Turn Your Knowledge Into Action: Meaningful Steps To Remove Workplace Accessibility Barriers To Foster A Diverse & Inclusive Workplace For Quality Employees & Noticeable Results

Inclusive Recruitment & Retainment ■ Disability, Neurodiversity and Accessibility ■ Mental Health & Wellbeing ■ Inclusive Cultures & Engagement ■ Socioeconomic Inclusion ■ Employee Experience and Diverse Workforces ■ Leadership ■ Intersectionality

20th April 2023, The Cavendish Conference Centre, central London

08.30 Registration, Informal Networking & GIC Welcome

09.00 Morning Co-Chairs’ Opening Remarks

Mandeep Rupra, Head of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Trustee for Mind & Co-Chair of Race Equity Committee, Citizens Advice
Natasha Whitehurst, Global Inclusion & Diversity Lead, Rolls Royce

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING

Inspire & Influence Champions

09.10 Unpick The Tension Between Efficient Output & Mental Health As Well As The Importance Of Ensuring A Confidential Network Of Support To Balance Employee Needs Amidst Global Crises For Soaring Productivity

  • Evaluate the lasting effects of the cost-of-living crisis on mental health amongst your team in order to ensure that you have healthy practices in place for resilient employees who can face any external difficulty in the present and future of your business head-on
  • Demonstrate support in cases of global crises: how employers can mitigate stress and support the wellbeing of their employees to keep the company thriving against external struggles even as ill-equipped competitors sink
  • Investigate different ways of implementing employee safety networks to ensure that employees can overcome stigma by communicating confidentially to ensure continuous output at work

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DISABILITY, NEURODIVERSITY & ACCESSIBILITY

Panel

Q&A 

9.30 How Can Businesses Support Employees To Ensure That Everyone Can Do Their Best Work? Translate Awareness Into Action & Cater To Employee Needs For A Productive Workforce At The Top Of Their Game

  • Ensure disabled employees get the adjustments they need and produce effective work without barriers to foster constant and unlimited development while ensuring a welcoming company policy for heightened employee loyalty
  • Recognise the complexity of neurodiversity and understand the various adjustments needed in the workplace to minimise challenges yet maximise productivity
  • Repair accessibility barriers for equity amongst physically disabled employees to build a strong workforce where everyone feels valued for company loyalty and continuous growth and company development

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Catherine Rutter, Director Group Customer Inclusion, Lloyds Banking Group

Nelson Derry, Global Head of Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Author of ‘Rise of the 2020 Leader, Aēsop

Mabinty Esho, Senior Equality Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Comic Relief

Becky Wender, Global Head of Culture, Talent & Learning, Avon

Colin Clements, Senior Planning Manager & D&I Lead, Coventry Building Society

INCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Meaningful EDI Change

Data-Driven 

10.00 Attract New & Diverse Talent & Retain Employees Through Every Stage Of The Employee Life Cycle To Support Talented Employees & Maximise Workforce Productivity

  • Grow your workforce by creating an inclusive and dynamic environment that nurtures flourishing employees who boost revenue through career growth
  • Explore the benefits of varied backgrounds: people can be taught jobs but cannot be taught to be who they are- how can this unique insight produce new innovation and target new audiences?
  • Support underrepresented employees in their progression through the career ladder, utilise your talent base and cut costs in guiding employee progression instead of losing money by replacing and retraining
  • Showcase your company values as an authentic and inclusive employer who provides a secure, stable and supportive work environment that prioritises the experience of all employees
  • Who is missing? Avoid losing your top talent to competitors by cultivating a strong ethos of belonging within your organisation and welcome all prospective talent with inclusive and unbiased job descriptions

Kalaiyashni Puvanendran, Diversity & Inclusion Programme Delivery Partner, ITV

10.20 Beyond “Drag Race” – Despite Glitzy Media Portrayals, We’ll Explore The Harsh Reality Of What It’s Really Like To Be Queer In The Workplace Today

Katya Veleva, Change-Maker, Utopia

Adrienne Milner, Research & Insight Director, Utopia

10.40 Morning Refreshment Break With Informal Networking

11.10 Introducing AXS: An Anticipatory Welcome in Action

Atif Choudhury, CEO and Co-Founder, Diversity and Ability

SOCIOECONOMIC INCLUSION

Fresh Initiatives

11.25 Promote The Reinvigorated Importance Of Socioeconomic Inclusion In The Cost-Of-Living Crisis & Facilitate Social Mobility Within Your Workplace To Broaden Your Customer Base

