The WiHTL & DiR Inclusion Summit was a multi-faceted celebration of diversity and inclusion in the Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail sectors. It took place on the 10th October 2023 in London at the iconic London Hilton on Park Lane. The in-person event brought together members of our WiHTL and Diversity in Retail Collaboration Community.
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Warm sunshine welcomed the 650+ attendees for WiHTL & DiR’s second Inclusion Summit – coinciding with National Inclusion Day. This year’s focus, as reflected in our annual report, was on "Accelerating the pace of change" in EDI within the hospitality, travel, leisure and retail sectors. Representatives from our member organisations brought their passion and commitment to yet another memorable day for our Collaboration Community.
The Grand Ballroom hosted a day of insight and innovation through panel discussions, keynote speakers and audience interaction. A new addition to this year’s Summit was the "Festival of Inclusion", where Leading Inclusive Employers and Summit sponsors gave delegates an opportunity to have one-to-one conversations around their EDI activities, and this corner of the Summit had a special buzz throughout the event.
Following a warm welcome from Simon Vincent CBE, EVP and President EMEA at Hilton, WiHTL & DiR Founder and Chair, Tea Colaianni, set the scene for the event. Tea looked back to when WiHTL & DiR came into being and how such growth has surpassed her initial ambitions. She said: “There is a huge impact that we're having as an industry. Our leadership development programmes are where we can make a difference at individual level as well as organisational level.”
Tea then introduced the new inclusion in EDI Maturity Curve framework and explained how a better understanding of an organisation’s EDI status will help accelerate the pace of change.
Delegates got a first glimpse at the preliminary findings from the pilot organisations that have submitted responses to the EDI Maturity Curve. The results show that both the HTL and Retail sectors fall into the "Strategic" category, with Retail performing marginally better than both the HTL sector and the average benchmark. For organisations keen to take part in the EDI Maturity Curve, we encourage you to email edimaturitycurve@inclusionin.com.
Elliott Goldstein, Managing Partner at The MBS Group went on to explain the figures which came out of the MBS research on all underrepresented groups including women's representation, ethnic diversity and how companies are formalising their strategies on social mobility. Whilst there is a clear commitment to implementing EDI strategies, the benefits are yet to be seen en masse. He rounded off by saying: “Our advice is companies should be setting targets, allocating healthy D&I budgets, linking leadership bonuses to D&I and as times get increasingly tough, D&I must not be left to slip off the executive committee as competing priorities emerge.”
Accelerating the Pace of Change: Seeing Ability Not Disability
Delegates heard the inspirational and emotive story of Aaron Phipps MBE and the account of his battle back to health after serious illness and the loss of his legs. Aaron described his incredible rise to Paralympic gold medal winner and how it was a testament to his resilience in positively adjusting to new changes in his life. He spoke of his determination to make a difference and tackling challenges head-on.
“What are you doing to support yourself? It took me losing 30% of my body to start using 100% of my potential. My call to action for all of you, is when you leave here today, please just go and do something that scares you or go and do something that you've been putting off for a really long time. Because I guarantee these will be the things that you will remember for the rest of your lives.”
His rousing words included advice on how to be an ally to people with disabilities to make them feel included: “It's just having a dialogue with disabled people: if you just say to them, ‘Can I help you?’ or 'is there anything that I can do to make an adjustment? Do you mind me asking about your disability?"
Accelerating The Pace Of Change: EDI As A Strategic Priority
Facilitated by Jyoti Tailor, VP of Finance EMEA at Hilton, our first panel launched straight into the business end of EDI. Senior leaders reinforced the message that diverse workforces are more productive and innovative. David Wood, CEO of Wickes said: “When I reflect on facing a tougher economic climate as a leader of business, it's really important that you prioritise those things that are going to give you a sustainable competitive advantage. I genuinely believe that a more inclusive, diverse, and empathetic colleague base brings a much broader set of perspectives to the business.”
Ian Carter, Chair of Watches of Switzerland backed this sentiment: “It's a business imperative, an integral part of strategy, not an adjunct to it. D&I is a powerful thing and if you harness it in the right way, you will be better as a company."
On the importance of inclusive cultures throughout organisations, Kari Daniels, CEO UK&I of SSP said: “I absolutely believe in the power of the individual and I can draw on my personal examples of when I felt included in a team, that I have genuinely done my best work.”
The panel agreed that EDI as a responsibility does not need to fall only to senior leaders. It should be for all team members, up through to middle management who can be involved. Paula Mackenzie, CEO of PizzaExpress said: “ One phrase that I learned is that you should leave things better than you found them”, explaining how an individual can have an impact and leave a positive legacy as and when they move on.
Accelerating The Pace Of Change: Mentoring & Sponsorship
Two Ethnic Future Leaders (EFL) Programme graduates who are now also on WiHTL & DiR’s Advisory Boards, led our panel on commitment in action. Hamza Durrani, Area Manager at Revolution Bars and Aisha Jukhara, Head of Campaigns (Tu and Habitat) at Sainsbury’s addressed how mentoring and sponsorship can boost people’s confidence.
