Diverse & Inclusive Leaders

Melanie RichardsLeila is joined by Melanie Richards – Deputy Chair at KPMG UK, founding member of the 30% Club’s Steering Committee and member of the Hampton-Alexander Review Steering Committee. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Melanie’s journey at KPMG since initially joining the organization in 2000· Her experiences around gender diversity earlier in her career, when she was often either the only woman in the room or very much in the minority· Making career opportunities more accessible for those who follow different career paths from ‘the norm’ and/or come from diverse backgrounds· Whether quotas/targets should be used to ensure further progression in diversity within companies RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-richards-62833412/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Richard BandellLeila is joined by Richard Bandell – Non-Executive Director/Chairman at various businesses.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· The challenges of remote working in terms of his professional relationships and sufficient contact with the people that he is managing· “I just fell into work and loved work”: how Richard came from a blue-collar/working-class background and entered a career in the professional services sector, eventually working his way up to board level· The increased number of opportunities that introverts now find themselves being presented with· How Richard has dealt with his own mental health battles RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/richardbandell/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Fiona Ibáñez-LeachLeila is joined by Fiona Ibáñez-Leach - Head of Diversity & Inclusion, International Markets at Walgreen Boots Alliance.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·  How Fiona has been coping with the impact of Covid-19 on her work from a personal basis·  The higher level of focus on the inclusion element internally at WBA as a result of COVID-19· Fiona’s career to date, which has led her from working in account management earlier in her career and how she has subsequently found herself focusing on Diversity & Inclusion· How best to encourage wider business buy-in and support to D&I initiativesRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/fil12/ Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Pierre Le ManhLeila is joined by Pierre Le Manh – CEO North America & Global Deputy CEO at Ipsos.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Pierre’s career journey to date, which has taken him from working for the French government to international blue chip organisations such as Accenture and Ipsos· What the future holds for business and society more generally after COVID-19· The importance of remembering to take the time to pause and reflect on your achievements· Pierre’s views on how best to improve minority/gender diversity and representation at senior level based on the French market RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-le-manh-3a4158/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Leila is joined by Stefan Betancourt, Electrical Technician at the Royal Air Force and Tanya Miller, Logistics Air & Ground Steward Corporal at the Royal Air ForceIN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT- The topic of diversity, inclusion and belonging within the context of the RAF and how this has changed over the years- Stefan and Tanya's unique stories and experiences as ethnic minorities working within the RAF- The work being done to continue to encourage BAME representation in the militaryContinue the conversation on LinkedIn

Gavin LewisLeila is joined by Gavin Lewis - Managing Director at BlackRock and Co-founder of #talkaboutblack .IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Gavin’s experience growing up as a young black male in a gentrified environment in the Tottenham area of London· The ‘Talk About Black’ campaign which Gavin has been leading in order to address the relative rarity of people from an ethnic background within the investment industry, particularly at senior level· The concern that people and organisations have already moved on from their Black Lives Matter activity and conversations around race/racism· The ‘Race at Work’ charter, which has been designed to encourage signatories to adopt BAME recruitment/retention targets over the next 5 yearsRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-lewis-19b0664/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Shane FarrellLeila is joined by Shane Farrell – CEO Europe at Ipsos.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· The impact of Coronavirus on Ipsos’ market research projects· How Shane fell into market research by chance· Shane’s move to Russia, which eventually led to him starting his own business and then eventually selling this to Ipsos· “The most important thing is whether you can perform or not”: Shane’s belief that gender and nationality are now being used less often as selection/discrimination factors for roles, which in his view is a good thingRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-farrell-a3220a9/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Stefaan Van DyckLeila is joined by Stefaan Van Dyck - President & CEO Animal Nutrition & Health EMENA at Kemin Industries.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Stefaan’s career journey to date, having spent his whole career at Kemin and watched the organization grow around him from an SME initially to a much larger organization while also progressing his own career in a similar manner, initially within the R&D function before moving into general management· The importance of maintaining genuine interest in order to avoid faking it· How best to handle work-life balance while also working your way up the career ladder to Stefaan’s level· The realities of business travel compared to the more widely held romantic view of it RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/stevady/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Suzie WelchLeila is joined by Suzie Welch - Group Chief People Officer at ODEON Cinemas Group.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Suzie’s career in hospitality has evolved to date after initially wanting to work in theatre, going from operations to HR as well as moving between restaurants and cinemas· Odeon’s recent internal health and wellbeing work, including the UK-focused ‘Be well’ campaign and their Facebook for Work project· How Suzie has succeeded in adapting her leadership style to being an introvertRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/suzie-welch-0674b323/Captain Marvel filmInside Out filmTinkerbell (the character from Peter Pan)Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Helen Kennett  Leila is joined by Helen Kennett - Director, UK Government Relations at Rolls-Royce.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Helen’s career journey to date, having first started her career working directly for an MP in Westminister to progressing her career to the point where she has now operated at director level within Rolls-Royce for over 10 years· Turning challenges into opportunities and the importance of emotional intelligence to Helen’s work· “Don’t criticize what you don’t understand”: the open/curious and philosophical approach that Helen likes to adopt regarding business mattersRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-kennett-781a2046/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Emma MurrayLeila is joined by Emma Murray - Network & Training Manager Special Operations at Jaguar Land Rover.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT·Emma’s family background growing up with parents of mixed nationality and a sibling of mixed race and career journey so far, having gone from being very career focused to now juggling work with looking after a young daughter·Emma’s work as part of the gender equality network at Jaguar Land Rover, with a particular focus on giving women with children more flexible working/career development possibilities·Emma’s experience adapting to the “new normal” in terms of work during the COVID-19 pandemic· The need to adopt a more holistic approach to D&I in Emma’s opinionRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-murray-2524422a/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Simeon QuarrieLeila is joined by Simeon Quarrie - CEO/ Founder/Visual Storyteller at VIVIDA.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Simeon fell in love with Virtual Reality (VR) and is using it to drive change/empathy in the business world· The power of storytelling when it is used meaningfully across various media (images, videos, VR)· How best to use technology to have a positive impact, particularly in the D, I & B space· The sense of comradeship that the human race has found in the face of a common enemy such as COVID-19RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/simeonquarrie/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