  • Interrogate socioeconomic inclusion opportunities to bring in more diverse groups for maximum time efficiency in actioning your diversity strategies
  • Reframe exclusionary narratives and develop successful methods to integrate people from different social groups, thus broadening your customer base through fresh insight and new experiences
  • Sustain the efforts to level the effects of social class and investigate a variety of ways to include different people and ensure you are hiring the best talent

Monira Ahmed Chowdhury, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, North Bristol NHS Trust

LEADERSHIP

New For 2023

Corporate & Public Sector Insights

Double Perspective

11.45 Reflect The Organisation You Want To Become: Nurture A Positive Environment To Create Engaging Leaders Who Attract & Retain Diverse Employees To Support The Next Generation & Beyond

  • Create space for underrepresented groups in leadership to action new strategies and bring attention to distinct issues that affect underrepresented groups and escape notice
  • Reflect your employees in the highest positions so junior employees can follow in your footsteps to become strong, confident leaders ensuring lasting output and exponential gain
  • Explore new and current diversity efforts to ensure streamlined strategies and an environment where employees feel primed to do their best work

Danielle Cudjoe-Michalski, Associate Director Project Manager & Neurodiversity Network Lead, GSK

INTERSECTIONALITY

Panel

Q&A

Reset & Refresh

12.25 Highlight The Complexities Of Your Team’s Backgrounds & Put In Place Strategies To Draw On Your Team’s Individuality & Use This To The Business’ Advantage For Innovative Output

  • Study how diversity of employee backgrounds produce diversity of thought- how can businesses enact this positive change to get insights on different audiences to maximise profit?
  • Materialise tangible action rather than meaningless words: make seamless transitions when introducing new employees to an inclusive space so they can produce their best work
  • Guarantee intersectionality across all areas of the business to position and distribute the best talent in the right areas for quality output

Lucile Kamar, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, ITN

Devi Virdi, Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Centrica
Elaine Brown, Director of Inclusion, University of Essex
Shelley O’Connor, Business Change Manager (LGBTQ+ Network Co-Chair), Bank of England
Jonathan Payne, Acting Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Network Rail
12.55 Bonus Session; Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner

13.10 Lunch & Informal Networking For Speakers, Delegates & Partners

13.40 Informal Workshop-Led Discussions

  1. Menopause: Natasha Whitehurst, Global Inclusion & Diversity Lead, Rolls Royce
  2. Age
  3. Disability
  4. Accessibility
  5. Allyship

14.10 Afternoon Chair’s Opening Remarks

14.10 Bonus Session; Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner

14.30 LGBT + Inclusion Interactive Group Discussions

TJ Richards, Unity Place Outreach & Engagement Manager, Santander UK

Junaid Lama, Retail Lead, LGBT+ Network, Sky
Pips Bunce, Director & Head of Global Markets Core Engineering Integration Components, Credit Suisse

INCLUSIVE CULTURES & ENGAGEMENT

Authentic Allyship

14.50 Encourage A Healthy Work-Life Balance To Cultivate A Motivated, Quality Workforce Who Will Produce Consistent Results Without Distraction

  • Communicate effectively with your team to boost workplace culture by encouraging healthy co-worker relationships for strong innovative partnerships
  • Instigate dynamic change by interacting with different groups that will enrich working life and produce employees’ best work inspired by collaboration
  • Renew motivation by allowing employees to honour religious holidays to strengthen company loyalty and boost engagement from all groups
  • Explore how employers can keep the company integrated despite a split between remote and office employees and how to embed this into the company’s values for an unshakeably motivated employee base

Hasan M Reza, Head of Workforce Equity, Diversity & Inclusion & Chair of Mission Remission, Kent Community NHS Health Foundation

EMPLOYEE EXPEREINCE & DIVERSE WORKFORCES

Cost Of Living Crisis & Support

15.10 Empower & Support Your Diverse Workforce With High-Impact D&I Strategies Which Boost Productivity & Secure Sky-High Engagement Levels To Create A Positive Employee Experience

  • Dive into the D&I team themselves to ensure that the people who are addressing diversity efforts are well-supported and recognise where to place attention and prioritise efforts
  • Ensure that D&I professionals are good role models and promote good wellbeing to produce a consistent message on the importance of wellbeing and increase workforce productivity
  • Re-evaluate D&I strategies and investigate how they fit into workplace organisation to ensure that the efforts of the team are put into action with intention and meaning

Sally Camm, Head of Culture & DEI, Experian

NEW COPY ENDS HERE!

