I was honoured to be asked to speak at PICTFOR‘s seventh Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Rally in the Thames Pavillion, Houses of Parliament on Tuesday 15th July. PICTFOR is the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum – an All Party Parliamentary Group that brings together Parliamentarians from all parties and both Houses with key players in the internet, communications and technology sectors to engage with the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.
This is what I had to say:
This has been a tough year for diversity and inclusion. Not just in the US, but in the UK we have also seen a rolling back of diversity, equity, and inclusion and of people’s rights.
I founded my business, Inclusioneering, after a 20 year career making industrial software, because I want engineering and technology to be the best they can be, to take us into a fair and prosperous future for everyone. And that’s all about people. It’s about who innovates, and who benefits from innovation.
Despite this year’s challenges, I feel optimistic. Because we are on the cusp of a transformative opportunity with the UK’s new Industrial Strategy.
Advancements in tech underpin the success of each sector. With Inclusioneering’s clients, we see first hand how government policy drives inclusion in the innovation space. In my work with Transforming the Foundation Industries programmes, I saw how EDI expectations from UKRI sparked leaders to envisage workstreams to bring changes across not just their programmes, but their entire industries.
When I talk to manufacturing leaders, they see tech as a great opportunity to diversify their workforce. They don’t come with preconceptions about what a tech worker looks like. They see tech as opportunity to enable flexibility for their workforce, and to bring in new ways of thinking.
I agree with them.
The Industrial strategy states that the fastest-growing areas of the economy of the future will be those driven by technology. As our workforce and skills landscape is transforming this is an unparalleled opportunity to enable more women, more disabled people, more who are economically inactive, into meaningful, skilled, and important work – including entrepreneurship. And the outcome of that will benefit us all.
My ask of you all. Diversity and inclusion isn’t just a platitude that sites in a top level strategy. I see this all too often in organisations – high level statements fail to ripple down to any impact on the ground.
To the Parliamentarians – diversity and inclusion must be embedded throughout the Industrial Strategy implementation. Embed those clear expectations, and create incentives for the innovation ecosystem to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion.
And to the business leaders here – be that leader who acts on the nudge, thinks big and does something transformational.
Together, with tech, we can transform opportunities for the economy and us all.
