Harnessing the power of diverse perspectives

From 2022 to 2024, our partnership with Sydney WorldPride and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has allowed us to amplify our role in leading and engaging in important conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and allyship. Not just for our LGBTI+ community, but also for people from different cultures, identities, genders, and the First Nations community – as well as their allies. 

Serious conversations and serious fun – watch how we made an impact at Mardi Gras 2024 

Mardi Gras Executive Breakfast: Continuing the conversation 

In 2023 we led important conversations at the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference.

This year, to continue the conversation, we hosted an Executive Breakfast, bringing key leaders and clients together to discuss how we can shape tomorrow by harnessing the power of diverse perspectives.  

This event was particularly important given the theme of this year's Mardi Gras, 'Our Future', symbolising a collective commitment to a more inclusive tomorrow. 

The Executive Breakfast, hosted by Deloitte, brought together leaders from across the corporate world, with purpose and intention, to share insights, reflect on the challenges facing corporate Australia, and align on how we can work together to shift the dial and truly see organisations leverage their diversity.  

Some of the key panellist takeaways were: 

• “You need to be pushing greater diversity downstream and to ask Managing Directors where the diversity is in their teams. Because that's the talent pool where the next cohort of Directors will soon be chosen.” – David Brewster (Chief Legal and Safety Officer and Executive Sponsor of LGBT+ network at Coles) 
• “We need to actively and intentionally include unrepresented groups so that the system stops unintentionally excluding them.” – Mark Baxter (Founder and Director of the Australian LGBTQ+ Board and Executive Inclusion) 
• "DEI is increasingly becoming a core business strategy, this means embedding inclusive practices and a clear vision of how DEI fits into the picture at every level of the organisation. We need leaders and everyone across our organisations to understand the power of diversity and play an active role." – Manon Pietra (DEI Lead at Canva)
• "We need to focus on the 20% of people outside of the gender binary that need better representation.” – Corey Trembath (Deloitte Director, Vice President of Wear It Purple and Board Member of A Gender Agenda) 

Our continued journey

We all have a role to play in creating a more inclusive future for our workplaces and the broader community. We can do this by: 

1. Reviewing and reflecting on the diversity within our Executive leadership positions, across LGBTI+, gender, culture, accessibility, and neurodiversity; and using those insights to create targeted actions and bridge gaps. 
2. Educating our current and future leaders on the importance of diversity across all levels and areas of the business. 
3. Actively creating pathways for diverse talent to learn, grow, and step into leadership roles. 

As we continue this journey, we’re committed to leading and engaging in conversations and initiatives that pave the way for a better future for all. We’re excited to keep pushing boundaries and making real change happen – one conversation at a time. 

Author: Jade Rogers