How promoting best practice for EDI within the UK foundation industries helped embed new learning, behaviours, processes, and innovation required for industry transformation for a sustainable future and to achieve the net zero 2050 goals.
Introduction
TransFIRe is funded by the UKRI Transforming the Foundation Industries challenge fund, set out to develop innovative technology to reduce energy and resource use within the foundation industries – which include the cement, glass, ceramics, paper, metals and bulk chemicals sectors.
TransFIRe is an interdisciplinary research and practice hub with 12 UK research organisations and more than 80 project partners from across the foundation industries, trade associations, professional membership bodies, civic sector and government organisations.
The Brief
TransFIRe’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) programme exists to inform and support adoption of best practice for EDI within the UK foundation industries and beyond. It believes EDI to be requisite to embed the new learning, behaviours, process, and innovation required for industry transformation for a sustainable future and to achieve the net zero 2050 goals.
Its goal is to establish foundations and leadership for EDI within the foundation industries to create and sustain this industry transformation.
Professor Sue Black OBE, Professor of Computer Science at Durham University, and TransFIRe’s EDI workstream lead, approached us in 2021, at the start of the TransFIRe programme, for support to recruit a small EDI team.
Inclusioneering’s CEO and founder, Jo Stansfield, took on this role.
While recruitment was underway, the scope quickly grew to kickstart the programme by defining and agreeing TransFIRe’s EDI strategy with key stakeholders. Then, with the new team onboarded, Jo was asked to continue working with the team as a fractional equity, diversity, and inclusion leader, with responsibility to guide the team and for successful delivery of the programme.
Outcomes
Over approaching a three year period, Jo led a number of projects. You can find out more detail in the linked studies:
- Successful recruitment of two EDI team members, and subsequently providing them with mentorship and guidance.
- EDI Strategy development, in partnership with Professor Sue Black OBE, to capture and elaborate the EDI vision, contextualised with industry needs, and establishing clear governance structure, action plan, and success measures.
- Production and co-hosting of the Equity Edge podcast. The podcast welcomed expert guests in discussion about shaping tomorrow’s foundation industries, with a focus on EDI and how it can help us achieve a sustainable and fairer future. It became considered one of TransFIRe’s flagship outputs.
- Sparking industry engagement on equity, diversity and inclusion, through convening an EDI Working Group of industry leaders, and workshop/presentation sessions at many industry events.
- Pioneering research of the state of industry EDI adoption. As a new topic to these industries, there were many gaps in research, and it appeared that adoption of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices was not well established. This research identified the current state of EDI adoption.
- Capturing an EDI Playbook for the Foundation Industries. This is an open set of resources and case studies to support organisations within the foundation industries to increase equity, diversity and inclusion in their teams.
- Providing internal EDI support for TransFIRe’s programme team.
Jo Stansfield (right) with the TransFIRe EDI Team: Professor Sue Black OBE, Ciel Newton, and Mike Thakoordin
Impact
TransFIRe’s EDI programme concluded successfully in June 2024, achieving significant advancements in the foundation industries. The final report features substantial information about the EDI programme, and states: “The development of a comprehensive equity, diversity and inclusion strategy and playbook has significantly improved workplace culture and inclusivity. These resources, highlighted at every TransFIRe Foundation Industry Forum, remain accessible as enduring tools for fostering equity within the Foundation Industries.”
”Jo has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the last 2 years. She has great expertise across both tech/engineering and EDI which has been invaluable to our work together on the TransFIRe project. Highly capable working with me at a strategic level through to managing team members, organising and running workshops, creating reports, giving talks, creating questionnaires and so much more. Jo is incredible, I couldn't recommend her more highly.
Professor Sue Black OBE, Durham University, EDI leader for TransFIRe
Enquire about fractional EDI leadership”As the Director on this programme to help the Foundation Industries on a path to Net Zero it has been fantastic to work with the EDI Team led by Professor Sue Black OBE and Jo Stansfield. These industries have huge challenges in all aspects of EDI. They also hold the key to solving many of our challenges with Climate Change… We need a change of team to achieve net zero. That change will come by implementing EDI fully across all the sectors - at all levels - to change mind sets and increase creativity and diversity of thinking.
Professor Mark Jolly, Cranfield University, Director of TransFIRe