David DohertyLeila is joined by David Doherty - Resourcing Manager at John Lewis Partnership.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· The emphasis that John Lewis Partnership have put on people at all levels working directly with their front-line retail staff wherever and however they can during the COVID-19 emergency· The importance of maintaining interactions between team members in order to mitigate a possible sense of isolation for them· How changing your mentality about the concept/meaning of ‘challenge’ can make it easier to create a more diverse workforceRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ddoherty11/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Philip HarmanLeila is joined by Philip Harman - Partner at DAC Beachcroft LLP.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Phil’s own individual journey and progression in the world of employment law· How he balances the intellectual and people-focused aspects of his role, particularly in board level case work· The impact of the Equality Act on employer organisations and individual employees· The key lawyer skills and attributes that are also useful to other organisations/professions in order to balance ethics and wider commerciality RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-harman-767bb92/ Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Cecelia CrossleyLeila is joined by Cecelia Crossley – Founding Director at From Babies with Love, Trustee at Duchenne UK and the Gaia Foundation.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Cecelia went from working in a more corporate structure as a chartered accountant to then moving into finance roles in the charity sector and eventually founding her own social enterprise· How From Babies with Love contributes to “gender strategy” and “working parent strategy” for their corporate clients· The interconnection between Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR) and social enterprise goals – “Every social enterprise has inclusivity at its heart”RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://frombabieswithlove.org/pages/corporatehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/from-babies-with-love-trading-ltd/https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-crossley-57682161/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Ismail Amla and Oli FreestoneLeila is joined by Ismail Amla – Chief Growth Officer at Capita and Oli Freestone – Head of Institute at Capita.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Ismail’s desire to do whatever it took to build a successful career in order that he could feel part of “Britain PLC”· The value of internal employee networking groups within organisations· The importance of pushing boundaries in D&I in order to ensure that progress is continued· How Oli often feels the need to wear different “masks” as a way for him to present himself in different situations RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ismail-amla-b981891/https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-freestone-6265293/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Leila is joined by Anand Verma - European Head of Digital Services at Infosys and Founder/CEO at Brilliant Basics.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· How Anand’s own experiences of building a start-up from scratch and having to learn everything on his own led him to found Brilliant Basics· How an internal focus on diversity across the board can lead to not only superior culture, but also stronger products/relationships with clients· How “computational design” can help larger organisations maintain a more personal, empathetic approach to employee relationships· How important it is to not forget where you came from and maintain a keen focus on employee engagement/inclusion while scaling up organisationsRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anandverma/https://www.infosys.com/https://www.brilliantbasics.com/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

Sangram VajreLeila is joined by Sangram Vajre - Chief Evangelist/Co-Founder at Terminus and #FlipMyFunnel Podcast Host.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Sangram’s passion for building communities and never standing still as an individual· Sangram’s background, from growing up as the youngest of one of 20 people living in his family’s house in India to moving to the USA for his university studies· His personal tips as a founder for scaling up smaller businesses· How to make yourself more resilient in order to deal with more challenging times in life· “Now our board rooms have become our living rooms”: how adapting to COVID-19 has taught Sangram the true meaning of “bring your whole self to work”RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONED‘Building a StoryBrand’ Podcast by Donald Millerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sangramvajre/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn

John BarnesLeila is joined by John Barnes MBE – Former professional footballer for Watford, Liverpool, Newcastle United and England.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· “I experienced racism, but I never suffered from it”: John Barnes’ upbringing as a middle-class Jamaican and the racism that he experienced as a young immigrant into the UK· How to distinguish between “racist events” and racism· John’s belief that elite black people such as himself can still experience “white privilege”: “I never experienced racism, I experienced racist events”· The importance of focusing on improving the situation for “the 99%” rather than the eliteRESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDTwitter @officialbarnesyContinue the conversation on LinkedIn

Andrew DentonLeila is joined by Andrew Denton - Chief Executive Officer at Alfa Financial Software and Co-Founder/Director at the Leasing Foundation.IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT· Andy’s career journey so far, being in the rare position of having spent nearly his entire career to date at the same company and risen through the ranks there from Developer/Consultant to CEO over the last 25 years approximately· The global nature of the racism problem driving the Black Lives Matter movement· The important relationship between Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility (CSR) and Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (D, I & B) in tackling many of the world’s most challenging problems· Andy’s passionate belief in being as accessible and having as much of an ‘open door’ policy as possible for every employee within ALFA RESOURCES & INFORMATION MENTIONEDhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwdenton/Continue the conversation on LinkedIn