Hi, I'm Gerry.
Diversity Networks Manager and anime enthusiast, London
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My journey so far…
I was born in a small town in rural Bulgaria. I grew up in a close-knit community, where everyone knew everything about each other. During my school years I loved history and sports, and I would often spend time swimming, running and attending competitive sport competitions. While it was a beautiful place to grow up, I always knew I wanted to explore. I moved to Berlin for university, then to Frankfurt for a job in HR, and finally found myself in London working for a big tech firm. I loved being part of these vibrant, open communities and soon realised that I’m pansexual. The area I come from in Bulgaria is quite conservative, so it wasn’t something I’d thought about before then. Sharing my own experiences of my sexuality and learning about other people’s stories made me want to become an ally in the community. I immediately became involved in different LGBTQ+ groups in the city. Five years later I joined Deloitte, because I was attracted to the diversity of the firm and the wide range of voices involved in the decision-making processes.
Work that matters
I joined Proud at Deloitte network, which supports LGBTQ+ activities, in my first week and became co-leader of the network’s events team after my first year. I did have imposter syndrome at first, because I had an idea of what a person at Deloitte should look like, but I was proven wrong. Everyone can be themselves here, and this great community inspired me to continue my work in diversity and inclusion.
I am now the Diversity Networks manager, overseeing all 12 of our diversity networks. These networks connect people who share characteristics such as gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity and parenting/caring responsibilities, and they play an important role in supporting inclusion. As well as providing a safe space, our networks also support the development of strategies and policies that help our people to thrive.
It’s my role to set them up for success, which means looking at their operations, their budgets and strategies, to see how Deloitte can deliver the right support. I love being connected to different parts of the business and meeting new people. My week is never the same and I’m also able to help organise and participate in all the different network events.
This year I’m really proud to have been nominated for the British LGBTQ+ Awards in the Top 10 Inclusive campaigners category, as a result of my work with the PROUD network and wider LGBTQ+ community. I am also an advocate and ally for all other networks, and I'm passionate about ensuring people have the representation they need. I love being able to support our people to be the best they can be.
Highlights from my week
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I facilitate a session in Manchester for 300 university students, as part of Spring into Deloitte, one of our early career programmes. I talk about our diversity networks and the support we can offer. | I work from home today, reviewing the current inclusion resources on our intranet pages to see how we can make them more accessible. We also have a session with the inclusion team to review resources for our faith-based networks. | Today I attend a lunch and learn session held by the Workability network, which focuses on how our business can better support colleagues and community members with disabilities and long-term health conditions. After work I go to the gym to wind down. | I meet with the PROUD steering committee to plan our participation at Pride events this year. I am in the office today, which is a nice chance to catch up with the team and go for some drinks after work. | I work from home on Fridays. I collaborate with the inclusion team, internal communications and brand teams, to showcase the achievements of the diversity networks for the year. In the evening, I go for dinner with friends. |
My weekend looks like
I love a good lie-in on the weekend with a book, but when the weather is nice, I try to be really active. My partner and I might go for a walk in Richmond Park or join a picnic or a BBQ with friends. We like to go backpacking during our holidays, and we’ve recently travelled to New Zealand and South-East Asia. I also love anime culture and I’m currently studying Japanese in my free time.
3 things I've learned
Be curious
Inclusion comes from active listening and understanding. You need to be open to learning and not be afraid to make mistakes. By being open, you’ll be able to build strong relationships with others.
Stay true to yourself
It’s really important to remember where you’ve come from, what you’ve been through and where you’re going. You always need to be who you are and believe in yourself.
Be kind
Wherever you come from, we all want to be treated with kindness and respect. People respond well to kindness, which helps all of us achieve more together.
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Gerry's book recommendation
Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking by Matthew Syed
This fantastic book explores the power of diversity and why it’s one of our key strengths. It encourages you to think about business problem solving, and the ways that an inclusive culture can support this. For example, sharing different perspectives brings new ideas, but we can only achieve this if we have a range of diverse voices who feel confident to share their expertise and experiences. This book proves that a pool of collective intelligence is likely to achieve a bigger goal.
