Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month

Niki, what’s your role today and how long have you been at NewDay?

I am Head of Strategy Implementation, which basically means I lead the team that looks after anything Decision Systems related within NewDay.

I will have been at NewDay for 5 years in early March.

Have you seen many changes since joining us?

I have seen a lot of changes in NewDay in the last 5 years, the biggest one affecting my team has been moving away from outsourced customer journeys to bringing in as much of that tech in-house. This shows great innovation and capability on NewDay’s part, something we can all be proud of. Culturally, I have seen a lot more focus on diversity and inclusion since joining NewDay, which is great. It really feels like we embrace everyone’s uniqueness here.

What’s your biggest work highlight so far?

I have had so many, this is a hard choice. From a leadership perspective, it has to be all the times I have been able to help my team members develop and achieve their career goals. From a delivery perspective, I think the biggest highlight was when NewDay delivered NODE (our in-house acquisitions platform). This was a massive project that all teams put their heart and soul into, collaborating extremely well and all with the backdrop of Covid; going live with that was a great feeling.

Why is LGBTQ+ History month important to you?

LGBTQ+ History month is massively important to me as it gives us all a chance to reflect on the struggles people have gone to in order for the lives of LGBTQ+ people in the UK to be easier. A lot of people put their lives at risk as well as isolated themselves from family in order to fight so that we could enjoy the rights we have today. Unfortunately, this is not the case everywhere; in some countries being LGBTQ+ is punishable by death or lengthy, so it is also a time when I reflect on how much there is still to do and find ways in which I can help.

In February, our Inclusion Network team celebrates LGBTQ+ History month. The theme for 2023 is ‘Behind the lens’ – this is linked to how LGBTQ+ lives are portrayed in the media, versus lived experience. Do you have any favourite depictions of LGBTQ+ life in film or TV?

I think my favourite depictions of LGBTQ+ life are the ones where their identification isn’t the focus of their character or the plot. Cheesy as it may be Coronation Street have done well in this respect for years, they had a Trans character where her story started about that but then it became an after-thought, they have also had a plethora of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters where the majority of their storylines are focused on other elements of their lives.

In terms of movies, I have a soft-spot for But I’m a Cheerleader, which is a tongue-in-cheek comedy take on the very serious topic of conversion therapy. It is a very cleverly written movie that makes it clear how absurd the concept of being able to convert someone’s sexuality is.

We want everyone at NewDay to feel that they belong here, because being yourself makes it easier to do brilliant work. What does ‘Be Yourself’ mean to you?

To me, this means not having to hide who you are to get by. Every LGBTQ+ person will be familiar with the sense of dread or hesitation each time you have to “come out” (which is a never-ending process). However, it is a tiring process and hiding any part of yourself takes a lot of brain-power, which in a work setting could be used for so many more amazing things.

There is a lot of research going on that proves more inclusive work cultures breed more innovation and output. This can in-part be due to people not having to censor themselves, so they can focus less on omitting certain aspects of their lives when making small-talk and more on producing brilliant work.

One thing I will say though, is that I have always felt able to be myself at NewDay. It is one of the places I have actually felt most comfortable and I hope that others feel the same way.

Any top tips for someone joining NewDay?

Without sounding corny, just be yourself. We have such a great and diverse team here at NewDay, you are sure to fit in!