DiverCity Podcast: Talking Diversity and Inclusion in the Financial Services Industry

As we close Series 13, host Julia Streets is joined by Eli Albrecht, Associate Attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and George Bettany, Co-founder of Sanctus. Together they share their personal and professional insights exploring the value of balance, rest and mental health and offer suggestions about how to navigate the balance in demanding professional careers.

They discuss the practice - and realities - of observing Shabbat, and explore traditional and contemporary wellbeing and mental health practices that help people achieve high performance and avoid burnout along the way. The conversation leads to setting boundaries around the practice of faith, as well as the power of strong corporate role models speaking about their personal mental health journey.

Host Julia Streets is joined by Jeremy Seeff, partner at Epstein Rosenblum Maoz (ERM) and Director of LGBTech, and Nava Swersky Sofer, a board member, CEO and consultant on innovation, entrepreneurship, venture capital and technology transfer. Together they discuss the vibrancy and innovation of the rise of the tech industry in Israel. They look at the importance of Environmental, Social and Governance through the lens of various stakeholders, and discuss how initiatives can strengthen the LGBT community within the workplace and increase female leadership on boards.

In this episode we focus on black and ethnic minority enterprise and investment. Host Julia Streets is joined by Eric Collins, CEO and Founding Member of Impact X Capital Partners and Host of Channel 4’s The Money Maker and Ali Kazmi, Founder of Ethical Equity. Together they discuss how investing in black and under-represented entrepreneurs will be a socio-economic game changer for the future. The conversation hones in on ethical start-ups and Sharia compliant investments. Together, they reason why tech is important for business start-ups and how recruitment and education continue to feed the pipeline for inclusive representation within business and financial services.

In this episode we focus on fintech and the emergence of tech talent in the South West of England. Host Julia Streets is joined by Sam Seaton, CEO of Moneyhub and Stuart Harrison, Director of Fintech West. Together they highlight the unique qualities of the South West region and the differentiation from other areas of the UK. They explain why fintech will continue to be a game changer by recruiting diverse talent for a better gender and racial diversity balance and set out some of the initiatives they are undertaking to drive and inspire change.

As we celebrate Chinese New Year, host Julia Streets is joined by Lin Yue, Senior Executive at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Rana Mitter OBE, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, and a Fellow of St Cross College at the University of Oxford. Together they discuss the common misconceptions about the Chinese economy and investment habits and choices of the Chinese. They look at leadership and the cultural nuances within businesses across China, the dynamic demographics of the Chinese diaspora and the opportunities to change the narrative through looking at intersectionality and commonality.

To kick off 2022 and Series 13, we celebrate the contribution of veterans. Host Julia Streets is joined by George Griffin, Customer Success Manager at Salesforce and Vice President of Vetforce, Michelle Osborne, Executive Director, Head of Emerging Talent and Military Veterans Affairs, JP Morgan Chase and David Wiseman, Grants & Programmes Director at the Invictus Games Foundation, Head of Programmes at the Royal Foundation and Co-Founder of Peak State: Mental Fitness. They discuss some of the common misconceptions around hiring veteran talent and from the wider military community and reflect on leadership attributes and the transferable skills which make valuable contributions to financial services organisations. Together they look at the importance of intersectionality, recruitment best practice, building networks and the value of the Armed Forces Covenant.

In this special episode, at the end of Series 12, we pause for thought after another busy year. Host Julia Streets is joined by Prabhmeet Singh, an award winning Senior finance professional, currently leading the Multicultural and Inclusion Network at Willis Towers Watson, and Sunaina Sinha Haldea, Global Head of Private Capital Advisory at Raymond James Cebile. They discuss the importance of networks and embedding environmental, social and corporate governance within the wider organisation. Together they look at corporate purpose through recruitment, mentoring, behaviours and biases of leaders. In addition, the discussion turns to the topic of the mental health of leaders through mindfulness and wellbeing practices and principles.

In this episode, host Julia Streets is joined by Norma Gillespie, CEO of Resource Solutions and Manisha Patel, Inclusion and Culture Advisor. Together they discuss the ‘great resignation’ and the rise of Returners within financial services. They consider the different types of inequalities around when and why women have left the industry and why they now feel comfortable to return. Together they endorse the opportunities to raise the bar and support inclusive recruitment practices for Returners to become leaders, mentors, allies and to be active voices in discussions around inclusion, equality and diversity.

As we continue our international conversations, in this episode we look to Latin America. Host Julia Streets is joined by Angela Hurtado, Managing Director, Senior Country Officer for J.P. Morgan Colombia, and Juan Carlos Mora, Chief Executive Officer of Bancolombia. Together they discuss the dynamics and demographics of serving both rural and urban communities in Latin America; female empowerment, leadership and entrepreneurship; green finance and ESG. They share their insights on intentional and unintentional practices concerning recruitment and retention and to further female equality by focusing on women on boards. Together they believe that banking and financial services are key to promoting inclusion in society.

In this episode host Julia Streets is joined by Professor Atul K. Shah, a broadcaster and Lecturer at City University in the Department of International Politics, who has written many books on topics including ethical finance, accounting, risk, diversity and sustainability, and Anjli Shah, Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments. They discuss Jain wisdom, sustainable and ethical finance in our current economic climate. Together they focus on leadership skills, the contribution of faith, and how ethical and belief frameworks are valuable in today's organisations and contribute to developing enlightened leaders.