Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) in the Workplace
DE&I is essential to establishing and upholding a productive workplace built on the idea that everyone can succeed both personally and professionally. Bringing together people from different backgrounds generates fresh, original ideas. More crucially, a DEI strategy helps create an environment where all workers believe they are valuable because of their differences rather than in spite of them.
The ongoing mission to normalise DE&I in the boardroom
Gender, ethnic and social diversity has proven to be an important driver of a board’s effectiveness, so why is it still undervalued by so many businesses?
The need for diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the boardroom is not a new discussion. For over 2 decades, research has sought to demonstrate the business benefits of valuing gender, ethnic and social diversity in recruitment and selection processes.? The Financial Reporting Council (FRC)’s guidance on DE&I in the boardroom states that;
“diversity in board composition is an important driver of a board’s effectiveness, creating a breadth of perspective among directors and breaking down a tendency towards ‘group think’”.
Nonetheless, DE&I progress is slowing in certain industries where board diversity is seen as part of a criteria list that simply needs ‘ticking off’. But, in reality, as more partners, clients and customers pay attention to DE&I as part of businesses’ environmental, social and governance concerns, it’s more critical than ever that companies ensure that recruitment processes and boardroom cultures are meeting set, and measurable, DE&I targets.?
While acknowledging that the biggest challenges of big businesses today exist in the boardroom, IBM ’s Global Services and Alliances Lead, Sheri R. Hinish , is hopeful that goal-driven DE&I actions will continue to make change.
'In a diverse workplace where differences exist, people need support in different ways. - Sheri R. Hinish
Find out how here
埃森哲 : The accidental Supply Chain Diversity Champion
As an organisation, Accenture seeks to help build supply chains that are more inclusive and sustainable. It does so by encouraging a mindset of responsible buying, with the ultimate goal being to generate long-term value for its clients, supplier partners and communities.
Both within and outside of Accenture, one person above all others has taken on the mantle of driving performance and values around a diverse and inclusive supply chain.?
She is Nedra Dickson . A Managing Director at 埃森哲 , Dickson leads its global supplier inclusion and sustainability programmes across 22 countries. Her deep expertise in procurement transformation and supplier relationship management has seen her manage an estimated US$2bn in contingent labour spend.?
Under her leadership, and with the help of her amazing team, Dickson has elevated Accenture’s supplier diversity spend to approximately $1bn globally, and she is also credited with expanding Accenture’s award-winning Diverse Supplier Development Program (DSDP).?
The programme is currently running in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, India and Australia, and there are plans to further expand its reach.
“Responsible buying allows us to work within our ecosystem to identify, develop and work with smaller, more diverse suppliers with increased agility.?- Nedra Dickson
Read the full conversation here
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Recently we have been counting down and congratulating all those who have been featured in the 'Top 100 Leaders in Sustainability' list, whose impact we feel every day and whose work is shaping the future, and our present, as we live in it.
We look back at some of our ‘Top 100 Leaders in Sustainability’ who are strong advocates for DE&I below;
James Temple, FEA , Chief Sustainability Officer, 普华永道
As 普华永道 Canada's Chief Sustainability Officer, James leads a team that helps PwC build trust with stakeholders while delivering on the firm's ESG commitments aligned to the firm's purpose.?
For over 15 years, James has shaped corporate sustainability functions within the financial services, energy and not-for-profit sectors, living his values as a proud and out member of the LGBTQ+ community, and an advocate for diversity, inclusion, equity as well as provoking a sense of belonging in the workplace.?
Musidora Jorgensen ?- Chief Sustainability Officer, 微软
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The CSO at Microsoft is the mum of three daughters and explains this has pushed her to become an Equality and Diversity ally. She is also particularly passionate about supporting more women in the STEM industries. At Salesforce , she was one of the UK leadership team on the company’s internal working group focused on more inclusive hiring and was an ally and speaker for the Salesforce Women’s Network.?
Jorgensen has also spoken on gender diversity as a keynote speaker at the Women in Sales Conference, at the 普华永道 Women’s Network, and at the House of Commons as part of the Gamechangers Women’s Network. She also volunteers as a mentor to final-year STEM students at the University of Greenwich .
Paulette Frank , Chief Sustainability Officer, 强生公司
Over the past 30 years, Frank has held various positions in the fields of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) and Sustainability that have taken her from the field to the boardroom. Frank joined Johnson & Johnson in 1997 and previously served as Vice President, Global Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability.?
Currently, the CSO at 强生公司 Paulette co-chairs its Enterprise Governance Council and Supply Chain Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Frank also serves as an Advisory Board member (and previous co-chair) for the Centre for Business and Environment at Yale (CBEY).
Abigail Lovell , ?Chief Sustainability Officer, Experian
From the 美国科罗拉多大学博尔德分校 to acquiring 25+ years of experience at Experian credit experts. Driven by great leadership, Lovell manages the sustainability of the business as its CSO, based in California, US. She’s also an advocate of diversity, sharing her?sentiments towards inclusivity, such as women in business and appointment of all groups in leadership roles.
LeAnn Ridgeway, Owner, Ridgeway Consulting, LLC , Vice President, Sustainability, Collins Aerospace
With a long history of roles, a key theme stands out. Technical. As Ridgeway navigates the technical environment with Raytheon Technologies, she is involved in the sustainability affairs concerning Collins Aerospace in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the CSO, she is passionate about developing diversity within the organisation, building high-performance teams.?
Siobhan Toohill , Chief Sustainability Officer, Westpac
Since 2005, Siobhan has worked in corporate sustainability among large companies to tailor their approaches to the climate crisis as well as social impacts of their businesses. Her experience comes from working in various positions, incorporating biodiversity, human rights, indigenous affairs, diversity, green building and urban design to name a few.
Read the complete list here
Top 10: Ways to Improve Workplace D,E&I
Diversity, equity and inclusion (D,E&I) sums up a major area for consideration among organisations. Businesses are faced with new challenges when it comes to incorporating this?into their teams, and human resources processes for employee retention.?
As a result of workplace culture shifts, companies are looking to become more diverse and leverage the abilities of their employees to spark ideas and growth. So, for them, D,E&I is a huge part of their daily working lives. Here are some of the ways in which firms can improve the workplace.
Businesses are seeing the value of their employees, but some lack the initiatives that encourage D,E&I in the workplace, so here are 10 ways to do so here
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Sustainability LIVE February 2022
We were joined by Wineke Ploos van Amstel - Haagsma the Director of Corporate Responsibility from 普华永道 and Beth Morgan , Founder & CEO at boom! Global Network at our Sustainability LIVE London event on the 24th of February where they sat down and discussed the topic "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion".
During the panel discussion the two spoke about how they experienced diversity issues and what lessons they learnt from this along with the how the power of an inclusive vision is used to achieving ambitious cooperate targets in a world that is never moving faster and what that means to them and much more!
Check out the full panel discussion below.
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Founder & CEO at boom! – The Global Community for Women in Supply Chain | Trustee & Vice Chair at The Ashdown Forest Foundation
2 年Thanks for sharing! Tagging the correct link for boom! Global Network! ??