Breaking the bias

Allyship – the act of advancing the interests of marginalised groups – is an oft-overlooked step in fighting bias in the workplace. As well as being a lifelong marketer, Toni Allen, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing & Engagement at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), has been a staunch supporter of the diversity and inclusion agenda. She describes what it means to be an ally, how the IET is nurturing the next generation of talent, and what employers can do to build an inclusive future.

Christina Leimoni, Marketing and Operations Director for Microsoft, is blazing a trail as one of the few openly gay, female execs in the technology industry – not to mention in Greece, her home country. In this episode of the podcast, she discusses tokenism, the vastly different cultural and legislative barriers to inclusion across Europe, and her fight to be recognized as a wife and mother in a country that is yet to legalize same-sex marriage.

Irina Velkova, Associate Director, Grant Thornton, discusses her experience with bias in both her native Bulgaria – where she served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister – and in the UK; why education and culture paves the way for diversity; and the importance of staying grounded as a leader.

"I've always been a proponent of staying true to who you are and using that as a foundation for everything you want to accomplish in your life." Suzanne Randall comes from a long line of Native American matriarchs, many of whom suffered at the hands of a US federal government program designed to "assimilate" native children to American culture.

In this episode, Suzanne tells of her ancestors' resolve to stay true to their identity against all odds, and how this pride and resiliency has characterized her career and leadership style. As a managing director in marketing and communications for Accenture, Suzanne is a fierce advocate for inclusion and diversity, founding Accenture's Native American Employee Resource Group and championing difference in every facet of her life and work.