Online employer event: Can business growth be inclusive and sustainable?
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Location
- Online
The drive for growth has been central to the political and economic narrative of the last 12 months. In a recent Open University survey, more than 96% of UK business leaders agree that growth is important to their business strategy.
However, growth can come at a cost and leave behind certain groups of our society, as technology and working practices change. Almost three in four (72%) of leaders said growth pressures can conflict with workforce diversity and inclusion goals.
Similarly, growth and technological advancement have had environmental impacts. In the survey, 71% said sustainability and net-zero efforts are sometimes compromised to enable growth. Access to skills is a huge barrier to organisations in these areas and underpins these tensions around growth. The majority of employers said workforce challenges had moderately or significantly impacted their ability to grow inclusively (63%) and sustainably (63%).
Online employer event
The Open University is bringing together thought leaders and experts from a variety of sectors to discuss the difficult balancing act between business growth and inclusion and sustainability. Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Consultant, Edleen John, leads two roundtables covering people and the planet to discuss how to navigate these challenges – with skills development as central to the solution.
Register to watch online
Edleen John
Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Consultant
Includes speakers from John Lewis Partnership, Capgemini, Balfour Beatty, NHS, The 5% Club, Multicultural Apprenticeship and Skills Alliance and The Open University.
The speakers
Alex Hobbs
EDI Manager, STEM Faculty
The Open University
Anna Butcher
Leadership Progression Manager
John Lewis Partnership
Jagdeep Soor
Executive Director
Multicultural Apprenticeship and Skills Alliance
Kari Williams
Group Head of Social Impact
Balfour Beatty
Kenye Karemo
Director of Education, Workforce Development and Research
Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust
Mark Cameron OBE
Chief Executive Officer
The 5% Club
Sarah Dixon
Vice President, Capgemini Invent Sustainable Futures
Capgemini
Includes speakers from Red Bull, Grant Thornton, CITB, The Open University, Capgemini, London Borough of Camden and Kapdaa.
The speakers
Adam Sammons
Head of Sustainability
Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology
Dr Aqueel Wahga
Director, Centre for Social and Sustainable Enterprise
The Open University
Jenn Barnett
Head of ESG and EDI
Grant Thornton
Nishant Parekh
Co-Founder
Kapdaa
Rishi Madlani
Chair of Pensions Committee
London Borough of Camden
Sandra Stevens
Customer Engagement Manager
Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)
Sarah Dixon
Vice President, Capgemini Invent Sustainable Futures
Capgemini
Dr Victoria Hands
Director of Sustainability
The Open University
Register now
Register to watch online as the panels offer advice and real-world examples of how we can adopt a mindset that sees people and the planet as central drivers of growth.
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