This will represent challenges and opportunities for businesses. As we seek to build back better, people will be at the heart of the recovery agenda. Join us to discuss how to turn this crisis into an opportunity to build a more equal and fair society where diverse workforces and inclusive workplaces are the norm.
Be inspired by ideas on how to create a culture of belonging
Hear how your peers have overcome barriers to make diversity a priority
Find out the tangible solutions to closing your pay gaps once and for all.
Confirmed speakers include:
CEO, Auto Trader Group
HR Director, TSB
Lead Project Manager, National Grid
CEO, AXA Health
Co-Founder Redington Ltd; mallowstreet and 10,000 Black Interns
Director, Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, UCL
Co-founder, 10x10 and Angel Investor, Atomico
Senior Alderman, City of London Corporation and Partner, DLA Piper
Race Director, Business in the Community
UK Black Tech
Co-Founder CogX and Chair of the UK Government AI Council
Chief Executive, Autistica
CEO & Founder, BYP Network
VP - Global Client & Agency Solutions, Google
CEO, AnyGood?
Group Managing Director, Bennie
Director, Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, De Montfort University
CEO, Green Park
CEO, City Mental Health Alliance
Fellow and Vice President Technology, IBM
Principal Policy Adviser, CBI
CEO, Pro Bono Economics
Co-founder, Insuring Women’s Futures and Trustee, Centre for Ageing Better
Head of Regional Policy and Co Lead for the LGBTQ+ network, CBI
CEO, Timewise Foundation
Director of HR Services UK, Fedex
Group Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Hays
UK Chair and UK&I Regional Managing Partner, EY
Vice President Human Resources, Schneider Electric
Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Partner, EY
Deputy Director-General, Commercial, CBI
Director-General, CBI
People & Skills Director, CBI
HR Director, Siemens
Human Resources Director, Vodafone UK
Global Vice-Chair, Mastercard
Founder, The Valuable 500
CEO, Women On Boards
Group People Director, Anglian Water Services
Chief UK Policy Director, CBI
Innovation Director, CBI
Partner, Eversheds
CEO and Co-Founder, Purpose Union
CEO, Costain
Chair, The Hampton-Alexander Review
Chief Economist, CBI
President, CBI
Host
Live session
Live session
While the pandemic has highlighted existing inequalities and we still have a long way to go to improve the representation of ethnic minority talent at all levels of UK business, there are some positive stories that give us hope. We have seen many from minority ethnic backgrounds who are leading the way and are inspiring and creating opportunities for the next generation of leaders in business or as entrepreneurs in different sectors. This session will highlight their journeys and explore what challenges they have faced, key learnings from their career that they are passing on to younger colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds and what they think the future looks like for ethnic minorities starting their own business or going up the corporate ladder.
On-demand content
In this short film, Colleen McKnight (Vice-President Human Resources, Schneider Electric) reflects on how her organisation has managed the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Live session
Mental health has become one of the biggest concerns for employers this year with a big part of the workforce working from home on a permanent basis, juggling childcare, people being put on furlough, and the dividing lines between work and life fading. How can employers provide the right level of support in such a challenging time, while also taking care of themselves? What have companies learned from the mental health in a crisis approach that they will be taking forward?
Live session
The pandemic has impacted different strands of diversity in different ways. It has exacerbated existing inequalities for groups such as women and people from ethnic minorities. But on the other hand, employers have built more empathy for personal circumstances of their employees such as caring responsibilities, health considerations, disabilities, and mental health. What are the learnings and longer-term implications of the pandemic on D&I in the workplace? How do we ensure that we get underrepresented talent into work in the future?
On-demand content
In this short film, Jane Portas (Co-Founder, Insuring Women’s Futures) reflects on the financial impact of COVID-19 on women in work.
On-demand content
Inclusive policies can only take us so far – the next step for D&I is a workforce with a sense of belonging. So how do you instill this in your organisation – especially now when a big part of the workforce is working flexibly and remotely? In this session, two pairs of interviewees will explore their ideas for creating a culture of belonging and will share the challenges they have faced and are facing in the future.
Live session
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, with clear benefits to businesses, from enabling remote working to reaching customers in new ways. Technology can help to support greater social mobility and more equal outcomes and opportunities – for example, improving the fairness of hiring practices, better support for vulnerable customers and rapidly testing new innovative services. But there is no digital fix to the complex social dynamics that lead to unfairness, with technologies like AI at risk of perpetuating historical biases and power imbalances. Building back better is an opportunity to think about how businesses can harness technology and data in a fair, more inclusive way.
Live session
Live session
The killing of George Floyd and the global Black Lives Matter protests have shone a harsh light on the prevalence of racism and racial injustices abroad and in the UK. The COVID-19 pandemic has also exacerbated existing inequalities with BAME communities being hit hardest. Businesses have a crucial role to play when it comes to stamping out existing biases and racism in the workplace and many are already taking action. So what is it that businesses can do to get better in speaking about race in the workplace, recruit, retain and promote more BAME talent? And why is it important to invest in BAME-led businesses and supplier diversity?
On-demand content
In this short film, Emma Stewart MBE (CEO, Timewise Foundation) reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on flexible working.
On-demand content
This year has shown how flexible working has helped businesses continue to operate with large numbers of the workforce working remotely. Many roles that were perceived as only office-based have been successfully translated into flexible working. CIPD research shows that employers expect that the proportion of people working from home on a regular basis once the crisis is over will increase to 37% compared to 18% before the pandemic. But what are the opportunities and implications for employers and employees if a big part of the workforce continues to use a high level of flexible working/remote working in the future? And what does it mean for team dynamics, management practices, and assessment and promotion of employees?
Live session
A vast majority of people in the UK do not want to go back to how things were before the pandemic. They want fairer, more diverse, and inclusive workplaces. At the core, this is about equality of opportunity – regardless of protected characteristic, the school a person has gone to or someone’s social background. This is an opportunity for businesses to rethink how they can support more social mobility in society. What are companies doing currently and how can they do more to make society fairer and more equal in opportunity?
On-demand content
In this short film, Yvonne Smyth (Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Hays) discusses how to recruit virtually and inclusively.
On-demand content
As we know from the financial crisis in 2008-9, there is a significant danger that the progress made so far on equality is wiped out. This year we have seen the return of all-male boards in the FTSE 350, the suspension of gender pay gap reporting and widespread BLM protest in response to the killing of George Floyd. But if we want to build back better and create a fairer society companies need to re-focus on diversity & inclusion and pay gap reporting is one of the crucial tools to focus minds on action. How can companies double down on pay gap reporting – introducing ethnicity pay gap reporting – in the current context? What more can they do to make real progress?
This session was pre-recorded. It is only available at the scheduled time of 16:30.
Member ticket prices
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| WHAT'S INCLUDED | CBI Member | CBI Affiliate Member | Non-Member (Full Access) | Non-Member (Partial Access) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access to full programme | ||||
| Access to policy reports and survey results | ||||
| Exclusive access to CBI, speaker and partner insight, intelligence, and thought leadership | ||||
| Entry to all virtual networking and exhibition rooms | ||||
| Access to selected sessions across 2 days (daily at 10:00, 14:00, 17:00) | — | — | — |
Live and pre-recorded sessions will become available at the times specified in the programme. You will receive joining instructions the week prior to the event.
Conference Series: Diversity & Inclusion
