A packed house gathered at Dean Close School in the lovely Dean Close House to celebrate International Women’s Day. It was great to see so many men and women in the audience from across the region and representing different sectors. From manufacturing to construction and professional services to retail and education we had them all! An amazingly uplifting and inspiring morning.
Thank you to Dean Close School for hosting the event and to David Evans, Director for External Relations for welcoming everyone.
Our key note speaker was Nicola Whiting MBE is Chief Strategy Officer and co-owner of Titania Group, she is also an Amazon best-selling author and an internationally recognised speaker and writer. She is passionate about business growth, is a board member for Local Enterprise Partnerships and an award-winning business mentor for both local and national business accelerators.
In 2019 she was honoured to receive the UK’s inaugural “National Cyber Citizen Award” for her “outstanding contribution to the world of cyber security and protection” and AFCEA Internationals “Sparky Baird” Award for her work with SIGNAL Magazine on “AI and Nation State Defence”. Awarded an MBE in 2020 for Services to International Trade and Diversity, Nicola advocates for Diversity in all forms believing it will lead to broader and ultimately better solutions to our country’s most pressing issues.
Nicola gave us an insight into her journey from council estate and struggling with autism to standing on the stage with speakers from Microsoft and GCHQ talking about cyber. Nicola talked about The Imposter Syndrome that resonated with us all.
We were then privileged to have 3 speakers who shared with us their stores:
Nicola Bird
Safety & Business Development Director for her family business KW Bell Group, KW Bell Contracting and KW Bell Homes. Nicola has been acknowledged by UK Construction Week Role Models as someone who is having a big impact on the construction sector and make great progress with Diversity.
Lucy Beresford
Joint Managing Director, SLG Brands. Lucy started life in the marketing team of SLG Brands and has worked her way up to Joint Managing Director demonstrating the art of the possible and the great opportunities we have here in Gloucestershire to work for innovative, creative businesses that operate globally. SLG have the coolest offices that wouldn’t look amiss in London or New York but they are in Cheltenham.
Lorrin White
Managing Director, Bamboo Technology Group. Lorrin has been in the telecommunications and technology sector for 20 years. Coming from being the only girl in her electronics class at school into an environment that is very male dominated she has nurtured a culture of diversity in her immediate workplace resulting in a 65/35 split of female to male in her senior team. This is a trend that continues throughout the business as Lorrin strives to bring light to the multitude of opportunities that the tech sector can bring to all generations.
Check out all the pictures from the event
Check out the slides from the event
Why Diversity Makes A Difference
We believe that business has the transformative power to change and be a force for good. We can as businesses contribute to a more open, diverse and inclusive society. But we can only accomplish this by starting from within our organisations. We appreciate we are talking to the converted here today many of us know intuitively that diversity is good for business. The case for establishing a truly diverse workforce, at all organisation levels, grows more compelling each year. The moral argument is weighty enough, but the financial impact – as proven by multiple studies – makes this a no-brainer.
There is substantial research to show that diversity brings many advantages to an organisation: increased profitability and creativity, stronger governance and better problem-solving abilities. Employees with diverse backgrounds bring to bear their own perspectives, ideas and experiences, helping to create organisations that are resilient and effective, and which outperform organisations that do not invest in diversity.
A Boston Consulting Group study found that companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues due to their innovations.
Gender equality remains a major issue in the corporate world. Despite an abundance of research confirming that companies with more women in the Senior Management team are more profitable, there is still a gender gap in the vast majority of companies.
Companies need a comprehensive plan for supporting and advancing women. This requires a shift in the corporate culture which will include investing in employee training and giving employees greater flexibility to fit work into their lives.
Forward-thinking companies should be looking for ways to employ and empower more women at work – not just as a moral obligation, but also as a sound business strategy. McKinsey’s most recent Delivering Through Diversity report found that businesses that embrace gender diversity on their executive teams were more competitive and 21% more likely to experience above-average profitability. They also had a 27% likelihood of outperforming their peers in the longer-term. Different perspectives on customer needs, product improvements and company wellbeing fuel a better business.
It has been estimated that closing the gender gap would add $28 trillion to the value of the global economy by 2025 – a 26% increase. Put simply, companies and societies are more likely to grow and prosper when women gain greater financial independence.
It is important for all businesses to step up and advocate for diversity and tolerance.
We are all part of the solution and we need to work together to create that even playing field for everyone not just women. And whilst we are here today to celebrate inspiring women and showcase the art of the possible we know that the business world must come together and be more engaged and vocal to promote the message of a diverse and tolerant society. It still maybe an uphill battle, but prosperity and advancement depend on it and depend on us all to play our part.
