We’ve seen a growing appreciation of the value of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in the financial services industry. Organisations have increased their focus on D&I initiatives, but is this simply marketing rhetoric? Some would argue that we’ve seen great progress, whilst others would say there is still much to be done.

For each episode of DiverCity Podcast we invite recognised leaders and influencers – people who are pioneers in their own right – to talk about areas of transformation and aspects of D&I that need greater focus. Our contributors offer their insight and practical ideas to help organisations and individuals drive change.

Tune into our fortnightly podcast.

In this episode we focus on fintech and the emergence of tech talent in the South West of England.  Host Julia Streets is joined by Sam Seaton, CEO of Moneyhub and Stuart Harrison, Director of Fintech West. Together they highlight the unique qualities of the South West region and the differentiation from other areas of the UK. They explain why fintech will continue to be a game changer by recruiting diverse talent for a better gender and racial diversity balance and set out some of the initiatives they are undertaking to drive and inspire change.

Focus on Fintech:  Fintech West

As we celebrate Chinese New Year, host Julia Streets is joined by Lin Yue, Senior Executive at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Rana Mitter OBE, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, and a Fellow of St Cross College at the University of Oxford. Together they discuss the common misconceptions about the Chinese economy and investment habits and choices of Chinese citizens.  They look at leadership and the cultural nuances within businesses across China, the dynamic demographics of the Chinese diaspora and the opportunities to change the narrative through looking at intersectionality and commonality.

Focus on China:  Culture, Concepts and Commonality

In this special episode, at the end of Series 12, we pause for thought after another busy year. Host Julia Streets is joined by Prabhmeet Singh, an award winning Senior finance professional, currently leading the Multicultural and Inclusion Network at Willis Towers Watson, and Sunaina Sinha Haldea, Global Head of Private Capital Advisory at Raymond James Cebile. They discuss the importance of networks and embedding environmental, social and corporate governance within the wider organisation. Together they look at corporate purpose through recruitment, mentoring, behaviours and biases of leaders. In addition, the discussion turns to the topic of the mental health of leaders through mindfulness and wellbeing practices and principles.

Conscious Leadership and Corporate Purpose

TBDIn this episode, host Julia Streets is joined by Norma Gillespie, CEO of Resource Solutions and Manisha Patel, Inclusion and Culture Advisor. Together they discuss the ‘great resignation’ and the rise of Returners within financial services. They consider the different types of inequalities around when and why women have left the industry and why they now feel comfortable to return. Together they endorse the opportunities to raise the bar and support inclusive recruitment practices for Returners to become leaders, mentors, allies and to be active voices in discussions around inclusion, equality and diversity.

Returners, the great resignation, recruitment and retention

As we continue our international conversations, in this episode we look to Latin America. Host Julia Streets is joined by Angela Hurtado, Managing Director, Senior Country Officer for J.P. Morgan Colombia, and Juan Carlos Mora Uribe, Chief Executive Officer of Bancolombia. Together they discuss the dynamics and demographics of serving both rural and urban communities in Latin America; female empowerment, leadership and entrepreneurship; green finance and ESG. They share their insights on intentional and unintentional practices concerning recruitment and retention and to further female equality by focusing on women on boards. Together they believe that banking and financial services are key to promoting inclusion in society.

Financial and female inclusion in Latin America

In this episode host Julia Streets is joined by Professor Atul K. Shah, a broadcaster and Lecturer at City University in the Department of International Politics, who has written many books on topics including ethical finance, accounting, risk, diversity and sustainability, and Anjli Shah, Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments. They discuss Jain wisdom, sustainable and ethical finance in our current economic climate. Together they focus on leadership skills, the contribution of faith, and how ethical and belief frameworks are valuable in today's organisations and contribute to developing enlightened leaders.

Ethical Finance, Faith and Enlightened Leadership

To celebrate the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics we honour the might and tenacity of every disabled athlete. In this special episode host Julia Streets returns to the ever important disability discussion.  She is joined by eight time (at the time of the recording!) Paralympic champion Sophie Christiansen, who is also a software developer at Goldman Sachs. They discuss the recruitment and employment of disabled people, flexible working, the application of  the UK’s Equality Act, best practice and the use of technology within financial services.  In the second part of the interview, Julia welcomes Christiane Link, the Founder and Director of Ortegalink, an inclusion and accessibility consultancy.  Julia and Christiane discuss mobility, disability culture and the importance of valuing disabled financial services customers and outlines best practice for recruiting and retaining disabled employees.

