2020 has accelerated diversity and inclusion in procurement through the impact of the global pandemic and BlackLivesMatter protests. In this special episode of Talent Talks, Martin welcomes another incredible line-up who discuss how their own companies are encouraging diversity and inclusion and how we can continue this momentum within the procurement industry.
Our panel includes:
- Laura Grant. Former VP of Procurement at Virgin Atlantic
- Tunde Adeniyi, Clinical Sourcing Lead for Salisbury NHS
- Caroline Lloyd, Head of Procurement Operations North/Central Europe at DS Smith
This episode of Talent Talks covers:
- What is the meaning of diversity and inclusion?
- Examples of embracing diversity and inclusion within Virgin, NHS, DS Smith and ITV
- How to ensure it is actively implemented throughout your team
- The impact of the #blacklivesmatter initiative on businesses
- How the procurement industry can improve
- Supporting women into leadership roles
- Tips & advice to be proactive in diversity and inclusion
Links & References
-
- Martin Smith, Founder & Director of Talent Drive https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmith2009/
- Former VP of Procurement at Virgin Atlantic, Laura Grant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-grant-b5b4945/
- Tunde Adeniyi, Clinical Sourcing Lead for Salisbury NHS https://www.linkedin.com/in/babatunde-adeniyi-359aa419/
- Caroline Lloyd, Head of Procurement Operations North/Central Europe at DS Smith https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-lloyd-a69b8419/
“Diversity and inclusion to me is about getting the best of the collective intelligence of people from different views and backgrounds” – Laura Grant
“Whether it’s through gender, ethnicity, age, upbringing, schooling or experiences, the more truly diverse a team is, the greater the opportunities, innovations and high value outcomes.” – Caroline Lloyd
“If I narrow it down to procurement in the NHS, I think diversity and inclusion is gaining pace and is becoming something that they are recognising. I’m noticing more people from a black minority ethnic groups and also females entering senior roles.” – Tunde Adeniyi
“I really think that diversity starts with inclusion, and having that inclusive environment where people see role models that look similar to themselves, whether through gender or race.” – Caroline Lloyd
“Your people don’t want to be seen for the colour of their skin or their gender, they want to be seen for what they bring to your business and what they bring to the role.” – Caroline Lloyd
“The conversation needs to start at an individual level. It needs to come all the way down from the national level, because they might just say, “oh, Black Lives Matter” but that needs to come all the way down into organisation level or departmental level and individual level” – Tunde Adeniyi
“It’s not procurement specific. It’s business specific and really, when you work for a company, the policies, the environment, that you create within that company, should flow down through every function that you work in.” – Caroline Lloyd
“Procurement can definitely do more. It’s progressed a lot, but there are still not enough females or people of colour in senior roles.” – Tune Adeniyi
“The recruitment processes is paramount. But I think beyond that there’s something around your policies within your business where women come into it, for example, flexible working or allowing people or employees to do job shares, those sorts of things from a policy point of view, will help women grow into leadership roles.” – Laura Grant
“You have to keep educating your team, you have to keep educating everyone that you’re coming into contact with. And as a leader, you yourself need to continuously evaluate your own conscious bias because leaders have very, very strong influence.” – Tunde Adeniyi
“Treat people as you would want to be treated yourself.” – Laura Grant
“Be mindful of the environment that you create when you have teams and be mindful of the environment that you put out to others so people can see that it is a workplace that it is one of inclusion and they would like to work in.” -Caroline Lloyd