Ebony Quow, Lead People Business Partner, JD Sports said: “I was able to spend some vulnerable one-on-one time with my mentor where I shared times that I couldn't find my voice, because I'm the only person of colour at my level – there's no one who looks like me. She was able to share some of her lived experiences and fears, and has come across some of the same hurdles and overcome them...And all of a sudden, it starts to open doors for you within your career, but it also opens doors for you mentally as well.”
Claire Catlin, CFO, Moto Hospitality has experience as a mentor and as a reverse mentee and explained her approach: “What I like to do is to help individuals explore the why. Why do they necessarily feel that way? Why are they reacting in a certain way? Why do they want that promotion? Why do they have this limiting belief? By exploring those things, and really heightening the individual's self-awareness, a mentor can help lead you down the right path and the right thought process.”
Statistics show that mentees are promoted five times more often than those without mentors and Bhaven Pancholi, now Head of Terminal 3 (Heathrow) with British Airways discussed how the impact of mentoring has enabled him to advance his career: “If you've never thought about having a mentor, specifically an external mentor outside of your organisation, it’s incredibly powerful. Use it to further your personal development.”
Following that thread, if mentoring is not always available within every organisation, Pauline Wilson, VP Focussed Service Operations EMEA, Hilton advised: “Go external and ask somebody who could help you on your journey, but be clear around where they can help you. It's hugely powerful. Be bold and brave, be fearless. Take that leap and ask people.”
Adam Waudby, Head of Retail Operations, Central Co-op highlighted how sponsorship works alongside mentoring: “Sponsorship is more around championing a person, pushing them into situations that are probably going to stretch them and where they can build new skills.“
Fireside Chat with June Sarpong
Long-time WiHTL & DiR supporter, June Sarpong OBE, brought her vast EDI wisdom to the stage, joining Tea for a Fireside Chat. June spoke about her deep desire to change the world: “I've always wanted to find a way to help level the playing field because I know what it feels like when you are included, and I know what it feels like when you're excluded. And unfortunately, far too many people have never experienced what it feels like to be included."
The discussion turned to the slow advancement of women into managerial roles and June broached the importance of keeping male colleagues on side:
"We cannot underestimate the need for male allies, because often, men are still in the position to decide who is promoted and who isn't. It's really important to better engage those that have benefited from the old system. When it comes to the diversity, equity, and inclusion discussion, it's often bashing this group of people as opposed to saying, ‘Actually, we need you to be fully committed like everybody else’.”
Referring back to how the business imperative of D&I needs full focus, June said: “Anything that is an absolute business imperative has a target and it has a timeline. So why is this any different? How are leaders going to know whether they're successful if they haven't set a goal? Only they can determine what success looks like for their organisation, but you have to know what success looks like in order to know whether or not you're on the right track.”
June explained her view that organisations that commit to resolving race inequality will be the ones that succeed in the long run. "A company that gets it right on race will be the one that everyone follows," she said. "So be brave, be bold, have those uncomfortable conversations, because it really matters."
Accelerating The Pace Of Change: The Impact Of EDI
Following the lunch break, where delegates were able to explore our "Festival of Inclusion" and connect with EDI teams from our sponsor and Leading Inclusive Employers, we were welcomed back by Stephen Cassidy, SVP and Managing Director UK & Ireland at Hilton before kicking off our afternoon panels.
Hawa Newell-Sydique, Director of Talent & DEI at Selfridges facilitated the panel conversation on how member strategies and activities can make tangible change. Delegates heard fascinating, and profoundly honest insights from EDI leaders, who signalled that a strong impact is coming from Employee Network Groups. Amanda Scott, Director of Talent, Learning & D&I at Compass UK&I said: “We have almost 700 employee ambassadors across the organisation who are out there, talking about inclusion. The thing that is pure testament to the employee networks is we saw a 15% increase in our employee survey this year where people felt that they could come to work and be themselves.”
Ben Jackson, Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Wickes was also a strong advocate for ENGs: “They drive change and are the lifeblood of DE&I in our business. It was the wellbeing network that responded to the cost of living crisis, and made sure that our stores all had free breakfast and brunch. It was our race network that introduced the Rooney Rule (which states that at least one woman and one underrepresented minority is among candidates for open roles) for recruitment at all of our senior leader levels.”
The discussion also covered areas on opportunities and challenges and how a long-term view needs to be considered when measuring impact. Janet Tidmarsh, Head of Inclusion & Development at Whitbread gave an example: “Sometimes I think we measure impact in short terms. If you'd asked me when we launched our religious leave policy, if it had had the impact we’d wanted after six months, I'd have said no, it hasn't. But actually, we just needed to be patient, and three years on, it's really celebrated. Whilst we all want change tomorrow, it's how you build the right foundations for the future, even if we might not be getting the impact that we want now.”
