Board EDI Statement

But having a personal connection to MS isn’t enough. Our Board needs people with a diverse range of skills, expertise and lived experiences to engage in challenging discussions, make good decisions and effectively oversee our work. And we need to make sure this includes people from communities who are currently underrepresented in our work.

Our new corporate strategy for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) sets out our ambitions for the period 2021-24. In March 2022, our Board approved a Board EDI Action Plan (PDF, 91 KB) setting out the actions they will take to put diversity and inclusion front and centre, within their own work, aligned to our organisational EDI Strategy Implementation Plan (PDF, 474 KB).

Board Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• We’ll continue to be accountable to the entire MS community for delivery of the EDI Strategy and the commitments made in the implementation action plan.
• We’ll make sure there aren’t unintended barriers to candidates applying to join our Board or National Councils, either due to the recruitment materials we use, or the requirements of the roles being applied for.
• We’ll make sure the Board and Council recruitment process is fair and doesn’t cause bias, unintentionally or otherwise.
• We’ll make sure members of our Board know, understand and uphold our values.
• We’ll make sure our Board and committees reflect the diversity of our entire MS community and foster a culture of inclusion.
• We’ll make sure decisions being taken are fully informed. And that the Board is assured that consideration has been given to unintended impacts on equality, to manage or mitigate these as necessary.
• We’ll make sure the Board seeks assurance that groups and individuals affected by their decisions have been involved appropriately.
• Trustees and Council Chairs will take personal responsibility for ongoing development of their understanding of EDI matters, and championing our approach to EDI.