Pinsent Masons is expanding its diversity and inclusion advisory business in the Asia-Pacific region, as Asian employers strive for more diverse workforces.

The consulting arm, called Brook Graham, is initially launching in Sydney and Melbourne this week and will be launching in Singapore later this month, with Hong Kong to follow, a Pinsent Masons spokesperson said.

Acquired by Pinsent Masons in 2017, Brook Graham has partnered with major organisations around the world including Oxford Instruments, LV= and Cromwell Property Group to help them develop more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

"We're seeing increasing recognition across organisations in Asia-Pacific of the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce. Some are making great progress, and some want to change but don't quite know how or where to start," Justine Cooper, head of Brook Graham APAC, said in a statement.

Cooper said it is hard to implement diversity and inclusion strategies that deliver meaningful and measurable results. "Solutions that are specifically developed for a business and its context can have a substantial impact on employee engagement, client connectivity, attracting talent and ultimately financial returns," she said.

Australia-based Cooper is currently building teams for the consulting arm.

Kate Williams, an employment partner in Pinsent Masons' Perth office, said clients have commercial challenges and opportunities, along with legal issues.

"Our multidisciplinary teams of lawyers and consultants deliver holistic and sustainable solutions for our clients," she said, adding that they don't believe employment law and diversity and inclusion should operate in silos.

"By bringing them together, we can not only understand the legal and regulatory landscape in which a solution needs to exist, but also use legal instruments to their full potential to deliver meaningful change," she said.

Pinsent Masons said Brook Graham handles the full lifecycle of a change programme from inception to implementation, engaging with a range of teams across a business to focus on how diversity and inclusion, legal, human resources, compliance and other business processes can be used to implement change, Pinsent Masons said.

When Pinsent Masons acquired Brook Graham two years ago, it described it as an opportunity to "turbocharge our diversity offering".

It is one of several non-legal service offerings from the firm. Earlier this month, Pinsent Masons launched a project management arm.