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Variety is essential to unlocking employees potential and serving to companies develop

Diversity is key to unlocking staff potential and helping businesses grow

By accepting diversity, companies can grow and use new skills and experiences.

This was the message of four leaders in their field across the northern region working to improve the mix of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Sally Penni MBE, founder of Women in the Law UK, argued that the North is fortunate to have many visible role models.

She said it was important to attract talent to the region instead of falling into the trap of being too focused on London: “We’re up north and in the city of Emmeline Pankhurst. We need more people who come here and see that and invest in us. “

Sally said there was one area that needs special attention: “For example, the number of female CEOs is abysmal.”

This was taken up by Beth Houghton, a partner at Palatine Private Equity, which invests in many companies in the north. She said that they are working closely with the 25 companies in their portfolio on this matter: “We are following the diversity in our portfolio. We talk about things like subconscious prejudice, ”she said.

Craig Burton, founder of Friends of Dorothy, a group that supports older members of the LGBT community, emphasized the value of being able to use experiences and different perspectives in life.

He said, “The older, older LGBT community went back in the closet.”

He said they lost the community spirit because LGBT bars are now “all flashing lights”.

Craig said, “We set out to bring these people back out and create a community.

“Community is an antidote to loneliness – simple stuff, but you have to do your research.

“These elderly people are the giants we stand on shoulders. It is important for us to get the young community to get to know older, older people. It’s a bit like they have grandparents and also leaders of tomorrow. “

Irene Afful, board member of Professional Liverpool and behind Ametrine Coaching & Consultancy, said equality and diversity have been a passion of hers for decades and that her work helps companies embrace change.

Irene Afful

“My company works with organizations to give them something to measure their progress against. They help organizations reach their full potential, such as having diversity at the top of the organization. “

Sally Penni believes that neurodiversity and intersectionality, such as invisible disabilities such as ADHD, are the next priorities: “There are many CEO entrepreneurs who are dyslexic,” she said by way of example.

She believes that more people need to be brought into the economy and into businesses with such conditions. She said, “Some people can’t come in at 9 a.m. – bring them in at 2 p.m. while the job is done.”

Sally also highlighted a dangerous stance that some companies reveal when they say, “We have a gay man – we have a couple of women”. She said, “Don’t treat them as competing factors.”

Irene used personal experiences to illustrate how companies can benefit from changing their attitudes: “I have a son who has ADHD and is rated on the autism spectrum.”

She said that people in such conditions have great skills to get them into the business world but are often overlooked: “My son is such a talented and sensitive child, but his academic skills may not be up to date. It’s about making the right adjustments to welcome them into the business world, ”she said

The moderator of the session, broadcaster and entrepreneur Ngunan Adamu, replied: “It’s not about the spell check, it’s about the application form.”

And she added a personal point of view when speaking on interview panels: “A friend of mine is Chinese. She lost an interview because she didn’t make eye contact. She is a great executive producer. I really thought “

Invest North is a one-day virtual conference that is attended by more than 500 people, including business and political leaders, to set the agenda for next steps in the north.

The event was curated by TheBusinessDesk.com and supported by a broad coalition of public and private sector organizations led by EY, Squire Patton Boggs, Influential and Impact Data Metrics.

Find out more here