Frontier Spectrum is our LGBTQ+ inclusion network.

We began in 2018, when a small group of us – with strong support from our People Director – got together to think about how we could ensure that Frontier offers a safe and open environment for people to bring their full selves to work. We now have a group of about a dozen of us – from different offices, roles and grades – on the team.

Bringing people together

Spectrum is for everyone at Frontier. We aim to raise LGBTQ+ visibility and bring people together, by promoting a culture that supports diversity and inclusion, and offering a forum for LGBT staff and allies. We believe that it’s crucial that everyone at Frontier feels comfortable being open about their sexuality. In the short time we’ve been going, we think we’ve really helped to shift the culture at Frontier and support all our wider values as a firm. We recognise that a truly open and inclusive environment cannot be assumed but requires explicit actions.

We run lots of great activities both for the network and the firm. We’ve established a ‘Pride Week’ at Frontier in June which is now a regular fixture, including everything from cakes and crafting in all our offices, to watch-alongs of Drag Race UK and Queer Eye, and providing resources and information for everyone throughout the week.

Learning from others

We invite external speakers to talk to colleagues about their fascinating, diverse experiences. In the last couple of years, we’ve heard from Caroline Paige, the first openly serving trans officer in the British Armed Forces; and the Revered Jide Macaulay, founder of the House of Rainbow which works to promote inclusion among BAME members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. We’ve talked openly with colleagues about our own experiences of being LGBT+ at Frontier, and the roles of allyship and activism. And we raise money for charity, including promoting World AIDS Day.

We also put on fun events throughout the year open to all, whether that’s drinks in Soho, theatre trips, or the inevitable lockdown quiz – though ours was the only one featuring a dedicated Eurovision round. We work with other remits and networks at Frontier, such as the fun team and our wellbeing team, to collaborate on activities and events to help reach as wide a group as we can throughout the firm. 

What the future holds

We’re increasingly connecting Spectrum externally. We’ve been to inclusion events run by the Economist and Stonewall, and we’re connecting with other networks run by our clients and collaborators – last year a couple of us were even lucky enough to be invited to a movie screening at Disney’s London HQ run by their employee network (and yes, we did get to meet Mickey Mouse).

As we grow both as a firm and an inclusion network, we’re really looking forward to what else we can do to help make sure everyone at Frontier can be their authentic selves at work, and learning more from and about each other and the diverse backgrounds that have led us all to working here.

Spectrum is part of a wider Diversity & Inclusion Programme at Frontier that supports gender equality, working parents, and diversity of racial and cultural background.