Drive Practical Action, Evidence Impact & Fuel Critical Change With Strategic & Meaningful Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Initiatives
A One-Day, Practitioner-Led Conference & Networking Exhibition, 10 Union Street, London, 11th September 2024
08.15 Registration, Informal Networking & GIC Welcome
09.00 Morning Co-Chairs’ Opening Remarks
Ingrid Iradukunda, Senior Technical Program Manager Social Impact, Amazon
Shabiya Younus-Titsing, Chief of Staff Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Adidas
NEURODIVERSITY: EMPOWERING & ADVOCATING
Panel Q&A
09.10 Foster Workplace Cultures Which Embrace Neurodiversity, Promote Inclusivity & Ensure All Individuals, Regardless Of Neurodivergence, Can Thrive In The Professional Environment
- What can your company do to make neurodivergent employees feel valued, safe, and supported to come forward and ask for reasonable adjustments within the workplace?
- Delve deeper into the intricacies of neurodiversity, variations in learning styles, and how your organisation can adjust to foster an inclusive workplace that is supportive of all neurodiverse colleagues to unleash their full potential and enable them to produce their best work
- Assess existing structures and processes for recruiting neurodivergent colleagues and establish a compelling business case that recognises the strategic importance and benefits of having inclusive recruitment processes that support the needs of neurodivergent candidates
- Foster meaningful engagement with neurodivergent colleagues by taking practical steps to create inclusive work environments that challenge negative stereotypes and build trust
Nisha Marwaha, Director, People Relations & DE&I, Virgin Media O2
Lee Brown, Head of Data & Emerging Technology Risk & Chair Of LBG Neurodiversity Network, Lloyds Banking Group
Rachel Brown, Director of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Northumbria University
Natasha Hunter, Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Co-op
DISABILITY & ACCESSIBILITY
Delegate Discussion
09.40 Dismantle Barriers For Disabled Employees By Strengthening Existing Recruitment Processes & Reviewing Internal Processes To Allow Employees To Flourish & Feel Supported At Work
- Build a disability-inclusive workplace by reviewing existing structures and processes, adapting recruitment processes and taking practical steps to meet the needs of employees with disabilities
- Facilitate the provision of adjustments needed for employees, ensuring they can produce impactful work unhindered and receive the support necessary for their continued development
- Establish a work environment where fears associated with disabilities are dismantled and open conversations can thrive and lead to increased understanding and improved support structures for disabled employees
DIVERSE & EQUITABLE LEADERSHIP CHAMPIONING EDI
10.00 Develop Tailored Leadership Pathways & Create Equitable Career Prospects, Empower Existing Leaders To Take Ownership Of Their EDI Agenda & Secure That All-Important Buy-In By Proving Long-Term Value & Hitting Representation Targets
- Lead by example and foster allyship from the top with senior managers and leaders who champion EDI initiatives for a more inclusive, equitable and empowered workplace culture from boardroom to frontline
- The conversation around leadership and representation will never not be relevant! Emphasise the importance of having leadership teams which reflect its workforce to ensure underrepresented groups feel empowered to strive for their own career goals and progression
- Guarantee long-term investment and support for your initiatives by aligning strategies with business goals and tangibly demonstrating the value of DEI sponsorship
- Dig deeper into your diverse workforce and adapt management styles accordingly to support the needs of multi-generational teams which consists of different values and behaviours to uphold collaboration and power productivity
Sarah Kenuel, Director Leadership, Learning, Talent, Culture & Diversity, BT Group
10.20 Bonus Session: Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner Karehero
10.35 Morning Refreshment Break With Informal Networking
11.05 Bonus Session: Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner, Evenbreak
Jane Hatton, Director, Evenbreak
INCLUSIVE CULTURES & ALLYSHIP
Panel Q&A
11.20 Cultivate Connected, Engaged, Inclusive & High-Performing Cultures Which Build Upon Allyship, Combat Unconscious Bias & Fuel Productivity
- The more inclusive your culture, the more creative, productive, and profitable the results! Uncover brand new and refreshed strategies to promote a highly-collaborative and supportive environments where employees feel connected, understood, and valued
- Tackling culture change needs agile and strategic processes in place: explore how existing systems and ways of working can be adapted to reinforce a positive culture that is inclusive and authentic
- The most important part of achieving inclusive cultures is creating a safe space where employees are able to speak up and be heard… so how are you making sure you’re promoting allyship and allowing employees to bring their truest and best selves to work?
- You’ve determined the policies of your new initiatives, but changing cultures is the tricky part… minimise conflicts, create allies, and encourage employee advocates for long-lasting culture change which secures high engagement and increases productivity
- What are the tangible indicators for a healthy workplace culture, and how can this be continuously monitored?
