M&S CEO Steve Rowe has pledged to review the company's approach to diversity and inclusion. M&S acknowledged on Black Out Tuesday that it had work to do, to "truly understand and tackle racism and the stymying impact it has on the life chance of black people." 

In a communication to staff that has been released to the media, Rowe outlined what he believes an inclusive business should be and how M&S was taking steps towards achieving that aim.

Rowe outlined what it means for him to be a truly diverse and inclusive business: 

• As an employer, we attract, support and develop diverse talent and create an inclusive culture where everyone feels they can belong and get on. This includes looking at how and where we recruit, the partners who support us, the training we offer and, importantly, the data we track and the systems we have in place.
• As a retailer, from the ranges we offer to the way we market them to the layout of our stores, inclusivity is embedded into how we do business—and customers see it, feel it and recognise our brand as a leader.
• As a business with hundreds of shops in communities across the country (and world), we support organisations which work on community inclusion issues that our colleagues and customers care about. We use the power and platform of our brand to amplify their work and contribute to a ‘national conversation’ on issues that impact and challenge us all.

He then outlined the steps that the retailer has already taken:

• As an employer, we have targets on female and BAME leadership representation which are currently to have 50% women and 15% BAME colleagues in senior management roles by 2022, and we are at 41% and 8%. Our new colleague survey has been designed so that we can look at data according to different anonymised groups to spot trends and take action. In the last year, we moved from 220 to 123 in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index and we are a Times Top 50 Employer for Women. We have signed the Race at Work charter, but we must up the pace on taking action to deliver it.
• Last year we became the first UK retailer to introduce sunflower lanyards into all stores, which helps identify customers and colleagues with hidden disabilities. We also created our Adapted for Easy Dressing Kidswear range for children with sensory or physical disabilities.
• To play an active role in our communities, I am pleased to tell you that we have expanded the charities that we will donate to on behalf of our customers through Sparks. What matters most to me, though, is that we were doing this as part of the long-term re-set of Sparks and in collaboration with colleagues. We are broadening our focus on Community & Inclusion charities and we will be supporting the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, which aims to transform the life chances of young people, and The Black Curriculum, which is working to address the lack of black British history in the UK Curriculum. As we have done with akt, another new Sparks charity that supports the LGBTQ+ community, we are kick-starting the partnerships with a direct donation.

However, despite the progress that M&S has already made Rowe said that more needs to be done:

"I've said that we are committed to being with our customers all the way as the country faces into a challenging and uncertain future. That commitment is for our colleagues too. To all of our black colleagues, and to any colleague who has faced prejudice, ignorance or injustice, I may not always get it right, but I am with you all the way in mind and in heart."