The value of embedding diversity and inclusion in your corporate strategy will take centre stage when the The Herald, in partnership with GenAnalytics, hosts the first in its series of Diversity Dialogues in Edinburgh next week.
Next week on Thursday, March 28 at Dovecot Studios Edinburgh The Herald & GenAnalytics, in collaboration with Crown Estate Scotland, will host the first of the new format Diversity Dialogues series. The event promises to be a pivotal platform for discussing and promoting inclusive business practices that foster positive work environments, drive innovation, and encourage sustainable growth in organisations across Scotland.
Highlighting the significance of embedding diversity and inclusion into corporate strategies, the event will feature thought leaders prioritising inclusion. Louisa Macdonell, Scotland Director for Business in the Community, will deliver the keynote address, setting the stage for an insightful dialogue. She will be addressing staff wellbeing as the starting point for all diversity and inclusion whilst highlighting the business case of seeing and valuing the workforce for who they are. Those in the room will find out where to start, what to do and how to do it, starting with listening hard, taking action and providing leadership. Joining her on the discussion panel are Douglas Morrison, Deputy CEO at Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), Steve Dunlop, Chairman of Crosswind Developments, and just announced, Samuel Agbede, Software Engineer and Site lead for Business Resource Group - Black Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD) at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Crown Estate Scotland are driving the event as they look to the future and their own corporate plan for 2025-2030. Director of Operations, Esther Black is looking forward to the conversations, “Scotland’s future is full of opportunity. To fully grasp it, we need hear the voices – and harness the talents – of the widest range of people we can. These events are a valuable source of new ideas and best-practices for leaders who want to strengthen their organisations and their industries with the broadest possible spectrum of insight and expertise.”
The event will discuss important topics to help organisations implement diversity and inclusion effectively. Steered by event partner and Director of GenAnalytics, Jane Gotts, the panel will consider the pivotal role of top leadership in championing D&I initiatives, emphasising the need for visible and unwavering support whilst exploring how leaders set the tone for inclusive behaviour by incorporating D&I principles into their own actions and decision-making processes.
You can expect to delve into the tangible benefits of D&I including improved employee morale, enhanced creativity, better decision-making, and increased market share. The discourse will also be stressing the importance of holding leaders and managers accountable for advancing D&I goals by integrating diversity outcomes into performance evaluations and incentives.
It is not all confined to the boardroom however as the event will also look at the role of corporate social responsibility and community engagement in supporting internal and external diversity and inclusion efforts. Delegates will be part of the conversation as round table discussions are held as part of the morning to really understand what is working and what needs to be done to foster inclusion in organisations in Scotland at present.
Overall this event will emphasise the significance of staying abreast of emerging best practices and industry trends to ensure sustained progress in D&I actions.
The Herald & GenAnalytics Diversity Dialogue presents a unique opportunity for stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions, share insights, and collectively drive positive change towards a more inclusive future. As organisations strive to navigate an increasingly diverse and dynamic global landscape, events like these serve as beacons of progress and catalysts for transformative action.
Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive Officer of sportscotland, support sponsor of the event said “We are committed to creating the environment for change in the sporting sector and ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in our work. The Diversity Dialogue will provide an excellent opportunity for learnings and discussions on how we can progress towards that goal.”
Lynne McBurney, Group Head of People at Arnold Clark, also supporting the event, said, “The ‘Diversity Dialogues’ series is a unique opportunity to hear and learn from organisations across Scotland who have taken significant steps to cultivate a culture of inclusion from the very heart of their business. It is only by listening to others and working together that we can make real, impactful change, and we’d encourage any companies and organisations who wish to work on their own diversity and inclusion strategy to attend. As a company, we look forward to working with The Herald and GenAnalytics to raise awareness of the teams and individuals who continue to make great progress in this area.”
The event is from 9:30am-12:30pm at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh and tickets are £54pp. For more information and registration details, visit https://newsquestscotlandevents.com/events/diversity-dialogues-event/.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here