? Once black and ethnically diverse colleagues are through the door, are they given the same chance to build a career, be stretched, be heard and be backed?
Belonging is felt in the everyday moments when someone notices what you can do, gives you space to prove it and backs you when it matters. It is being listened to properly, trusted with work that matters and spoken for when decisions are being made elsewhere.
Ambition exists, the blockage is often access, to the people, opportunities and backing that turn potential into progression. Business in the Community’s 2025 Breaking Barriers to Progression report put the gap plainly: ethnically diverse people made up one in 10 of Britain’s population, but only one in 15 of those are in management positions.
Recruitment figures only tell us who came through the door. They do not tell us who was trusted with an important piece of work, who received useful feedback or whose name came up when the next opportunity was discussed.
Carl Konadu, co-founder and chief executive of youth social enterprise 2-3 Degrees, puts it well: “If you walk into a room and feel out of place, find someone else who might feel the same, and help them belong.”
There is something practical in that. Belonging is not created by a statement on a website. It happens when someone makes space at the table, explains what others assume everybody knows or gives a colleague a chance before they feel completely ready.
At Investec, some of this work happens through our partnerships. Our work with the BYP Network brings us closer to Black professionals at different stages of their careers.
Kike Agoro, founder and chief executive of the BYP Network, says Black professionals are looking closely at what employers offer. “Black talent has their eyes wide open when it comes to opportunities,” she says. “They won’t just jump ship without truly assessing the culture, pay and promises.”
They are right to look closely. Trust is not something an employer can switch on when there is a vacancy to fill.
I heard versions of this at a recent panel I hosted at the BYP Leadership Conference. The stories were different, but each person could remember a moment when somebody’s response helped them see themselves differently.
World-ranked boxer and social entrepreneur Valerian Spicer (and past winner of Investec’s Beyond Business programme) described walking into a boxing gym for the first time in her thirties. The coaches watched her work, saw that she was committed and gave her their time. “No one gave me a big speech of welcoming me in,” she said. “I just started and they could see the commitment.”
Her phrase “start before you’re ready” stayed with me. We often talk as if confidence is something a person should arrive with. In reality, it can be the result of being given an opportunity and finding that people take you seriously once you begin.
Black professionals may have every qualification needed for a role yet still find the unwritten parts of career progression harder to reach. Who explains how decisions are really made? Who offers candid feedback early enough for it to be useful? Who introduces you to the person who can open the next door ?
Sponsorship can make a real difference here. A mentor can help someone think through a choice. A sponsor goes further; they mention that person when an opportunity comes up and put their own credibility behind the recommendation.
The further people move through their careers, the more opportunities are shaped by conversations they may never hear. If black colleagues are missing from the networks around those conversations, strong recruitment at junior levels will not be enough to change who reaches leadership.
This is not only about fairness, important though it is. Work is better when people can ask a question without fearing it will be held against them, offer an idea without having to judge whether it is safe to speak and learn from a mistake without feeling that they have confirmed somebody else’s assumption.
So I would encourage employers to look past the headline number. Notice who gets the stretching work. Pay attention to whose career has slowed down and ask why. And when somebody has ability, do not wait for them to arrive fully formed before offering your support.
Belonging often comes down to small choices made by people with influence. Invite someone into the conversation. Say their name when they are not there. Give them the context, the honest feedback or the first chance that somebody once gave you. Being welcomed matters. Being able to shape what happens next matters even more.