Diversity, Inclusion & Leadership; The Source for Innovation

The Diversity, Inclusion & Leadership: The Source for Innovation panel discussion was part of a series of panel discussions that looked at how companies were providing solutions that put women at the forefront of economic empowerment in the workforce and in business.

Aimed at women who were….

· Tired of going around in circles trying to figure out your career or business strategy

· Feeling bored, stressed and stagnant

· Wanting to feel confident and excited about creating a realistic, pragmatic and strategic action plan for your future

The Diversity, Inclusion & Leadership: The Source for Innovation panel discussion provides a great opportunity to hear from leading industry specialists, award winning entrepreneurs and government partners for engaging discussions and networking opportunities.

The aim of the panel discussion was to uncover how women can accelerate their efforts to come up with bold solutions and policies which generates jobs and create new opportunities for entrepreneurship.

Still not convinced?

We believe women should not be defined by whether they work inside or outside the home, but by their contribution and role to the economy. While men continue to dominate the upper echelons of the business world because of their economic position; the workplace culture continues to fail to treat women with the appropriate respect and policies that support them as they strive to struggle to balance the competing demands of work and family obligations.

Topics discussed were: -

· Are women really benefiting economically or socially from diversity initiatives?

· Combatting cultural bias vs leadership bias; what’s stopping women reaching the top?

· Improving the gateway to the boardroom: manufactured or authentic leadership, we need more than “the only one”

· Gender / Race Pay Gap: What next? Lessons learnt and showcasing how we accelerate progression.

· The opportunities, challenges and contribution of women to the digital economy.

· Preparing and empowering the next generation of female leaders, role models and visionaries.

Simply put, these events want to ensure that companies continue to develop and sponsor female leaderswhilst encouraging greater employee engagement throughout every level of the organisation as we head towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is about decent work for all, not the continued overrepresentation of women in lower-paid and part-time work. Women can no longer accept gender blindness as a diversity policy.