The Bridge Group announces inaugural Lead Partners
The Bridge Group announces strategic new chapter with inaugural Lead Partners
KPMG UK, Morgan Stanley and Slaughter and May join us as Lead Partners
27 April 2026
In its tenth anniversary year, the Bridge Group is proud to announce the launch of a new strategic chapter, underpinned by the appointment of three inaugural Lead Partners: KPMG UK, Morgan Stanley, and Slaughter and May.
As we celebrate over a decade of turning evidence into opportunity, these strategic partnerships mark an exciting shift as we scale our national impact. The Bridge Group is renowned for providing robust, independent insight and facilitating collaboration to break down barriers to opportunity. Our Lead Partners will enable the Bridge Group to extend the benefits of socio-economic inclusion even further, supporting independent research to fill critical policy gaps and convening organisations within and across sectors to accelerate our collective impact.
The Lead Partners will play a pivotal role in informing the Bridge Group’s future work programme through a seat on the Bridge Group’s newly established Advisory Board, ensuring that the charity’s pioneering research, evaluation and advisory services continue to strengthen educational and career outcomes across the UK.
Jenny Baskerville, Chief Executive of the Bridge Group, said:
“The launch of our Lead Partner programme marks a defining moment for the Bridge Group. In welcoming KPMG UK, Morgan Stanley, and Slaughter and May as our inaugural Lead Partners, we are building a trusted community of cross-sector employers who share our unwavering commitment to evidence-led change. Together we can extend the benefits of socio-economic inclusion further than ever before.”
Meet our inaugural Lead Partners
KPMG UK
For over a decade, KPMG UK has led the way on socio‑economic inclusion, publicly sharing workforce data since 2016 and becoming one of the UK’s first businesses to publish socio‑economic background pay gaps. It has also set a clear ambition for 29% of partners to come from a low socio-economic background by 2030. Working in partnership with the Bridge Group, KPMG continues to break new ground through progression analysis and board‑level insight, using robust data to address social class as a barrier to progression.
Marc Burrows, Group Chief People Officer, KPMG UK and Switzerland, commented:
“I’m proud that KPMG UK has become a Lead Partner of the Bridge Group alongside Morgan Stanley and Slaughter and May. The Bridge Group’s evidence‑led work plays an important role in shaping fairer progression and opportunity across business, and this partnership aligns with our ongoing commitment to building an inclusive workplace and driving meaningful, lasting change.
"As a Lead Partner, I’m looking forward to joining the newly created Advisory Board and playing an active role in supporting the charity’s next chapter.”
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley aims to promote opportunity and belonging for talent from all backgrounds for a more inclusive workforce and community. Morgan Stanley’s Future Generation Scholarship and Advancing Futures Programme provide financial assistance, mentorship, and training for socio-economically disadvantaged and under-represented groups, and they support a number of industry-wide organisations to promote socio-economic inclusion (SEI) across the financial services sector. In 2024, Morgan Stanley launched their SEI Mission and Action Plan, overseen by their SEI Working Group that comprises senior leaders from across the firm.
Mikael Down, Executive Director, Head of EMEA Sustainable Finance, Morgan Stanley, added:
“Socio-economic background should not be a barrier to opportunity, and at Morgan Stanley we believe in finding and supporting exceptional talent wherever it exists. Becoming a Lead Partner of the Bridge Group reflects this focus. I look forward to joining the Advisory Board and helping to contribute to the Bridge Group’s work.”
Slaughter and May
Slaughter and May have been working to widen access to the legal profession for over a decade. Access to the best available talent, drawn from a wide range of backgrounds, is essential to the firm’s continued success, and in 2023, Slaughter and May became the first major law firm to set social mobility targets, supported by a comprehensive action plan. The firm has a long-term commitment to improving representation of individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds in its workforce and the legal sector more widely.
Claire Jackson, Partner, Slaughter and May, said:
“I am delighted to be joining the Bridge Group’s Advisory Board. Our involvement as a Lead Partner builds on Slaughter and May’s long-term commitment to increasing social mobility, working towards achieving the targets we set in 2023 and widening access to the legal profession. It’s also something I am hugely passionate about personally, and I am looking forward to working with the Bridge Group and other Advisory Board members to further advance socio-economic inclusion.”
Join us in the next chapter
To learn more about our Lead Partner programme and how your organisation can turn evidence into opportunity, please contact us at enquiries@thebridgegroup.org.uk or visit our Support Us page.