Special Episode - Disability: Champions, Challenges, and Change

This episode discusses diversity and inclusion through data, leadership, insights and bias-free scientific intelligence.  Host Julia Streets is joined by Rana Gujral,an entrepreneur speaker, investor and CEO at Behavioural Signals and Anna Tan, a leading Asian corporate transformation and leadership coach and consultant  This two part interview starts by considering data, behaviour, Artificial Intelligence, learning mindsets and the importance of linking these to diversity with Rana Gujral.  In the second interview, Anna Tan discusses leadership, the mindsets of leaders, the science of diversity and inclusion, and how teams can achieve high performance by fully embracing diverse thinking.

S11 E5 Insights, Intelligence and Innovation:  The data and science of diversity

This episode discusses the Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce, backed by the UK Treasury and the City of London Corporation, with the mandate to increase socio-economic diversity at senior level in professional and financial services.  Host Julia Streets is joined by Yasmine Chinwala, a partner at capital markets think tank New Financial and Chris Woolard, Financial Services Partner at EY and Chair of its Global Financial Services Regulation Network. They discuss the rate of progression to senior management, of ethnic minorities and women, looking at data from the Women in Finance Charter.  They discuss the importance of socio-economic inclusion and share views on what the finance sector can do to appeal, recruit and retain staff from the widest and sometimes overlooked sections of society, through inclusive initiatives.

S11 E4 Pathways to Progression through Socio-Economic Inclusion

As we celebrate Pride, this episode focuses on a detailed discussion about educating businesses and creating the best experience for transgender and gender diverse people in the workplace; from coming out to transitioning, and workplace benefits of trans employees. Host Julia Streets is joined by Celia Daniels, Chief Programmes Officer for Trans Can Work,  who advises top Fortune 100 companies, by educating, empowering and advocating for transgender and gender non-binary individuals in the business world, and Meaghan Crockett, Life Event Services consultant and lead for the Transgender and Gender Identity Support Team at Bank of America.  They discuss the partnership between the two organisations in order to prepare and protect trans and gender diverse people in the corporate workspace, through policies and best practice. The three share views on the pending legislation in the United States and the invisibility of trans people in India.

S11 E3 - Trans inclusion and Belonging:  From the Bathroom to the Boardroom

This in-depth discussion focuses on the rise of the #StopAsianHate campaign and the United States Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, when President Biden signed the bipartisan Covid 19 hate crime legislation. Host Julia Streets is joined by Jeff Le, Vice President of Public Policy and External Affairs for Rhino from Washington D.C. and Nick Parker, Lawyer at Baker McKenzie from London. They thoughtfully navigate through the uncomfortable but long overdue conversation around discrimination against East Asians, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the lack of representation from a corporate and personal perspective. They continue by addressing how stereotypical perceptions of the ‘model minority’ can deter career progression, and the importance of how changing the mindsets of managers and leaders can lead to positive change and inclusion.

S11 E2: The Perspectives of Discrimination and Representation

This in-depth discussion focuses on the India Work Equality Index, India’s first comprehensive benchmarking tool for employers to measure their progress on lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) inclusion in the workplace. Host Julia Streets is joined by Ram Sinha, Co-Founder of Pride Circle, India and Vicky Hayden, Head of Global Partnerships at Stonewall, UK. They discuss civil society from an LGBT perspective, representation in products and services, benchmarking and standards of business conduct across the world. The three share views about the importance of inclusion, the value of collective initiatives and why indexes matter, examining the challenges and realities of upholding global values and how this translates into local impact.

The importance of benchmarking, indexes and global business conduct standards

Host Julia Streets is joined by Sir Kenneth Olisa, Founder and Chairman of Restoration Partners, Founder and Chairman of the Aleto Foundation. Freeman of the City of London, Liveryman and Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, Patron of Thames Reach and Paul Sesay, CEO at Precedent Group, Founder and CEO of Inclusive Companies Limited, Black Leaders, the National Diversity Awards and the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List. In this wide ranging discussion they discuss the importance of prioritising the recruitment, selection and promotion of alternative talent - particularly in tech - as key to navigating challenging times and rebuilding the economy. They talk about the risks of bias in redundancy decision making, the significance of black male role models in the context of tackling institutional racism, the value of board diversity and the competitive advantage that social mobility can bring.

The Competitive Advantage of Social Mobility

For our international Women’s Day episode, host Julia Streets is joined by Yvonne Thompson CBE, Entrepreneur, Campaigner and Activist and Vanessa Vallely OBE, Managing Director of  WeAreTheCity. Together they share their experiences of the changing face of entrepreneurship and business over the decades. The discussion sets out priorities when building back businesses in 2021, considers key steps to gender parity and explores the impact of Covid-19 on the female workforce. They talk about new models of leadership and the important attributes required to be successful. The conversation turns to social inclusion and the value of entrepreneurship, corporate intrepreneurs and the importance of involving women and ethnic minorities in idea generation and business decision-making.

