tml Partners Reveal Key Insights from the Latest Diversity Intelligence in the UK Marketing Industry

tml Partners recently launched a DE&I Survey for Marketing and Communications in the UK, the largest of its kind. The latest data reveals both the progress the industry has made and the challenges that lie ahead. Here are key insights from our most recent findings:

Elitism Remains a Barrier to Diversity

Our research highlights an overrepresentation of marketing leaders from independent fee-paying schools. For instance, in the professional services sector, 26% of senior marketing leaders attended private schools – significantly higher than the UK national average of 7%​. This suggests that the industry may still be grappling with elitist structures that limit opportunities for talent from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. 

Ethnic Diversity Is Still Lacking, Particularly at Senior Levels

Despite improvements in gender diversity, ethnic diversity remains a critical issue. Only 14% of CMOs in the UK come from an ethnic minority background​. This underrepresentation is even more pronounced in sectors like financial and professional services, where the proportion of ethnic minorities declines as you move up the hierarchy​.

Gender Diversity Varies Significantly Across Sectors

While gender diversity in the marketing profession is generally strong, with women making up 52% of marketing and communications professionals, there is still a significant gender disparity in certain sectors. For example, in the technology sector, only 44% of senior marketing roles are held by women​. This highlights the need for continued efforts to promote gender equality, particularly in industries where women remain underrepresented in leadership roles.

What does this mean for the industry?

These insights reflect both the progress and ongoing challenges in achieving a truly diverse and inclusive marketing industry. 

The lack of comprehensive diversity data in the private sector, particularly regarding ethnic diversity, is a significant barrier to progress​. To truly advance DE&I, there needs to be a concerted effort to improve the collection and reporting of diversity metrics across all sectors, ensuring that organisations can benchmark their progress and identify areas for improvement.

Breaking down these barriers is essential to fostering a more inclusive leadership pool and gaining the significant benefit of diversity of thought. Teams that leverage a wide range of viewpoints are better equipped to avoid groupthink, navigate challenges, and innovate​​, all whilst keeping diverse audiences front of mind.

The Chief Marketing Officers approach

As marketing headhunters, tml Partners are at the forefront of marketing leadership opinions and approaches. In the second edition of The CMO Report, Chief Marketing Officers from the likes of Microsoft, Formula E, PwC, Dove, and Rightmove, to name a few, provided their insights on how they’re driving diversity in their marketing teams.

Diversity is a high priority topic for marketing teams, as they look to reap the benefits of greater diversity of thought. The approaches of the featured CMOs included improved measurement of their teams, enhancing their recruitment strategies to attract a broader pool of talent, nurturing diverse groups within their organisation to ensure they’re providing equitable opportunities, and holding their suppliers to account for their diverse practices. 

Learn more about how our panel of Chief Marketing Officers are approaching diversity at The CMO Report.

Our Approach

At tml Partners, we are committed to helping organisations navigate these challenges by providing tailored DE&I solutions and support, utilising this data to support our clients find incredible talent, whoever they are. 

Our research also provides a comprehensive breakdown of diversity demographics across all protected characteristics, including sexual orientation, religion and belief, disability status and wider socio-economic factors.

This data is based on responses from 700+ survey participants in the UK working in Marketing and Communications roles, collected between November 2023 and February 2024. This data will be regularly updated to reflect ongoing trends and insights.

If you would like to discuss how your team can utilise this full set of data to enhance diversity within your organisation, please get in touch with a member of our DE&I committee:

• Simon Bassett (he/him), Chief Executive Officer: simon.bassett@tmlpartners.com
• Charlie Green (he/him), Managing Director: charlie.green@tmlpartners.com
• Emma Morrison (she/her), Director: emma.morrison@tmlpartners.com