Raising the Ceiling on Diversity and Inclusion
A great deal has been written about diversity and inclusion, and prior to that equality and equal opportunities, across the business, academic and public policy domains. Whilst much progress has been made in relation to diversity and inclusion across a multitude of sectors, what is lacking is an understanding of the processes involved in bringing about a major programme of organisational change and in order to make EDI policies work.
A collaborative three-year research project funded by the ESRC between the Universities of Leeds, Birmingham and Durham and leading retailer Marks & Spencer aimed to bridge this gap by developing knowledge of how to successfully implement diversity and inclusion strategies in organisations.
Leeds University Business School is delighted to invite you to this Ideas in Practice event which marks the conclusion of the project. The M&S Director for International and Head of the Inclusion & Diversity Group, Paul Friston, will talk about their journey in implementing the strategy at M&S. The researchers will present an overview of the project findings and key messages as well as their experiences of working with M&S. Topics that will be covered include: inclusivity and retention, career success, career development and promotion, and intersectionality of protected characteristics.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Conference Programme:
10.00am:
Welcome by Jackie Ford, Professor of Leadership and Organisation Studies, Durham University Business School. Introductions and overview of the collaborative research project with M&S
10.10am:
Keynote Presentation: Paul Friston, International Director and Chair of the Inclusion Group at M&S
10.30am:
Cleo Thompson, Group Head of Inclusion & Diversity at M&S
10.50am:
Q&A for Paul Friston and Cleo Thompson
11.00am:
Dr Kathryn Watson, Senior Research Fellow and Research Impact Manager, Leeds University Business School. Generic highlights from the research on ‘Raising the Ceiling on Diversity and Inclusion’ with M&S.
11.20am:
Q&A with the Research Team: Kathryn Watson and Jackie Ford
11.30am:
Jackie Ford, Professor of Leadership and Organisation Studies, Durham University Business School. Event summary, key messages and thank you.
11.40am:
Event close
This event is part of the Leeds University Business School’s Ideas in Practice seminar series, bringing together business people, policy makers and academics. The events take place in Leeds and London where we discuss important topics and share ideas to help companies and public bodies both in the UK and globally. Find out more here.
