Reflecting on "Leading the Way with Inclusion": Insights and Inspiration Shared

On June 8 2023, Thriving Talent organised its first ever in-person Client Round Table event called “Leading the Way with Inclusion” at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters, the stunning Olympic House, in Lausanne. With a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, this event brought together over 30 participants from around 15 companies, fostering networking opportunities and providing a platform for sharing insights and best practices.

At Thriving Talent, we love connecting our clients to encourage meaningful conversations and accelerate learning. As such, we host client-only roundtables like this one 2-3 times a year but this one was in person which made it extra special!

Here are the highlights and key takeaways from this enriching gathering.

Networking and Breakfast

We started with a networking breakfast, allowing attendees to connect and engage with fellow DE&I leaders. The atmosphere was abuzz with excitement and anticipation as participants mingled, shared experiences, and built new connections.

Opening Remarks

Natalie Wilkins, our co-CEO, took the stage as the moderator, setting the tone for the event. The International Olympic Committee and Thriving Talent representatives offered opening remarks, emphasising the significance of inclusion in today's organisations and society.

Presentations

Three inspiring presentations followed, where prominent DE&I leaders shared their organisations' journeys, challenges, and successful best practices. Louise Carvalho, the D&I Programme Leader at CERN, shared insights into the 25 by 25 strategy and its implementation, highlighting CERN's commitment to achieving gender equality. Navleen Kaur, Senior Manager D&I at SONOVA, enlightened the audience about the power of inclusive language and its impact on fostering an inclusive culture. Sabina Reggioli, Healthcare SNO Transportation Leader and DEI Co-Leader for Switzerland at Merck Group shed light on the pivotal role of Employee Resource Groups in driving DE&I initiatives and leveraging the power of uniqueness.

Breakout Groups

A stimulating session followed, where participants split into breakout groups. Engaging discussions centered around the standout lessons and practices shared by the presenters. Attendees had the opportunity to reflect on these insights, exchange ideas, and contemplate how they could implement similar strategies within their own organisations. The conversation also encouraged participants to share their own experiences and best practices, fostering a collaborative and learning-oriented environment.

Report Back and Closing Remarks

After the breakout sessions, representatives from each group reported back to the entire gathering, highlighting key takeaways and notable learnings. The event concluded with closing remarks from co-CEO Deborah Croft who summarised the highlights of the event and served as a call to action, urging all participants to continue their commitment to driving DE&I initiatives within their respective organisations.

This was also the perfect opportunity to launch our Caring & Career benchmarking survey. We would like to report on which policies, resources, benefits and training are in place across industries, to enable all the facets of CARING - including self care, caring for teams/peers, caring for children of all ages, ageing parents, sick relatives and/or caring in the community. If you would like to take part in this survey, please contact us at [email protected].

Conclusion

"Leading the Way with Inclusion" was an event that not only brought together like-minded professionals passionate about DE&I but also provided an invaluable platform for sharing insights, best practices, and lessons learned. The feedback from the clients was that they had a lot of value from engaging presentations, breakout discussions around ERGs, measurements and successes, and the collaborative atmosphere left participants feeling inspired and empowered to continue championing inclusion in their workplaces. As the event drew to a close, attendees departed with a renewed commitment to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments within their organisations, creating lasting positive change.