Shabiya Younus-Titsing, Chief of Staff Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Adidas
Kanika Nayar, Head of Delivery & Care – Cloud & Network Services – UK&I, Nokia
Tinne Ledwitch-Madsen, Head of Employee Experience, National Express
Emma Illingworth, Head of People Transformation, OVO
Ori Chandler, Group Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Aviva
Kerry Woolford, Head of Customer Inclusion & Experience, Department For Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Mahari Hay, Director – Innovation & Transformation – Lending, Trade & Working Capital, Lloyds Banking Group
Neelu Agarwal, Head of Diversity Equity & Inclusion Prudential Regulations Authority, Bank Of England
INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE
11.50 Firmly Embed Unbiased & Inclusive Language Into Your Organisational DNA To Drive Long-Lasting Change, Cultivate A Sense Of Belonging Amongst All Employees & Demonstrate Your Continued Commitment To Furthering DEI Initiatives
- Challenge the everyday use of language to call out exclusionary and gender-bias language in day-to-day communication to demonstrate genuine respect for the diverse backgrounds and experiences of all employees
- The use of inclusive language signals so much more than words, it signals a safe space: integrate inclusive language consistently across your organisation to create an environment where everyone feels valued and included
- Review existing recruitment processes and reconsider how inclusive language can be used to attract a diverse range of talent to secure a diversity of thought and drive innovation
Susanne Grahn, Head of HR, Specsavers
EMPLOYEE MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING
12.10 Continue To Prioritise Employee Mental Health & Wellbeing, Nurture An Open & Authentic Dialogue & Drive Awareness To Remove Stigmas With Practical & Proactive Strategies
- Continually review new and existing wellbeing programmes and consider how they can be updated, amended, or improved to recognise mental health struggles amongst teams and effectively support staff
- The invisibility of mental illness means anyone could be struggling, so what can managers be doing to build on employee confidence and trust, and provide them with a safe place to have open conversations about mental health?
- What systems, processes, and tools can be put in place to equip your senior leadership team with the skills to support their team’s mental health and wellbeing?
- Examine how wider external events such as climate change, social injustice, and geopolitical conflict can impact employees’ mental health and wellbeing: what can your organisation be doing to make staff feel supported in time of uncertainty and disruption?
Sabah Holmes, Head of Profession (EDI), Brighton & Hove City Council
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
Double Perspective
12.30 The Biggest Catalyst Of Diversity & Inclusion Is Feeling Empowered & Having A Safe Space To Speak Up: Establish Healthy Workplace Cultures Which Allow & Encourage Employees To Be Their Authentic Selves At Work
- Strengthen employee trust by enhancing existing staff networks and creating new safe spaces where staff feel secure in making mistakes, knowing that the right support and guidance will be readily available
- Reconsider the use of inclusive language, inclusive feedback, and recruitment processes as drivers of psychological safety: how can these be strengthened to make staff feel safer?
- Tackle the challenges presented to underrepresented groups by fostering an inclusive culture that enables every individual to bring their whole self to work
- Discover how to create a workplace where all staff feel empowered to take risks, embrace failure and perceive it as a critical learning opportunity
12.30 Perspective 1:
Butch Fazal, Coach Inclusion & Diversity Lead For The Pro Game, Football Association England
12.50 Perspective 2:
Kate O’Hara, Acting Director, HR Service, Estée Lauder Companies
13.10 Bonus Session Reserved For ENEI
Sandi Wassmer, CEO, Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (enei)
13.25 Lunch & Informal Networking For Speakers, Delegates & Partners
14.00 Informal Breakout Discussions In The Networking Room
a) Disability Inclusion
b) AI & Tech
c) Socioeconomic Inclusion
d) Gender Inequalities
e) Digital Inclusion
f) Laws & Legislation
14.25 Afternoon Co-Chairs’ Opening Remarks
Patrick Ismond, Head of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, RSPCA
Jemima Bradbury-Wade, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, PepsiCo
DATA COLLECTION & REPRESENTATION
14.35 Continue To Effectively Monitor The Progress Of Your EDI Strategies By Leveraging Data Insights To Determine Your Workforce Mosaic, Ensure Meaningful Change & Improve Representation
- Maximise data collection to gain tangible insights into your workforce dynamic by pinpointing disparities and inequalities within your organisation and illuminating areas where specific groups may be underrepresented in order to drive necessary improvements
- Uncover best-practice insights to optimise engagement and foster trust to create an environment where colleagues feel safe and comfortable sharing their personal data
- Consider how to effectively collect and disclose diversity data to set clear targets and build a more transparent and inclusive workforce through security and confidentiality
