5th Floor
Edinburgh House
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t. 020 7631 0031
f. 020 7631 0076
Realising the Benefits of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
Creating an inclusive culture that drives performance and fosters engagement
Panel Discussion - 15th January 2008, 6.00pm, BAFTA, London
Overview
Successful diversity and equality strategies no longer take compliance as the starting point, and for leading HR Directors the discussion is no longer about identifying “the real benefits” of a diverse corporate culture. It is about HOW to realise these business benefits by developing an inclusive organisational culture that celebrates difference, allowing the unique skills and qualities of each individual to flourish – and positively impacts on the bottom line.
This discussion will focus on how leading organisations are changing their culture by being more inclusive in terms of age, race, gender, religion and culture. You will discover how others approach diversity, equality and inclusion, which strategies deliver bottom line results, and how they measure the progress towards realising these benefits. The emphasis will be on HOW as well as why.
Our panel of experts, drawn from a diverse range of organisations, will present the practical challenges that they have faced embedding a high performance culture that welcomes and celebrates diversity. Following the brief presentations, the audience then joins the discussion through a facilitated Q&A session which is followed by drinks, canapés and an opportunity to network with other HR Directors.
Topics to be discussed include:
Beyond the compliance ‘numbers game’ – how to embed a culture of inclusivity
Measuring the process of change towards a truly diverse culture
Generational Diversity - how to realise the benefits of an age diverse workforce
What will be the implications of a single commission – the CEHR?
Should diversity be the sole responsibility of HR?
Panellists:
Martin Tiplady, Director of Human Resources, Metropolitan Police Service
Martin Tiplady was appointed Director of Human Resources of the Metropolitan Police Service in December 2001. Prior to that, he was Group Head of HR at The Berkeley Group plc, Director of HR at Westminster Health Care Holdings Plc and Director of Personnel for The Housing Corporation. He is the Deputy Chair of the ACPO Workforce Modernisation and Development portfolio and is a member of various HR think tanks and review bodies. In November 2004, he was named ‘Personnel Director of the Year’ by The Daily Telegraph. He is regularly named by the HR press as one of the most influential people in Human Resources.
Carol Bernard, Group Director Corporate Management, Commission for Equality & Human Rights
Prior to joining the CEHR, Carol was the Chief Executive of Centrex, the Central Police Training and Development Authority, where she was responsible for merging the organisation into the National Policing Improvement Agency and then designing its reform programme for equality, diversity and human rights. Carol previously headed up the National Offender Management Service in Wales. Before that, Carol was employed by the National Probation Service, where she worked her way up to become the first female black Chief Probation Officer and a member of the Board. Carol is a qualified social worker and Human Resources professional and has a degree in Applied Social Studies, an MA in Social Policy and an MBA.
Louella Eastman, Group CSR Director, Aviva Plc
In Louella’s new role, she is accountable for implementation of vision and strategy for Aviva’s CSR programme. Previous to this she was Group Diversity Director and her recent accomplishments include the development and implementation of a global survey and the Think Again Diversity campaign which won the City Award from Opportunity Now. Prior to this, she was Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Communications for Aviva Canada. Louella was responsible for championing the re-brand to Aviva: harmonizing human resources and communications strategies, she worked on building a great new culture to make Aviva the employer of choice in its industry in Canada. Her earlier career includes senior HR roles at Northern Telecom and Connaught Laboratories, and eight years as VP, Human Resources at Johnson & Johnson.
John Sequeira, Senior Diversity & Inclusiveness Advisor, Shell
John is currently Senior Advisor within Shell’s Global Diversity & Inclusiveness Consultancy Practice, where he serves as a catalyst for change by integrating D&I into Shell’s global business and people strategies. Over the course of his career, John has held various Human Resources generalist and managerial roles across most of Shell’s business segments. He has previously served as the membership chair of the Conference Board Diversity Council, was a charter member of the Business Women’s Network Diversity Best Practices Council, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Hispanic Corporate Council.
Caroline Waters, Director of People & Policy, BT Group Plc
Caroline’s role focuses on creating tomorrow’s customers and employees, revenue generation through empowered people and BT’s inclusivity strategy, as well as ensuring that BT’s people policies underpin these strategic drivers. Her policy responsibilities include HR process design and re-engineering for employment and equality and diversity. In April 2007 Caroline created BT’s Diversity and Inclusion Centre of Expertise which builds on BT’s leadership in diversity policy to enhance implementation of diversity practice throughout BT’s operations. Caroline has previously held roles as Director People Networks, Director of Employment Policy, HR Strategic Partner for the BT Group, HR Manager BT Europe and Director HR Programmes and HQ Services. She is a Director and Trustee of the Employers’ Forum on Age.
Chaired by: Gary Browning, Chief Executive, Penna
Gary Browning joined Penna in 2002 and was appointed Chief Executive in 2005. Gary's earlier career included 12 years with the WPP Group where, from 1997 to 2002, he was Group Managing Director of BDG McColl Ltd, a brand communications consultancy employing 200 people.
Gary sits on the Investor’s in People UK Human Capital Management standards group Board. He has run recruitment businesses and consults on a wide array of talent management issues with particular interest areas in Engagement strategies, leadership development and HR Due Diligence. He coaches and mentors senior executives with a particular emphasis on improving performance and leadership competence.
Gary is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and qualified with KPMG having studied for his degree at Warwick University.