15.30 Practical & Proactive Strategies Which Emphasise The Importance Of Mental Health & Wellbeing As A Business Priority, Eliminates The Burnout Culture, Removes Stigmas & Taboos & Boosts Employee Productivity & Performance

  • Implement policies which promote and support good mental health in your workforce that feel personal to individual employee needs for increased levels of retention, engagement and satisfaction
  • Demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to positive mental health by creating psychologically safe spaces which encourage open and honest conversations with staff so that everybody feels heard and is able to ask for support when needed
  • How should organisations be equipping senior staff and leadership with the tools, knowledge, training, and resources to effectively support their team members’ mental health and wellbeing?
  • Pinpoint exactly what your employees expect from their organisation today, and what strategies should be in place to prioritise mental health and wellbeing in the workplace
Iain Hadwin, Senior Manager, S2O Process Excellence Initiatives (Site Lead for PBRG – Disability Advancement
Workplace Network), Bristol Myers Squibb
15.50 Bonus Session; Reserved For Exclusive Conference Partner
16.10 Afternoon Refreshment Break With Informal Networking

SOCIOECONOMIC INCLUSION

Case Study

16.40 Responsibly Prioritise & Implement New Initiatives Which Welcome & Incorporate A Workforce That Recognises & Values A Diverse Range Of Socioeconomic Backgrounds Especially In Times Of Uncertainty & Change

  • Adopt new and refreshed strategies which support employees during the cost-of-living crisis with a particular emphasis on social mobility and inclusivity and safeguard them from unfair prejudices as a result of their socioeconomic backgrounds
  • Uncover practical ways to design and develop upskilling and progression programmes which resonate with your workforce for improved social mobility
  • Become more socially-inclusive by identifying your high performers who come from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and invest in their career development to retain diverse talent and amplify their impact on the wider business
Sarah Bohn, Head of Global Talent Development, DEI & Wellbeing, Pret A Manger

PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS

17.00 Encourage Fair Practices & Behaviours In The Workplace Which Actively Aim To Eliminate Discrimination & Achieve Equal & Consistent Treatment Of Workers

  • Examine the importance of holding focus groups with employees with protected characteristics to see how they’re going to be impacted in terms of inclusion and diversity and appropriately and effectively respond to their needs
  • Design a diversity and inclusion plan which specifies and outlines the different characteristics protected in your workplace to ensure those that are more vulnerable are supported
  • Continually assess how a change to a policy or process in the business will impact people with protected characteristics for minimal disruption and maximum productivity
Raphael Richards, Group Business Manager & Head of EDI, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

INTERSECTIONALITY

Panel

Q&A

New Cross-Sector Insights!

17.20 Foster A Genuinely Open & Supportive Culture By Broadening The Lens Of Inclusion & Prioritising & Promoting Staff Networks & Intersectional Equity & Inclusion To Combat Discrimination

  • Embrace the power of staff networks for inclusive representation amongst the workforce and equality within promotions to combat discrimination in your organisation
  • Establish the importance of investing in employee resource groups, and how social platforms and apps can support intersectional inclusion effectively
  • Go beyond the surface to really understand employee expectations and experiences in order to support employees’ demands and provide them with the tools to be successful in your organisation
Deon Pillay, Head of Marketing Operations (Co-Founder of InterInvest – the Asset Management & Savings
Industry LGBTQ+ Allies Network), Legal & General Investment Management
Hawa Newell-Sydique, Director of Talent & Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Selfridges
Kalaiyashni Puvanendran, Diversity & Inclusion Programme Delivery Partner, ITV
Kulbir Shergill, Director of Social Inclusion, Warwick University
Jay Ersapah, EMEA Head of Financial Risk Management & Model Risk & Co-Chair of Pride Network, Silicon Valley Bank
Yasir Mirza, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Financial Times

17.50 Afternoon Chair’s Closing Remarks & Official Close of Conference