Tuesday 22 October
15.00-17.30 (please note new timings).
Fellows’ Auditorium, Homerton College
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED, BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO ATTEND PLEASE EMAIL: changemakers@homerton.cam.ac.uk
A panel discussion in collaboration with Homerton Changemakers, Homerton College, University of Cambridge and Black Talent and Leadership in STEM (as part of the celebration for the Black History Month 2024)
This event is free to attend and is open to all!
Speakers include:
- Lord Simon Woolley of Woodford, Principal, Homerton College
- Olu Orugboh, Black Talent & Leadership CEO & Co-Founder, and Chair of Cambridge Wireless
- Tilly Harries, Director for Employment Law & HR, PwC
- Yemi Jackson, Founder & CEO, Engage Transform
- Pedro Gil, Founder & Director, Studio Gil
- Ed Kirby, Senior Manager, Talent, Experience, Engagement, ARM
- Jesimiel Akinsuyi, Youth Advisory Council
- Ayoife Dada, Youth Advisory Council
- Mari-Anne Chiromo, External Partnerships, DEI Lead, EMEA, Apple
Please click here for the Agenda
Background
As companies consider their diversity and inclusion efforts in the face of a growing culture war, it is important to reflect on what is at stake.
The phrase “stay woke”, which angers some in politics and the media, originated in the African American community as a reminder to be alert to discrimination and social injustice.
Anecdotally, DEI appears to be getting increasingly less popular with Black and Asian workers, not because there is much disagreement over the need for diversity, equity or inclusion, but rather because DEI is increasingly seen in terms of performative low-impact initiatives at odds with the lived reality at work for those workers.
The notion of the need to persuade businesses that diversity is advantageous for them and society contrasts with the view that says business is quite capable of understanding the benefits of diversity and that labouring on gentle persuasion detracts attention away from issues of regulation, auditing and fines on one side, and the need for greater worker power to demand change through activities such as bargaining for racial justice at work, on the other.
These challenges remain very real for minority groups and women in every part of the world. And with growing accusations of “woke capitalism in some quarters, business leaders cannot afford not to take these issues seriously.
Amid intensifying competition for talent in major industries and severe issues relating to the talent skills gap, companies that fail to build a diverse and inclusive culture will be putting themselves at a serious disadvantage, as well as missing an opportunity to contribute to positive social change.
Those that fail to do so risk being rejected by those they try to hire, with young graduates increasingly prioritising diversity and inclusion at the companies they consider working for.
Investors, too, are putting growing pressure on the companies they invest in to have serious strategies on these issues. And with disclosure regulations driving increased transparency, they have an expanding amount of information to work with.
Senior leaders are struggling with how to tackle these challenges. Even as these subjects have surged up the corporate agenda, it remains unclear to many what is best practice and specifically, what a really effective business approach to diversity, equity and inclusion looks like.
Join our distinguished panellists to discuss some of these issues and gain a practical insight into the options available to business leaders as they strive to build a diverse and equitable workplace.
Source: Rescuing Diversity from the DEI Backlash, Financial Times
