Accelerate Action, Power Impact & Drive Real Results With Refreshed, Proactive & Practical Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategies
Champion Belonging, Celebrate Awareness & Power Momentum With Inclusive Cultures, Refreshed Recruitment Strategies, Critical Mental Health & Financial Wellbeing Support, Leadership Champions, Data-Driven Diversity, Neurodiverse, Socioeconomic & Ethnicity Strategies & Effective Hybrid Working Policies For A Lasting Competitive Edge
20th April 2023, The Cavendish Conference Centre, central London
08.30 Registration, Informal Networking & GIC Welcome
09.00 Morning Co-Chairs’ Opening Remarks
DIVERSE, EQUITABLE & INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP
Inspire & Influence Champions
09.10 Lead With Empathy, Lead By Example & Lead With Change! Continuously Develop Your Senior Leadership Team For Pioneering EDI Approaches That Meaningfully Support Your Organisation’s Values & Missions
- Develop initiatives that encourage and engage managers and directors to enforce business wide-change and deliver EDI promises while reducing the risk of tokenism
- Prove the value of your diversity and inclusion initiatives and programmes to secure long-term buy-in, support and investment as you solidify EDI as a critical part of the overall business strategy
- Uncover ways to create tailored leadership pathways which promote and retain diverse talent to propel the EDI agenda forward
- Centre D&I strategies into wider business strategies by equipping leaders with appropriate training tools to nurture the best talent, increase employee engagement and willingness to learn for organisational success and profitability
Parul Pandey, Group Director Talent Learning & Diversity, Oxford University Press
TRANSFORM INCLUSIVE CULTURES
Panel
Q&A
9.30 Embed Authentically Inclusive Cultures Into Your Organisation’s Values & Purpose To Effectively Advance Support & Engage Employees & Foster A True Sense Of Belonging In The Workplace
- Inclusive cultures are changing the landscape of diversity! Uncover new and refreshed strategies to cultivate a highly collaborative and supportive environment where staff feel connected, understood and valued
- Determine how staff can work closer with leaders to identify gaps in your culture strategies where bias or privilege creeps in for inclusive decision-making that improves the wider business
- Adapt communications, utilise support networks, combat unconscious bias and build a community where all teams feel welcomed and respected with a psychologically safe and inclusive working environment
- Demonstrate the benefits of publishing action plans which promote an inclusive culture at a micro and macro level to encourage higher levels of productivity and positivity amongst your workforce
Karen Pearce, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (People), The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Catherine Rutter, Director Group Customer Inclusion, Lloyds Banking Group
Nelson Derry, Global Head of Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Author of ‘Rise of the 2020 Leader, Aēsop
Mabinty Esho, Senior Equality Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Comic Relief
Becky Wender, Global Head of Culture, Talent & Learning, Avon
Colin Clements, Senior Planning Manager & D&I Lead, Coventry Building Society
MEASUREMENT & IMPACT
Meaningful EDI Change
Data-Driven
10.00 Demonstrate An Authentic Commitment To Your People By Maximising Data & Insights To Drive Inclusive Change & Publish Clear, Transparent, Measurable Goals That Will Advance Your EDI Agenda & Evidence Real Impact
- Continually monitor the progress and feedback of your EDI journey and targets to publish the action being taken and improvement plans developed which promote equality and inclusion within your organisation
- Health check and benchmark: with so much sensitivity around data collection, how can you ensure your surveys are anonymously reaching and including all groups for fair representation in your data collection to drive meaningful change?
