Slaughter and May appoints new Director of Responsible Business

Slaughter and May has today announced that Uzma Hamid-Dizier, Head of Responsible Business at the firm, has been promoted to the new role of Director of Responsible Business with effect from 1 May 2022. This recognises the importance of the responsible business agenda both in terms of the actions the firm takes and the work it does for its clients.

It also reflects the role that Uzma has played in helping the firm shape its response to date, and will continue to going forwards. Uzma will be part of the Business Services Leadership Team, alongside the firm’s other directors and will report into Jill Hoseason, the firm’s COO. Uzma will continue to work closely with Jeff Twentyman, Head of Sustainability, to lead on the implementation of the Responsible Business strategy, steered by the firm’s Responsible Business Committee.

The firm’s approach focuses on integrating responsible business and sustainability into the services it provides to clients, its operations, its supply chain, and its role as an employer. The firm’s ambition is to ensure that this approach sits at the heart of what it does, the decisions it makes and how it does business. By doing so the firm believes that it will enhance its business performance, add greater value to its clients, and attract and retain the best people to deliver a top-quality service.

Recent highlights include:

  • a commitment to diversity and inclusion by publishing gender and ethnicity targets;
  • setting ambitious science based targets to reduce carbon emissions;
  • directing pro bono and collaborative partnerships to charities such as the Green Finance Institute and the British Red Cross to act on climate change and social injustice;
  • being a founding member and committing to the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance in order to support our clients with ESG impacts across their business.

More details on each of these areas can be found in the firm’s Responsible Business Report.