This week we chat to Matt Youngs and Daniel Burgess from investment management company Rathbones – one of our latest Pride in Liverpool festival supporters. We find out more about why the company has decided to support the festival, how it makes space for LGBT+ staff and clients, and what Pride means to them.
First of all, please tell us who you both are and what you do.
Matt: “My name is Matt Youngs (he, him, his) and I have worked for Rathbones for almost 26 years across several of our UK offices. My current role is as Head of Prudential Regulation in the Liverpool office.”
Daniel: “My name is Daniel Burgess (he, him, his) and I have worked for Rathbones for just over three years now. I am the Employee Relations Manager for the Group, covering all our offices.”
You have come on board as a Festival Supporter for Pride in Liverpool for the first time this year, what inspired you to do this?
“We recognise our current position in the journey towards becoming a more diverse and inclusive business that empowers all individuals to thrive. Becoming Festival Supporters of Pride in Liverpool 2022 provides an opportunity to demonstrate our allyship, and champion equality for our current and future LGBT+ colleagues, clients and communities. The actions we are taking to celebrate Pride and raise awareness are informed by some of our LGBT+ colleagues and our Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee.”
How do you make space for and support your LGBT+ staff and clients?
“We know that everyone walks a different path in life. From where we grew up to the languages we speak, how we think and who we love – we are all different. At Rathbones we value our differences, and we continue to build empathy and greater understanding of the issues that LGBT+ individuals and communities face. Our internal People site includes LGBT+ resources including a ‘People Perspectives’ article from one of our colleagues sharing their personal experiences as a member of the LGBT+ community.”
In what other ways have you addressed the issues facing LGBT+ people?
“We recently shared a gender pronouns toolkit. By talking more openly about gender and pronouns we aim to create a place where more colleagues feel comfortable and confident to be themselves. This year in the run up to Pride in Liverpool we worked with LCR Pride Foundation to host an LGBT+ webinar open to all colleagues, our aim being to raise awareness of the barriers to inclusion that the LGBT+ community face. We will always want to do more in this space and are working hard to build on the steps we have taken so far.”
What does Pride mean to you?
Matt: “Pride is about celebrating that I can live the life I want, with whom I want and how I want. This year is the 50th anniversary of the first Pride March in London, and for many people it is almost impossible to remember a time when, as LGBTQ+ people, we didn’t have the rights that we have now, and which we take for granted. We have come so far, but there are still some very important issues to target, such as trans rights and banning conversion therapy. The attention that Pride always gets enables us to ensure that these important issues are not side-lined and remain at the forefront of everyone’s attention.”
Daniel: “I must admit that it is only over the past few years that I’ve been reading about Pride and what the history is. For me, it’s about being able to be yourself in a completely unapologetic way. We need to remember all the incredible work that has happened to achieve where we are today but also to recognise what still needs to be done for our future.”
What message does Rathbones want to send by supporting Pride In Liverpool?
Matt: “We are delighted to support Pride in Liverpool 2022, Rathbones and the Rathbone family have a long-standing history in the city and are keen to show we are a business with Liverpool roots, where everyone is welcome.”
Daniel: “I feel incredibly proud to work for an organisation that now supports Pride in Liverpool and I have the utmost appreciation for the effort it takes to host such an iconic event.”
This year’s theme is ‘come together’ – it will be our first physical march and Pride in Liverpool since before the pandemic – what are you most looking forward to about the event?
Matt: “Being able to walk through the streets of this incredible city, with not only my LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, but with a large number of allies and supporters who share our passion and want to help make this a world where everyone has the same rights in life.”
Daniel: “This will be the first Pride event that I’ve been actively involved in which is hugely exciting for me! I’m really looking forward to celebrating the day with the people I work with and meeting lots of new people whilst being in the city that I adore.”
Matt: “I also just wanted to thank everyone at LCR Pride Foundation HQ for all the time and effort that has gone into ensuring this will be a celebration not to be missed. Events like this don’t just happen, they take months of hard work, so we are all very grateful for all that you are doing behind the scenes.”