Herm Trepesch, Global DE&I Director, Sanofi
SOCIOECONOMIC INCLUSION
14.55 Prioritise, Recognise & Value Diverse Socioeconomic Backgrounds With Proven & Practical Strategies Which Safeguard From Unfair Prejudices, Attract New Talent & Develop Existing Employees
- Benchmark what your business is doing to measure socioeconomic backgrounds against industry insights in order to create a workplace that embraces the talent of all its employees for a more diverse, equitable and enriched workforce
- Examine characteristics such as accent and bias related to interpretation in order to reframe exclusionary narratives, make all staff feel valued, and amplify their impact on the wider business
- Review existing talent and recruitment processes and firmly cement social mobility and socioeconomic inclusion into practices to broaden and maximise your talent pools
Cliff Sale MBE, Social Mobility Lead, HM Revenue & Customs
SPOTLIGHT SESSIONS: DISCUSS THE HOTTEST TOPICS
15.15 Let’s Get Talking! Join Your Industry Peers To Deep Dive Into Your Discussion Topic Of Choice
Race & Ethnicity
Isabella Chan, Head of EDI, University Of The Arts London
Measuring Impact & Data
Daisy O’Leary, HR Director, Yum! Brands
Generational Differences
Ari Suhasaria, Head of Accounting & Controlling, Siemens Healthineers
Women’s Health
Dommy Syzmanska-Hauxwell, Global Reward Manager, Stella McCartney
LGBTQ+
Paul Toomey, Print Production Manager & Co Chair of LGBTQ+, Sky
Allyship
Amber Sorrell, Head of DEI & Employer Brand, Haleon
15.45 Bonus Session: Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partners
16.15 Afternoon Refreshment Break With Informal Networking
INTERSECTIONALITY – ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL
Panel Q&A
16.45 Broaden The Lens Of Inclusion, Promote Intersectional Equity, Explore Your Workforce Mosaic & Champion The Differences & Complexities Of Employee’s Backgrounds To Combat Biases & Drive An Equitable Workplace
- Drive the transition from teams operating in silos to collaboratively working together, promoting the sharing of knowledge and lessons learned within teams, and enhancing comprehension of the intricate complexities within people’s workplace experiences
- Ensure those with multiple identities feel recognised and valued in the workplace by implementing inclusive policies and practices that acknowledge and celebrate the intersectionality of their identities and contribute to a more dynamic and successful organisation
- Recognise intersectionality within your business and determine how this plays out in an employee’s experience of the workplace to provide staff with a safe space and enable them to produce their best work
- What steps can be taken to meet changing workforce demands and place increased recognition and value on the multiplicity of their identities as opposed to just the singular conventional categories they typically fall under?
Annisha Taylor, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, BBC
Shivani Uberoi, EDI Education & Engagement Lead, England & Wales Cricket Board
Lorna Jones, Social Mobility Manager, Co-op
Cecile Gushemera, Diversity Officer, Barts Health NHS Trust
Jemima Bradbury-Wade, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, PepsiCo
UNBIASED RECRUITMENT & TALENT MANAGEMENT
17.15 Mitigate Hiring Biases, Diversify Workforces & Deliver Inclusive Recruitment Processes & Pipelines To Power A Culture Of Self-Development Which Attracts & Secures A Diverse Range Of Talent
- Revamp your job adverts, role profiles and recruitment processes so they are authentically inclusive to attract diverse candidates and secure the best talent!
- With retirement age increasing, what can your company do to ensure staff of all ages feel valued and supported to ensure you retain the best talent?
- Employing the best staff is only the first step, but what can your organisation be doing to create a culture of recognition and progression to improve employee satisfaction?
- Dramatically improve employee retention by creating an appropriate action plan that provides clear progression pathways and equal opportunities for employees
Natasha Whitehurst, Head of Inclusion & Diversity, Rolls Royce
EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE & DIVERSE WORKFORCES
17.35 Dynamic & Impactful Strategies To Foster An Inclusive Environment That Boosts Employee Engagement & Experiences
- Hiring a diverse workforce does not guarantee that every employee has the same experience or opportunities – investigate how your organisation can improve existing EDI strategies to positively improve employee experience
- With the exponential increase of both the popularity and capabilities AI brings, examine exactly how you can maximise AI and automation to enable more inclusive recruitment processes and secure a diverse workforce
- Evaluate and refine current EDI strategies to ensure they are agile and can adapt quickly to change to continually support your diverse and intersectional workforce
John Hopson, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager, Jaguar Land Rover
17.55 Afternoon Co-Chairs’ Closing Remarks & Official Close Of Conference
Want To Speak At The Conference?
If you would like to join our incredible speaker lineup, then please get in touch!