their staff internally and externally , by having that digital transformation discourse ,” he explains .
Many events businesses are investing in technology and looking at how they support DEI initiatives . The question is , are they combining the two into a more holistic approach ? Martin Spoke about how UKBlackTech does indeed aim to merge the two , he said : “ A lot of the initiatives and events we run are all about digital transformation , so we don ’ t exclusively speak about DEI . However , we bring in that representation to explore digital transformation , rather than just bringing our experts just to talk about their lived experiences .”
Practical steps It ’ s all well and good highlighting the benefits of a more diverse workforce in tech , but what are the actionable steps that organisations can take when aiming to be more representative ?
Questions around tech representation is something Streets wanted to explore further , so she launched DiverCity Podcast – a podcast where she interviews senior leaders and underrepresented voices to “ shine a light on positive progress , call out areas requiring further focus , and offer ideas to help drive change .”
“ Every organisation is on a journey ,” says Streets , and from her conversations , there are five areas that will have the greatest , positive impact on the tech sector :
• Corporate culture and leadership – Establish a diverse and inclusive culture . CEOs set the tone , how they lead , others will follow .
• Enlightened middle management leadership – Make change metrics into annual appraisals and reward the enlightened leaders embracing support from your diversity lead ( s ).
• Hiring and retention – do your adverts and recruitment partners deliver diverse candidate lists , or do you need to rethink , redraft and challenge ? Do you have talent retention and career development plans ? If employees feel valued and supported , they will spread the word and improve your candidate pool .
• Role models and allies – encourage your management team to actively engage with your network and truly listen . Role models matter , so encourage them to step forward .
If you can see it , you can be it .
• Networks and intersectionality – if you are serious about change , your networks can offer a huge contribution . Simply ask and listen . But beware of siloed networks , we all have multiple identity attributes so intersectionality really matters .
While these steps are aimed towards tech , they are universal for events businesses . Creating an environment that leads www . conference-news . co . uk