Summit Welcome – Tania Ferreira, Senior Conference Producer, Bonhill Group plc.

DiversityQ introduction – Cheryl Cole, Editor, DiversityQ

Chairperson Introduction: Rebecca Perrault, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Exponential Talent

● Reviewing the best examples of D&I initiatives and workplace culture

● What are the key factors that have made these initiatives successful?

● To get to this level of success, what do D&I professionals and organisations have to do?

● Where do you start?

Don Trahan Jr., Director of REDI, NeighborWorks America

● Why should we be collecting employee data and how does this information impact the workplace, products and services?

● Outlining the step-by-step data acquisition process, how to identify bias and maintain confidentiality

● Are the reasons and purpose of the data collection being communicated effectively? Are we sharing the findings and why is it important to do so?

● How does employee data drive equity and profitability?

● Using data to analyze the correlation between non-diverse teams, product development and product success

Moderator: Karen Brown, Founder and Managing Director, Bridge Arrow

Rebecca Perrault, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Exponential Talent

● How greater understanding and pattern tracking can reduce employee churn

● Identifying the roles/teams/areas of business with the most churn and the reasons for this i.e. team dynamics, leadership, responsibilities, targets, company

● Analyzing today’s external pressures and responsibilities – Are we taking these into account?

● Understanding professional stagnation – why are employees not progressing? Lack of opportunity? Personal choice and why? Are we asking the right questions?

● Proof that a better understanding and pattern tracking does influence teams, productivity and development

Interviewer: Ruth Umoh, Reporter – Diversity and Inclusion, Forbes

Bernard Guinyard, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Goodwin

● Discussing corporate/start-up company dynamics, chain of command and implementation time

● How to navigate large/global corporations with regards to D&I

● Are start-ups our hope for a more D&I friendly future

● What happens when companies merge or get acquired? Is the forward-thinking D&I work compromised and/or lost?

● How can we guarantee forward-thinking D&I strategies survive and thrive post change?

Moderator: Ruth Umoh, Reporter – Diversity and Inclusion, Forbes

Rachel Williams, Head of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Talent Acquisition, X – the moonshot factory

Sarah Hassaine, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion, Qualcomm

Jessica Hooper, Founder, Lighthouse Culture Co. 

● Discussing the benefits of a constantly evolving era of tech on the subject of D&I

● How has tech influenced D&I strategies, processes and external communication

● What new threats do we need to consider, manage and prepare for?

● Addressing messaging, awareness, cyber bullying, flexible working, employee monitoring, forums and networks – how are we managing all these areas?

● How will tech advance further D&I efforts?

Sandeep Roychowdhury, Founder and Director, Innovate2Grow 

● Digital humanism: the ability for AI and machine learning to enhance the human spirit

● The new moral compass for human equality

● Inclusion and diversity in a world of chatbots, machines, robots and AI is all about eliminating bias

● The cure to the insidious cancer of bias – three simple questions we can ask now to avoid the moral hazard of the digital age before it’s too late

● Understanding how to avoid this hidden divide

What do you do once you have: collected the data; analyzed the data; understood the technology and the company culture; benchmarked your company vs other organizations; and conducted your SWOT analysis?

Rebecca Perrault, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Exponential Talent

● How do we make D&I appealing and a priority to the C-level?

● What do CEOs care about? Reinforcing the correlation between diversity and monetization

● How are we positioning D&I as the go to strategy to generate revenue?

● Reporting the numbers – demonstrating comparisons between teams/dynamics/culture and the number of ideas/products/services that have been curated and     delivered

Karen Brown, Founder and Managing Director, Bridge Arrow

●  Once the C-suites are engaged, how do D&I professional round-up the support of senior leaders?

● Why is it important for D&I professionals to have a prominent position within the organization?

● What are the most effective ways to educate leaders and managers on D&I i.e. micro behaviors, inclusive leadership skills and language?

● How do we hold senior leaders accountable e.g. appraisals, objective setting processes, etc?

● Defining long-term goals and what success looks like e.g. implementing strong D&I branding, better engagement surveys and metrics trackers

Moderator: Don Trahan Jr., Director of REDI, NeighborWorks America  

Emma E. Houston, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Salt Lake County

Vickey Montgomery Timmons, Diversity and Inclusion Leader, Google

● Everyone is important within the organization and should be regarded as such

o Why are we still uncomfortable about talking about Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups?

o Recognizing that not all BAME issues are equal – how BAME groups are treated differently in the workplace

o Visible and non-visible disabilities – are all being considered and supported?

o What professional training and progression opportunities do organizations offer employees with disabilities?

o Let’s talk about LGBT+ – Creating an inclusive culture in relation to gender identity and intersex

o How to take a local LGBT+ strategy and realize it globally

● Reviewing the language and identification terms used – what is correct?

● How do we breakdown the rift and the unconscious bias?

● How do we go about education and greater awareness for all communities? – Identifying our champions

Moderator: Jessica Hooper, Founder, Lighthouse Culture Co.

Dr. Pauline Crawford, CEO, Corporate Heart International

Ngozi Okeh, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, American Pacific Mortgage

Tonya Hampton, Managing Principal, Cook Ross

● What is equity and what does it look like?

● How do you guarantee that everyone is made aware of professional opportunities and training?

● Workplace psychology and the methods used to overcome the threat of bias

● How are we supporting the individuals that were unsuccessful or that didn’t apply?

● The follow up – how and why should we all be doing this?

Emma E. Houston, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Salt Lake County

● What are citizen hours and how do you incorporate them into the company work plan?

● Reviewing examples of targeted and tracked hours of D&I committee work

● Evidencing the success of employee driven D&I projects and activities

● What do employees and employers get out of these citizen hours? How do we make it a ‘must have’ rather than a ‘nice to have’?

Ngozi Okeh, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, American Pacific Mortgage

● Once an initiative has been put in place – how is it managed, measured and sustained?

● What are the biggest challenges around continuity and what is realistically sustainable?

● How do we manage and overcome less successful results/programs?

● How to keep employees motivated and positive for future projects

Dr. Pauline Crawford, CEO, Corporate Heart International

● How has D&I morphed and how will the role continue to change moving forward?

● What additional consideration do we see developing in the future? What do we need to start preparing for?

● Accountability and legacy – Pledge your plan of action for 2019/2020

Sabrina Lynch, SVP, Taylor Strategy

● What were the key takeaways from this year’s summit?

● What topics and areas of focus should be considered for the 2021 D&I Practitioners Summit?

Tania Ferreira, Senior Conference Producer, Bonhill Group plc