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

This episode was recorded live at the Women in Payments UK 2019 Symposium in London on 28th March 2019. Our host Julia Streets was joined by Rashmi Prabhakar, Chief of Staff for Global Services at Finastra, Jacqueline Keogh, Global Head Payments GTM at Western Union Business Solutions, and Smriti Vicari, Head of FinTech at Visa.

During this panel, the diversity and inclusion discussion explores the commercial impact of diversity in FinTech and financial services. Winning the equality debate requires support for, alignment with and engagement from representatives from many other constituents and groups.

Jane Welsh, Senior Investment Consultant and Project Manager for the Diversity Project, and Marissa Ellis, Strategy Consultant, Advisor and the Founder of Diversily, discuss what it takes to be truly inclusive. How can organisations attract diverse talent from non-financial backgrounds? They explore the power of collaboration and sharing best practice, growing pressures on senior leadership and middle management, how government and industry regulators are driving D&I up the agenda, improving diversity in Asset Management and why it’s more important than ever for senior leaders from diverse backgrounds to become industry role models.

Madison Marriage, the Financial Times journalist who went under cover at the President's Club & Wincie Wong, Head of Innovation for Supply Chain Services at RBS, reflect on the global story and discuss to what extent the world has changed. Other topics of discussion include gender pay gap reporting, the importance of exit interview data, demystifying the whistleblowing and escalation process, embedding tech lessons into school curricula, how diverse teams and inclusive leaders drive innovation, and why D&I is more important than ever in times of economic uncertainty.

Timed for release during LGBT History Month, we welcome Matt Cameron, Founder of The Ocean Partnership and LGBT Great, the global investment management industry network, and Hephzi Pemberton, Angel Investor and Founder & CEO of the Equality Group, seeking to widen the range of exceptional candidates.

In this episode we discuss promoting LGBT+ inclusion within the global investment industry, increasing diversity in leadership positions overall, why we need ethnic minority 30% Club-style targets, how to attract diverse talent from other industries and sources, the multiplier effect of investing in women and how some D&I categorisation can present potential barriers to inclusivity.

This episode was recorded live at the Women in Payments USA 2019 Symposium in Washington on 5th February 2019.

Our host Julia Streets was joined by Jan Estep, President and CEO of NACHA, Linda Quaranto, Consulting Managing Director of Deloitte, and Randall Tucker Chief Inclusion Officer Mastercard.

During this panel discussion, the diversity and inclusion discussion explores the potential for harnessing the power of intersectionality to accelerate change. Winning the equality debate requires support for, alignment with and engagement from representatives from many other constituents and groups. During this discussion - guided by podcast host, Julia Streets - the esteemed panel will shine a light on areas of positive progress, call out areas requiring further focus and offer of plenty of practical ideas to help drive change.

Amali de Alwis, CEO of Code First: Girls, discusses providing free coding courses to support new waves of female tech talent, the need for greater diversity in tech, retaining a diverse workforce, newly emerging roles and specialisms, bringing together different generations of talent, work life balance, and creating the leaders of the future.

In the final episode of Series Three, Mariam Jimoh, Founder & Director of Women in the City Afro-Caribbean Network (WCAN), and Alex Odwell, Managing Director of Referment, discuss why being a D&I pioneer gives firms a competitive advantage, eliminating recruiters’ subconscious bias, creative ways to test job candidates, intersectionality, the shortcomings of a ‘one size fits all’ approach, encouraging diverse talent to apply for roles, and the power of including networks in the recruitment process.

Tiina Likki, Principal Advisor at The Behavioural Insights Team, and Peter Randall, CEO of SETL, discuss D&I through the lens of behavioural science, why some D&I initiatives aren’t generating results, why presenteeism is overrated, the importance of the returnee talent pool, using data to drive organisational change, ways to evaluate the impact of diversity, and the importance of pacing yourself, understanding own limitations and learning from history.

Abadesi Osunsade, founder of Hustle Crew and NonTechTech, and Pippa Dale, Head of Fixed Income Roadshows at BNP Paribas, discuss ways to make tech more inclusive, the importance of focusing on intersectionality, the power of digital networks, the value of the OUTDirectory, holding companies accountable to greater social values, and expanding gender pay gap reporting across the board.

Paul Cleal, Vice Chair of Kingston University and board member and/or advisor to The Premier League, National Citizen Service Trust and Sainsbury’s Foundation and James De Sausmarez, Head of Investment Trusts at Janus Henderson Investors, discuss changing the many false perceptions of working in the City. How can organisations facilitate the advancement of BAME employees and use their recruitment data to attract more diverse talent? Why the ‘safe’ choice isn’t always best and the importance of role models and mentors. How do changing incentives drive greater D&I and increase focus on helping middle management layers to change, and what benefit do placements and internships offer to shift more entrenched mindsets?