Businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire have been given an insight into the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and how it can drive success and growth.
Coventry City Council, in partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, hosted the event ‘Business Growth: Harnessing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Success!’ at St Mary’s Guildhall.
Around 100 delegates attended the event chaired by Andy Williams, director of regeneration and economy at Coventry City Council, who gave an insight into his career path as well as what the council is doing to champion the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion. Andy is Coventry City Council’s first Executive Sponsor for Race at Work.
Keynote speaker Natasha Broomfield-Reid, of diversity and inclusion consultancy Diverse Matters, spoke about the differences between equity, equality, diversity and inclusion, and the benefits of investing in it.
This was followed by a panel session with Christabelle Amoakoh, of The Highfield Centre; Tina Chander, of Wright Hassall; Sharonjit Clare, of WMCA; Kennedy Campbell, of Skint2Mint and Richard Easter, of The Yard, who gave their own thoughts on inclusivity in the workplace and what can be done to enhance this.
Natasha Broomfield-Reid said: “It is a good thing to invest in diversity for many reasons. Every business wants the very best in talent that they could possibly reach, but sadly a lot of people don't assess how they can reach the widest pool of people and may recruit in the same way every time. This often results in insufficient people applying and not having a wider range of applicants.
“Businesses need to do things differently so that people believe that they are an organisation that’s welcoming to them, whoever they are.
“There is a wealth of communities within Coventry and those recruiting need to be looking deeper into how to both recruit and retain these talented people, as studies have shown that a diverse workforce enhances the performance of a business.
“This event was a fantastic opportunity to bring businesses together and give some advice on what more they could be doing to develop a diverse workforce.”
Richard Easter added: “Our whole ethos at The Yard is to welcome everyone in, not just the LGBTQ+ community, and act as a safe space for everyone to enjoy. My personal belief is that unless you create a safe space like this, you can’t break down barriers and integrate people.
“You need to bring people together to encourage diversity, and I was extremely pleased to be part of the event which included some very inspiring conversations which will help make a positive difference in businesses across the area.”
The event was funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through Business Growth West Midlands as part of its Business Support Roadshows.
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said “Embracing diversity and inclusion enhances creativity and innovation and, in turn, that’s good for people and good for business. Coventry is rich in diversity and it was good to see so many people at the event – all keen to see how they can make a positive difference.”
Andy Williams, Coventry City Council’s first Executive Sponsor for Race at Work, said: “I would like to thank everyone who attended the event and contributed to the discussions on how embracing equality, diversity and inclusion can drive success and growth within businesses.
“Our communities and the customers we serve are diverse and must be better understood and engaged. Coventry is not the same city that I came to 25 years ago - it is a very different city with over 200 languages spoken inside it.
“I do hope in the future that we can move away from specific events on equality, diversity and inclusions and see it embedded in everything that we do, particularly within business.”