Over the years I've watched Gemma Greaves chief executive of The Marketing Society gradually re-invent the society to reflect the evolving landscape.
I've been particularly impressed by the launch of the "Brave series" which lends itself to "being comfortable about being uncomfortable", as I believe this is the way sustained change will start to occur.
Those who spoke at this event told highly personalized stories regarding race. Here are Gemma's outtakes:
- Don’t be afraid to talk, embrace it, have the difficult conversations
- Diversity is fluid, there’s not just one story
- Stop looking at people as labels, look at them as diverse humans
- Celebrate your differences, they make you memorable, and being different gives you the license to act differently
- We're different because of the experiences we've had, not the colour of our skin
- Check your own biases often, conscious or unconscious. We need to be aware of our own tendencies.
I personally did not speak however I would like to share the following articles which I've found quite insightful and personally can relate to certain facets even though the focus is on the USA:
1. Black women and the C-suite via Fortune.Com
2. Third culture
https://medium.com/@asherunoir/on-diversity-inclusion-and-culture-8b3632895f4f
3. This article was shared on social media post the event focusing on the advertising sector
http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2018/02/21/derek-walker-advertising-has-no-stomach-fair-fight
I look forward to part 2 of this event where we look to the implementation of sustained actions for the UK Market.
By Ade Onilude, founder and CEO, Women in Marketing CIC, womeninmarketing.org.uk
