My D&I Journey with:
Tolu Oke,
Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity,
Diageo
My D&I Journey with:1. What was your journey into diversity and inclusion?
I often say I stumbled into it, but it has always been a part of me. I was working at Accenture and took on a number of side of desk projects supporting CSR and outreach initiatives, with a big focus on social mobility. Two years later I took the leap, and left to pursue my career in what I thought was just social mobility, but soon realised I had entered the world of diversity and inclusion.
2. How would you describe a typical day in your role?
A typical day in my life is spent meeting with a number of stakeholders from functions such as Employee Engagement, Talent or Tech or across one of our markets to supporting in inclusion and diversity (I&D) strategic implementation. I will usually be on calls with working groups, external partners or internal teams to drive the delivery of the I&D plan. On Friday’s, I try to carve out time to go through the important, but non-urgent, emails and tie up pieces of work or read research. I definitely need to carve out more time to just think!
3. What is the best part of your job?
Over the last few years, I’ve really enjoyed being able to have influence in the commercial parts of a business. Being able to help leaders think differently about their approach to sales, marketing, and products and provide rich insight on behalf of various diverse communities is an additional area I can add value and something that keeps me fresh. Being able to have both an internal and external impact is really enjoyable, so that as I’m supporting colleagues I can also influence how we show up for our diverse customers and consumers.
4. What advice would you give to someone looking to move into D&I?
Please hear my heart when I say this, but lived experience is not enough. D&I is both an art and science, and requires you to be a student of others, a reader of research, and someone willing to invest the time to learn about D&I as a field. Your ability to make a great impact will be tied with your understanding of the challenges various groups face in the workplace and wider world, and how you take a structured, programmatic approach to driving change. Also it can be very emotionally heavy work, build a community of fellow D&I leaders you can lean on for support.
5. What are the main challenges faced by D&I professionals at the moment?
Globally we are seeing a change in support for the wider D&I agenda. With job losses, cuts in budgets, and shifting socio-political landscape, D&I professionals are facing many battles. On top of this, I am yet to speak to someone, who in the last 10 years of me doing this work, is not constantly on the brink of burnout. I know many who have left the field, choosing self preservation instead. In a cost of living crisis – job security, work life balance, and better mental health and wellbeing must be prioritised.
6. Name three skills that support you to succeed in D&I
– Project management – I’m able to deliver big, pioneering and also impactful things because I project manage everything. I live by systems and structures and it allows me to move with a clear vision and goal to work back from.
– Listening – I constantly refine my ability to listen. I try to listen deeply to hear what is both being said and what is being left unsaid, often reading between the lines. Listening is crucial.
– Believe-ability – I will bucket in passion, energy and credibility under this made up term! In essence, I lean into my credibility, consistency, passion and energy to build trust. In turn, people believe in me, my work, my ideas and come along the journey.
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The Foundations to Being an Effective D&I Leader
Online Training Workshops
600+ DE&I and HR professionals have now attended our ‘The Foundations to Being an Effective D&I Leader’ CPD Accredited online training series.
- Level 1 is for professionals looking to move into a D&I role, or those who have been in a D&I leader role for less than 12 months.
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Tickets at each online workshop cost £499+VAT per person (£399+VAT for non-profit orgs). Spaces limited to 24 attendees to enable the day to be as interactive as possible. Workshops take place live on Zoom.