An in-person event in parliament marking 15 years of the High Pay Centre, with an expert panel discussing what comes next in the fight against excessive pay and pay inequality. (09:00am – 10:30am, 3 June 2026)
Fifteen years ago, the High Pay Centre was founded in response to growing concern that the gap between executive and worker pay had become too wide, rising from around 20:1 in the 1970s to more than 100:1 by 2011.
In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, excessive executive pay and widening inequality came to be seen as symptoms of a business model in need of reform. Politicians across the political spectrum recognised the need for action to restore a sense of fairness and end the perception that companies were rewarding failure.
During the 2010s, this led to a series of incremental reforms aimed at improving transparency around pay and increasing scrutiny from regulators and shareholders.
But as the political climate in the UK shifted, momentum behind these reforms weakened, and today the gap between worker and executive pay is as wide as it was in 2011.
While the new Employment Rights Act offers hope that workers may have a stronger voice in challenging unfair pay practices, an emboldened business lobby pushing for the UK to emulate a US-style model of executive pay, alongside a global backlash against ESG, appears to be pushing back against the progress made in the 2010s. This is despite strong public support for far smaller gaps between executive and worker pay.
As we mark the High Pay Centre’s 15th anniversary, our expert panel will explore why extreme pay inequality remains so deeply embedded in the UK economy, and what can be done to change it. Discussion topics will include:
- What role should politicians, workers and investors play in tackling extreme pay inequality?
- Does executive pay need to be lower, or simply set through fairer processes?
- Can the UK pursue a fairer economic model without damaging competitiveness?
- If most people believe inequality is wrong, why has meaningful reform proved so difficult?
Speakers:
Baroness Ruth Lister – is a Labour peer, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University and Vice Chair of the Compass Board. She is a former Director of the Child Poverty Action Group and is now its honorary president. She is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Academy of Social Sciences, co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Poverty and Inequality and author of a number of books including Poverty (2nd edn, 2021).
Catherine Howarth – is Chief Executive of ShareAction, the leading European NGO defining and driving ambitious standards of responsible investment practice. She joined the organisation in 2008. Catherine serves on the board of NEST pensions, is a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s advisory committee on sustainable finance and of HM Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce. She previously served on the board of the Scott Trust, owner of The Guardian Media Group, from 2015-2022.
Baroness Natalie Bennett – is a Green Party peer in the House of Lords and a former journalist. She is a former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (2012–2016). She sits in the House of Lords as a Green Party peer and has long campaigned on issues of social justice, environmental sustainability and economic inequality. She has contributed extensively to public debate on climate and inequality.
Andrew Speke – is Interim Director of the High Pay Centre, having worked at the organisation since 2019. Previously Head of Communications at the High Pay Centre, leading communications work and contributing to research including annual CEO pay and pay ratio reports. Andrew previously worked for the UK FCDO in China covering human rights and social affairs.