Diversity & Inclusion with Adrienne Daly
What does inclusion mean to you?
For me inclusion is about creating diverse teams, empowering people to be themselves and to feel safe to participate and contribute without fear. I think we can all agree on the value proposition of inclusion but ultimately what really matters is what we do. At a practical level, for me inclusion is seeking out someone in the room who is on their own and bringing them into the conversation or just making sure everyone’s thoughts have been heard in a meeting.
What challenges did you experience, if any, in your career and how did you overcome them?
I have been extremely privileged in the access to education and employment that I have had. It is important for all of us to recognise our privileges and accept that a lot of them are down to sheer luck of the draw; therefore, we should actively use our position to help others who may not be as fortunate.
For me inclusion is about creating diverse teams, empowering people to be themselves and to feel safe to participate and contribute without fear.
What could others learn from your journey?
I think we all must keep our minds open to new and different ways of thinking and doing things and take care not to create an echo chamber around ourselves by learning about, and challenging, our unconscious bias. To enable this, having diverse teams is key. We need to include talent from all backgrounds. Access programmes, Development internships, return to work schemes all play an important part in how we can build even more diversity in our teams and create an inclusive environment.
Please describe inclusion in 5 words.
Embrace, Involve, Curiosity, Acceptance, Awareness