Much of EDI advancement is based on trying new ways to embed the focus into company culture. Ben Spencer-White, EDI Manager Post Office gave an example of this talking about his recently introduced new performance-related initiative explaining: “We decided to give every senior manager an EDI objective. For the first time ever, it was mandatory for them. I didn't want to be over-prescriptive and I let them write their own.”
We understand how our member organisations are at different stages of their EDI journey and it was encouraging to hear how those further along are helping those nearer the beginning. Jason Williams, Learning & Development Manager at WHSmith said: “Being early in our journey, Diversity in Retail has given us so many contacts which made sure that we were learning from everyone else and listening to what other people have done, about what's working, and what isn't working.”
Accelerating The Pace Of Change: How AI Can Help Move The Dial
Amelia Green, Managing Director of AlixPartners gave delegates a view into the future with ways in which AI can advance EDI through data capture and analysis. In a fascinating 30 minutes, delegates were navigated through the evolution of binary to spectrum in terms of using data to measure and understand an organisation’s EDI position and forward progress.
“Data is binary. But our thinking is not binary. Wherever you walk into a room, you ingest a myriad of data points, and you overlay this with your own experiences.”
AI can help to look beyond visible differences, embrace experiences and perspectives, and is so advanced that it can pick up a whole range of nuances within the human spectrum. Amelia explained how diversity in data can result in diversity in thought and that inclusion in tech leads to inclusion in society. Inclusive AI stretches across most organisational functions: recruitment and HR; product development; internal comms and training and development. The ultimate goal is that GenAI helps create a world where nobody is left behind and everybody’s voice is heard and that "we're using it in a way that generates a fair and balanced future for everybody.”
Accelerating The Pace Of Change: The Future Of EDI
Q5 Director, Claire Hamlin directed the final panel of the day around the future of EDI and how societal changes are influencing the way in which organisations adapt their future strategies. On the topic of how leadership can shape company culture, Paul Flaum, CEO at Bourne Leisure said: “I think the art of leadership is to properly understand the people who work with you and for you, and properly understand what makes them unique. I don't mean just unique in terms of the work they do, or the tasks they do, but I mean what really makes them them.”
Starting conversations between leaders and colleagues though reverse mentoring is a tried-and-tested approach towards this understanding. Assad Malic, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer at Greene King said: “It isn't just about understanding the lived experience, it's about how you can share it with others in terms of resonating it out through the business.”
Looking at expanding data collection through self-disclosure also means colleagues need to feel comfortable bringing their wholeself to work. Estelle Hollingsworth, CPO at Virgin Atlantic said: “You have to be innovative and you have to put yourself in the shoes of the person, to feel a sense if somebody is going to want to disclose who they are".
Underrepresentation in leadership and governance remains an area to be advanced when looking to the future. Prerana Issar, CPO at Sainsbury’s said: “One reason why we don't see higher representation is there are deep seated cultural biases, overt and subtle. implicit and explicit, related to the fact of what competence looks like. And all the research will tell you that competence looks like a white male, of a certain age, and even from a certain educational background and socioeconomic class. It's a very exclusionary view of competence.” Prerana went on to discuss that in order to accelerate the pace of change, it's imperative that this underrepresentation is resolved.
Of great interest on a legislative topic which was recently in the news in the United States, Ciannie Rodriguez, ED&I Manager at IKEA (USA), gave her thoughts around the US the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action. While some US businesses are slowing down their EDI efforts as a result of the ruling, Ciannie explained that: “We're standing behind our EDI efforts, despite the legislation that's happening within the US. We have over 63 EDI ambassadors throughout the US that are going in and supporting us in our efforts to ensure that we keep our company culture alive and are progressing our EDI actions throughout the US.”
Celebration Awards Ceremony
The Inclusion Summit is a celebration of the effort and commitment to EDI, and to shine the light on our members. This year WiHTL & DiR introduced our inaugural Celebration Awards ceremony which rounded off the day. The awards are designed to recognize and applaud organisations and individuals whose innovative and inspiring work continues to bring equity to the workplace.
Following an animated summary of the day from Patricia Page-Champion, SVP and Global Commercial Director at Hilton, Tea culminated the Summit with a quote from American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer, Helen Keller: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
The Annual Report
At our Inclusion Summit delegates were the first to receive a copy of our Annual Report: Accelerating the pace of change.
The report highlights:
Most companies have an EDI strategy (retail at 93% and HTL at 90%) but there is a widening gap between the leaders and laggards
Strategies are not necessarily translating into meaningful progress and companies need to continue to accelerate the pace of change
An overview of our Collaboration Community highlights, including development programme graduates, committee outputs and resources
While there is still work to be done, in reflecting back at the past year and the incredible strides we have made, we look to 2030 and our mission to positively impact 5 million employees in HTL and Retail with confidence and vigour.
Members can download their copy of the report on our Community platform ‘The Hub’ or you can request your copy of the report.
Thank you to everyone who joined us.
Tea & The WiHTL & DiR Team.
To all employees of member organisations who couldn’t attend, recordings will be available via The Hub soon.
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