The word 'diversity' is overused, often reduced to a checkbox that reinforces difference rather than true inclusion. Calling someone "diverse" subliminally labels them an outlier, shifting the burden of change onto the individual instead of challenging outdated norms. For your startup, finding the right talent is key, and traditional approaches will not deliver. Diversity of thought and experiences creates business advantages – more profit, more innovation, and better staff morale and retention.

Unlock real talent in your startup

For years, the UK's creative and events industries have lamented a "talent shortage". The problem is access. The industry keeps looking in the same narrow places, locking out bold, brilliant, future-defining thinkers it claims to be missing. It's time to stop asking where talent has gone and start asking who has been excluded.

While many UK organisations have made progress on gender and ethnicity representation, socio-economic bias remains a stubborn and growing issue. Class-based prejudice is now one of the most entrenched forms of discrimination in the workplace, according to a 2024 Demos & Co-op report. White men from upper socio-economic backgrounds are 33 times more likely to hold senior roles in financial services than working-class women from ethnic minority backgrounds, despite overall improvements in other diversity metrics. This exclusion carries significant economic, creative, and reputational costs for the industry.

The economic consequences are equally stark: low social mobility is estimated to cost the UK up to £19 billion per year in lost GDP, with £6.8 billion in potential tax revenue unrealised.

Finding talent for your business

Brixton Finishing School (BFS) has nearly 4,000 alumni and has placed an estimated 500 individuals in the creative industries. Many of these individuals are now shaping campaigns, influencing brand narratives, and mentoring others just like them.

Desislava Nikolova, Production Coordinator at INVNT, shares her transformative experience: "Before BFS, I felt invisible in a sea of CVs. But BFS gave me the chance to connect with industry professionals face-to-face and show who I am. Just 18 months later, I’ve gone from intern to Production Coordinator at INVNT. It’s fast-paced and creative, with projects like a Female Quotient x Hitachi Vantara event at NVIDIA GTC, where I handled branding, activations, F&B, venue comms, and AVL. Most recently, I worked with PepsiCo in Barcelona, and helped deliver an amazing blend of strategy and storytelling."

What exclusion looks like today (and why it’s a problem)

Despite years of diversity pledges, the doors to the creative industry remain bolted by structural barriers.

These are embedded in our systems and prejudices. For example, degree requirements. They filter out working-class talent that can't take on the burden of large debt. Additionally, “culture fit” hiring quietly reinforces sameness by favouring candidates who mirror existing teams. When hiring managers default to what feels familiar, they shut out differences in thought, expression, and experience. And finally, the CV trap persists. Traditional CVs tend to reward privilege and prior access. But raw potential, creativity, and drive don't always fit neatly on a page.

How to get diverse talent in your business

At the forefront of reimagining access is Brixton Finishing School (BFS). Their core mission? To break the link between privilege and potential. BFS proves that talent is everywhere, but access is not.

Their tiered model includes the following programmes:

• ADventure: the industry’s largest educational outreach programme in creative and marketing industries, introducing creative careers to under-18s in state schools
• The ADcademy: a free national course for socially mobile 18-30-year-olds that fits around their responsibilities
• The original BFS: an IRL, 8-week Summer School delivered in collaboration with employer partners, whose selection process filters in high-growth-potential talent

What sets BFS apart is its blend of training and transformation. BFS prepares talent for the 'dark arts' of the office, an unfamiliar environment for many emerging talents. By focusing on behaviours, drive, and coachability, BFS launches career-ready creatives into real jobs.

Strategies for building a talented team

Here are five actionable strategies for building diverse teams:

• Redesign recruitment: move beyond CVs by using skills-based hiring and blind screening to overcome biases related to background and experience
• Invest in access: partner with organisations like Brixton Finishing School to provide "on-ramps" for underrepresented talent, focusing on raw ability and coachability, and engaging diverse communities
• Look elsewhere for talent: actively seek candidates from a wider range of networks and non-traditional backgrounds, embracing the mindset of looking beyond conventional channels
• Implement access-led mentoring and sponsorship: establish structured mentoring and senior leadership sponsorship to ensure genuine career progression and support, not just token internships
• Focus on potential and coachability in interviews: prioritise open-ended questions assessing problem solving and adaptability. Engage candidates multiple times to get a true sense of their capabilities and willingness to learn and grow

The business case for inclusion

Research consistently shows that diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones across creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. In the UK, EY’s 2025 DE&I report highlights that businesses embedding inclusive practices and prioritising diverse hiring see measurable gains in productivity and innovation.

When creative agencies diversify their hiring, they increase their quality of talent.

You need structural change in your business. So, stop waiting for “qualified” candidates to apply. The gate isn’t keeping the wrong people out, it’s stopping the right ones from coming in. Invest in access. Stop rewarding privilege masquerading as potential and start building better on-ramps. Finally, redesign recruitment to include, not exclude. This means skills-based hiring, ongoing mentoring, and sponsorship, not gatekeeping.

Your business and diverse talent

Bringing in diverse talent from the outset is key because it ensures your business is built on a strong foundation from day one, leading to greater creativity, innovation, and problem solving, which are crucial for early-stage growth and long-term success. This approach also ensures fairness and equal opportunity for all talent. It is the only way to ensure you are starting right.

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