Pentland Brands to form new youth advisory board

Pentland Brands, which owns sports, outdoor and lifestyle brands, including Speedo, Berghaus, and Ellesse, is joining mission-led start-up The People to bring youth insights into the boardroom.

In a statement, Pentland Brands said it is looking to form a new youth advisory board and is seeking people under 30 in its key markets, the UK, US, India, Vietnam and China, to act as a focus group and "inform key strategic decisions".

It hopes that insight from the youth advisory board will help “shape how the business supports, nurtures and develops its current and potential employees”.

Alongside the young changemakers who form part of The People’s network, the board will be made up of Pentland Brands employees from internal D&I networks, including LGBTQ+ communities, Black colleagues and their allies, women, and wellbeing. The group will also offer diverse perspectives to tackle key business challenges, redefining the employee experience from reward to recruitment.

Pentland Brands joins The People to bring youth insights into the boardroom

Sara Brennan, positive business director at Pentland Brands, said: “Our partnership with The People is designed to make positive changes for the next generation of talent entering the workplace, as well as supporting our current employees to make a real difference.

“Exploring fresh perspectives allows us to take action in a way that supports, reflects and celebrates the diversity of our teams, both now and in the future.”

The move comes from recent research by the Corporate Counsel Business Journal, which shows that while more than 50 percent of the global population is under the age of 30, the average age of a board of directors is almost 60.

Kian Bakhtiari, founder of The People, added: “We are proud to partner with Pentland Brands, a company that is engaged and willing to listen, learn and support a new generation of global talent. The Pentland Collective brings young and diverse voices into the boardroom and delivers fresh-outside perspectives into the business. This is a vehicle for positive social change."

Applications to join Pentland Brands youth advisory board are open until August 18 via the Pentland Collective, which was co-created by Pentland Brands, The People and young changemakers to address the career barriers faced by young people from underrepresented communities.