- Interrogate and evaluate your compiled data in order to set measurable targets which allows staff to access the same level of success and benefits and have equal opportunities regardless of demographic or characteristic
- What does a fair and reasonable adjustment policy look like? Build confidence in your workforce by using measurement tools and metrics to adapt performance targets that truly reflect your diverse workforce mosaic
Kalaiyashni Puvanendran, Diversity & Inclusion Programme Delivery Partner, ITV
10.20 Beyond “Drag Race” – Despite Glitzy Media Portrayals, We’ll Explore The Harsh Reality Of What It’s Really Like To Be Queer In The Workplace Today
Katya Veleva, Change-Maker, Utopia
Adrienne Milner, Research & Insight Director, Utopia
10.40 Morning Refreshment Break With Informal Networking
11.10 Introducing AXS: An Anticipatory Welcome in Action
Atif Choudhury, CEO and Co-Founder, Diversity and Ability
UNBIASED RECRUITMENT & TALENT
Fresh Initiatives
11.25 Attract, Retain & Develop Top Talent With Diverse, Unbiased & Inclusive Talent Pipelines & Recruitment Strategies & Equal Career Progression Programmes
- Focus on attracting top talent and providing alternative pathways into careers to diversify access to your organisation and create an open and welcoming culture
- Eliminate bias and unconscious bias from hiring managers and expand your talent pools to better serve a diverse range of potential candidates
- Examine your colleague lifecycle post-hire to retain talent with clear progression pathways and equal opportunities for all
- Boost recruitment strategies and attract new, diverse talent for a lasting competitive edge by embedding an inclusive culture early into business models
- Benchmark progress that has already been made in your organisation to constructively review recruitment processes and adapt and amend strategies to really drive equitable and fair recruitment across the board
Monira Ahmed Chowdhury, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, North Bristol NHS Trust
NEURODIVERSITY
New For 2023
11.45 Empower & Support Neurodiversity In The Workplace With Flexible Working Environments Which Encourage Creativity, Push Innovation & Progression For A Real Competitive Edge
- How can organisations do more to attract neurodiverse? What roles should be considered, and what adjustments to recruitment processes are needed to have effective, organisational-wide impact?
- With business’ focus increasingly pushing digital, how can organisations ensure those with neurodiverse needs are supported with the skillsets and tools to thrive?
- Discover ground-breaking insights which bust myths and assumptions around neurodivergent employees and explore expert tips to support employees with effective strategies
Danielle Cudjoe-Michalski, Associate Director Project Manager & Neurodiversity Network Lead, GSK
HYBRID WORKFORCES
Panel
Q&A
Reset & Refresh
12.25 Reignite Engagement By Transforming Your Strategies & Elevating Hybrid Employee Experiences With A Strong EDI Culture To Drive Performance & Profitability
- Refresh your D&I programmes! Ensure EDI remains a high priority throughout the employee life cycle to create an energised and motivated work environment in and out of the office
- Cultivate a hybrid workplace which welcomes and encourages diverse viewpoints so employees feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work, whether that is online or in person
- Which priorities should HR focus on to accommodate diverse needs in remote settings? How can HR open dialogues with leaders to implement new D&I practices remotely?
- Review hiring strategies, business approaches and hybrid working patterns to embed diversity and inclusion as key pillars of your organisation’s culture and values and unlock your employees’ full potential
- Incorporate new policies around flexible working for the evolving workforce which provide unrestricted development opportunities for all
Lucile Kamar, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, ITN
13.10 Lunch & Informal Networking For Speakers, Delegates & Partners
13.40 Informal Workshop-Led Discussions
- Menopause: Natasha Whitehurst, Global Inclusion & Diversity Lead, Rolls-Royce
- Age
- Disability
- Accessibility
- Allyship
14.10 Afternoon Chair’s Opening Remarks
Theresa Palmer, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, BAE Systems
Richard Blackmore he/him, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, BAE Systems
14.10 Employer Branding – The importance of lived experiences and authentic storytelling.
Devin Andres Ibanez – he/him, Customer Success Manager & The first ever openly gay Major League Rugby player, myGwork
Harriet Lunney – she/her/hers, Senior Customer Success Manager, myGwork
14.30 LGBT + Inclusion Interactive Group Discussions
TJ Richards, Unity Place Outreach & Engagement Manager, Santander UK
ETHNICITY & RACE
Authentic Allyship
14.50 Promote A Culture Of Growth, Tackle Inequalities & Translate Constructive Conversations Into Real Action By Leading Demonstrable Change On Ethnicity & Race Inclusivity In The Workplace
- What processes, policies and systems can tackle microaggressions and unconscious bias effectively in your workplace?
