
City Black Employee Resource Groups

Welcome to CBERG - City Black Employee Resource Groups
Our Story
The seeds of a groundbreaking initiative were planted in 2022 when a visionary group of Black professionals at investment banks took the lead in bringing together the leadership of Black Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) from across the financial services sector for dynamic roundtable discussions. Although similar efforts had been made before - such as The Collective in New York - this pioneering effort was the first of its kind for London and quickly gained momentum.
At the same time, another exciting initiative was emerging, primarily driven by leadership teams of Black ERGs at asset managers in the City. This group began collaborating on impactful events and sharing invaluable information with their peers. Naturally, the paths of these two vibrant groups began to converge, leading to a powerful alliance. And as they say, the rest is history!
Today, City Black Employee Resource Groups (CBERG) stands as a dynamic, independent informal network, bringing together leadership teams from Black ERGs or sub-groups within broader ethnic minority ERGs from over forty leading financial services firms. Our membership spans ERGs from investment banks, investment managers, insurers, ratings agencies, market data providers, and others. We gather regularly under the guiding principles of Chatham House Rules to explore common areas of interest. These meetings are a hotbed of innovation, where we share experiences, exchange groundbreaking ideas and foster collaboration among Black professionals and allies across our industry.
Join us in this inspiring journey. By breaking barriers and forging connections within City Black ERGs, we create a ripple effect that empowers Black professionals and drives meaningful change throughout the entire financial services sector.
Recent Highlights
CBERG will have functional pillars to help organise it effectively in delivering on its objectives. Each pillar will be provided specific guidance on its purpose, structure, roles and responsibilities as well as how it will be reporting on its undertakings via a term of reference.
As of March 2024, four focus area working groups were formed:
-
Cross-firm collaboration
-
Virtual drop-ins
-
Philanthropy
-
Supporting early years Black professionals
If you would like to know about each stream or volunteer to participate if you are part of the CBERG community, please contact us using our form.