The Nationwide Building Society's chief executive officer was today making an impassioned plea for all employers to commit to age equality in the workplace.

Philip Williamson, will be making the Swindon-based company's case for greater age diversity in the corporate environment at the launch of a new initiative by charity Age Concern.

The Business Pledge scheme is being presented as an opportunity for employers to lead the way in demonstrating sound business sense by committing to age equality in the workplace.

The charity aims to sign up more than one thousand businesses to its cause before a new law on age equality at work comes into effect in 2006.

Gordon Lishman, Age Concern England's director general, said: "Business leaders have a huge role to play in shaping the way we see age. We simply cannot respond to the challenge of our ageing society without them.

"We have set ourselves an ambitious target to work with the business community to ensure that age equality is delivered, providing real benefits to business, older workers and the UK economy and are encouraged that Nationwide, a major High Street name, is the first to sign our Business Pledge."

In response, Mr Williamson will tell an audience of business leaders, as well as the charity's patron, The Prince of Wales, that Nationwide will support the cause.

He will say: "We have first-hand experience of the genuine business benefits of employing a diverse workforce in terms of age, race and gender.

"We wish to support Age Concern's work because we believe that valuing the contribution of each individual is not only good for our employees, it's good for our business too."

Michael Partridge, 54, a senior advisor in Nationwide's call centre at Pipers Way, who will meet The Prince of Wales at the London launch said: "I am delighted to find that Nationwide is keen to invest in me and my future development.

"Since joining Nationwide at the age of 52 as an advisor in their call centre, I have been promoted to senior advisor and am now on a fast track training programme that will give me the opportunity to become a team manager.

"Their flexible approach allows me to balance my work and my life outside the office, while also giving Nationwide the benefit of my previous experience."

Simultaneously, Age Concern has published the findings of a poll, revealing overwhelming public support for more flexibility about work and the removal of fixed retirement ages.

It found that 76 per cent of workers are opposed to being forced to retire at a fixed age and cited more flexible working arrangements as the biggest incentive to carry on working.