The Changing Shape of Female and Inclusive Entrepreneurship

In this extended episode in celebration of LGBT History Month, host Julia Streets is joined by Dr Daniel Conway, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster, and Jack Guest, Diversity & Inclusion Lead, Global Wealth & Personal Banking at HSBC.  They start the discussion by charting the social and political history of PRIDE, then discuss the varied perspectives on the"corporatisation" of PRIDE.  A complex topic, together they consider the realities, opportunities and challenges of promoting LGBTQ+ rights around the world.  They discuss the varying degrees of acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees, how organisations can play a role in delivering international best practice, building and supporting communities, engaging with policy change and challenging homophobia.  The discussion extends yet further to explore the importance of the intersectionality of PRIDE, comparing and evaluating the difference between sponsorship and advocacy, and why businesses must live up to the values they are claiming.

The Corporatisation of PRIDE

Host Julia Streets is joined by Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Dr Kamal Munir of Cambridge Judge Business School. Together they discuss the “Change the Race Ratio” campaign for greater racial equality on executive boards and consider the importance of greater ethnic representation in universities. They share detailed insights from personal leadership experience about how best to create inclusive cultures in which diverse talent can thrive. Together they consider the health, economic, political and social landscape of 2021 and set clear expectations of business leaders to place diversity and inclusion at the heart of their strategic plans for future success.

Changing the Race Ratio

What better way to launch the 10th series of DiverCity Podcast, than for host Julia Streets to welcome guest Baroness Helena Morrissey DBE. In this far reaching discussion, they reflect on the 30% Club, which Helena founded in 2010, and discuss her role as Chair of the Diversity Project. Helena shares her insights and learning as an industry leader, considers the progression of women on boards worldwide, and expands on the requirements for organisational change. Together they explore Helena's perspectives on new hybrid working models, the importance of mentoring and the role of male champions. Finally, as she reflects on the past decade, Helena explains why financial firms must authentically prioritise diversity and inclusion in order to reap the rewards and harness the commercial and investment opportunities on offer.

D&I :Baroness Morrissey reflects on progress and considers the road ahead

Host Julia Streets is joined by Mitesh Sheth, Chief Executive Officer of Redington and Jayne Styles, co-lead of the Diversity Project’s Ambassador Programme. They discuss ‘building back better’ in the investment management industry and the role of consultants and investors in driving change. They share detailed insights about how best to attract and onboard diverse talent with particular consideration for ethnic minority employees and staff with disabilities. Together they share their perspectives about building and changing workplace culture, corporate and individual resilience and the importance of fully embracing D&I to ensure organisations are adaptable, a fundamental requirement for survival and growth. Reflecting on 2020, Jayne and Mitesh also observe how many firms are reviewing their purpose, taking into account lessons learned through this lockdown year.

Build Back Better: The requirement for resilience

Many elements come into play when attracting the right talent. Is your careers page up-to-date? Does your website accurately represent your company culture and communicate it clearly to recruited applicants? In terms of internal processes, do you have an ongoing talent acquisition strategy? How efficient are your application screening and onboarding processes? Where and how are you looking for top candidates and are you enabling them to find you? Discover best practices and learn from industry thought leaders by joining the recruiting community.

Recruiting

Happy employees make productive employees. HR managers are now finding that compensation and benefits alone cannot keep employees happy; they also need nurturing through proper training and development. Join the BrightTALK talent management community to learn how to engage and retain your best talent by providing them with the tools and rewards they need to enhance their performance and reach their potential.

Talent Management

Human resources is intrinsically linked to business success and requires a thoughtful balance of a variety of complex issues. The human resources community on BrightTALK is made up of thousands of professionals in human resources exchanging human resources best practices and advice. Watch hundreds of on-demand webinars for immediate information or participate in upcoming live webinars and have your questions answered by respected HR thought leaders.

Human Resources

Join this new, vibrant community to learn and connect with top thought leaders, startups and banks who are disrupting the financial services industry. Keep up with the latest news and trends in Fintech and take part in lively debates on topical issues and challenges.

Fintech

The accounting and finance community on BrightTALK features presentations from leading accountants and finance professionals. The accounting community includes tax planning strategies, QuickBooks webinars and other accounting webinars, while the finance community features presentations on financial capital regulations and forensic data analytics. Join the conversation by attending live financial and accounting presentations and connecting with industry thought leaders.

Finance

Leadership styles are continually evolving to incorporate new ways of thinking about employee satisfaction, motivation and performance. Find webinars and videos on the strategies, techniques and qualities that make an effective leader. By participating in this community you will gain insight into current leadership theories and how to optimize employee performance.

Leadership

In the business management community, commercial experts will be sharing webinars and videos on an array of subjects. From sales and marketing, to finance, productivity and growth, this content will help you stay up-to-date with the current economic environment and provide timely management insight to drive business growth.