- Unearth practical and actionable insights to pinpoint and determine the next steps to take to further advance your organisation’s ethnicity and race inclusivity journey
- Ensure you are attracting, recruiting and retaining candidates from disadvantaged socioeconomic and ethnic minority backgrounds by broadening selection criteria and training hiring managers to think differently
Hasan M Reza, Head of Workforce Equity, Diversity & Inclusion & Chair of Mission Remission, Kent Community NHS Health Foundation
FINANCIAL WELLBEING
Cost Of Living Crisis & Support
15.10 Protect, Train & Equip Employees With Bespoke Financial Wellbeing Programmes & Initiatives & The Right Support & Resources That Truly Matter To Employees Today
- With the rising fear and concerns of the cost-of-living crisis, what support and guidance can your organisation offer to employees to alleviate anxieties and reduce stress?
- Regardless of your employees’ individual situations, invest time and effort in understanding their financial needs to provide policies, opportunities and rewards that best supports them
- Build an inclusive approach to your financial wellbeing strategies by offering a range of tools to develop your workforce’s own financial knowledge that will motivate and prepare them for their future
Sally Camm, Head of Culture & DEI, Experian
MENTAL HEALTH
15.30 Practical & Proactive Strategies Which Emphasise The Importance Of Mental Health & Wellbeing As A Business Priority, Eliminates The Burnout Culture, Removes Stigmas & Taboos & Boosts Employee Productivity & Performance
- Implement policies which promote and support good mental health in your workforce that feel personal to individual employee needs for increased levels of retention, engagement and satisfaction
- Demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to positive mental health by creating psychologically safe spaces which encourage open and honest conversations with staff so that everybody feels heard and is able to ask for support when needed
- How should organisations be equipping senior staff and leadership with the tools, knowledge, training, and resources to effectively support their team members’ mental health and wellbeing?
- Pinpoint exactly what your employees expect from their organisation today, and what strategies should be in place to prioritise mental health and wellbeing in the workplace
SOCIOECONOMIC INCLUSION
Case Study
16.40 Responsibly Prioritise & Implement New Initiatives Which Welcome & Incorporate A Workforce That Recognises & Values A Diverse Range Of Socioeconomic Backgrounds Especially In Times Of Uncertainty & Change
- Adopt new and refreshed strategies which support employees during the cost-of-living crisis with a particular emphasis on social mobility and inclusivity and safeguard them from unfair prejudices as a result of their socioeconomic backgrounds
- Uncover practical ways to design and develop upskilling and progression programmes which resonate with your workforce for improved social mobility
- Become more socially-inclusive by identifying your high performers who come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and invest in their career development to retain diverse talent and amplify their impact on the wider business
PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS
17.00 Encourage Fair Practices & Behaviours In The Workplace Which Actively Aim To Eliminate Discrimination & Achieve Equal & Consistent Treatment Of Workers
- Examine the importance of holding focus groups with employees with protected characteristics to see how they’re going to be impacted in terms of inclusion and diversity and appropriately and effectively respond to their needs
- Design a diversity and inclusion plan which specifies and outlines the different characteristics protected in your workplace to ensure those that are more vulnerable are supported
- Continually assess how a change to a policy or process in the business will impact people with protected characteristics for minimal disruption and maximum productivity
INTERSECTIONALITY
Panel
Q&A
New Cross-Sector Insights!
17.20 Foster A Genuinely Open & Supportive Culture By Broadening The Lens Of Inclusion & Prioritising & Promoting Staff Networks & Intersectional Equity & Inclusion To Combat Discrimination
- Embrace the power of staff networks for inclusive representation amongst the workforce and equality within promotions to combat discrimination in your organisation
- Establish the importance of investing in employee resource groups, and how social platforms and apps can support intersectional inclusion effectively
- Go beyond the surface to really understand employee expectations and experiences in order to support employees’ demands and provide them with the tools to be successful in your organisation
17.50 Afternoon Chair’s Closing Remarks & Official Close of Conference