Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To begin, I want to acknowledge that we — as an industry and as a company — have a lot more work to do in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion.?

Over the years, I've assumed that because of our people's passion and the initiatives we've launched, we're doing better and making real progress. I was incorrect. Extremely incorrect.?

We at the organisation expressed our support for the Womenomics movement in October 2020. I've heard from numerous friends and colleagues since then. If there was one common refrain, it was this: It is not about what you say. It's all about your actions. And, while many people pressed me to make additional statements, I felt it was far more critical to establish concrete actions. We were not keeping our mouths shut. We were taking the time internally to develop a long-term strategy that would disrupt internal and external systems of power and privilege.?

These six commitments, each of which is accountable to an executive leadership team member, are how we will accomplish it.?

01. We will make our diversity statistics publicly available.?

To track our progress, we will collect additional data and report on our progress annually. This will begin with our council leaders and expand over time through our incubation and accelerator programmes, as well as through SDGs Global Impact Startups, Brand10000SMEs, and Brand10000WIB events. From October 2021, our diversity statistics will be available on our website.?

02. We will empower 10,000 CEOs from diverse backgrounds.?

Each year, our mentorship-based accelerators will accept over 500 startups. These programmes assist startups in overcoming three critical barriers: education, network, and capital. By 2026, we intend to have at least 10,000 diverse CEOs pass through our accelerators. Diverse communities include people of colour, women, LGBTQ+, disabled people, historically marginalised communities, indigenous people, and military veterans.?

This will be accomplished by expanding our sourcing and recruitment efforts beyond our current network, streamlining our application and selection processes, and tracking and publicly reporting our progress.?

03. We will appoint a person of colour to our open executive board seat.?

We recognise the importance of adding new voices and perspectives at the highest levels of our organisation. A seat on the executive board will serve as a starting point. We anticipate completion by the end of 2021, if not sooner.?

04. We will commit to building a leadership and management team that reflects the world's diversity.?

We recognise that Managing Directors in our incubation and accelerator programmes, as well as managers throughout the organisation, have a significant impact on who we are — as a company, a network, and a community. We are committed to having a diverse leadership and management team that reflects the communities in which we operate. We will track and publish our progress on a minimum annual basis.?

05. We will establish Empowerment Fund.?

Our council leaders are committed to improving, and we want to assist them in their efforts. We will establish an internal programme that enables leaders to promote the "Empowerment Fund" to deserving causes that address racial injustice and promote global diversity.?

06. We will enhance the policies and practises of council leaders.?

We will continue to invest in leadership development at a minimum of once a year, have an external organisation audit us to ensure we maintain equitable pay practises, and work with us to clearly define what success looks like for all of our team members to ensure fair performance evaluation and career advancement. Additionally, we will improve our practises for inclusive sourcing, provide inclusive leadership training to all of our managers, and provide our staff with extensive resources on allyship and anti-racism.?

This is not the extent of our efforts. This is only the beginning. We are on a mission to effect lasting positive change and recognise that additional opportunities will present themselves in the future. We are already working on several significant initiatives.?

Allow me to conclude by expressing my gratitude to the numerous friends and colleagues who shared their stories and perspectives with me. I am fully aware that this is only the beginning. It will not be quick or easy, nor will it be devoid of introspection and difficulty. However, nothing worthwhile is ever easy.