It was an absolute pleasure to join Euronext for a fireside chat with their London CEO at the Euronext Pride Event in June. I was thankful for the opportunity to delve into a topic that remains not just professionally relevant, but profoundly personal and societal: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I). Our conversation underscored that, in today’s increasingly complex global landscape, mere rhetoric around DE&I is insufficient; decisive action is as important as ever.

The power of bringing your “whole self” to work

My own career journey has been anything but conventional. From a fast-paced career in financial PR and global communications throughout the 1990s and heady days of the dotcom bubble, took me through the ranks at global brokerage firm Instinet, where I ran sales, marketing and learned my commercial skills selling independent research to the buyside, before I went on to sit on the Executive committee of Atos Euronext Market Solutions. Shortly after leaving the exchange group, I took an unplanned and utterly terrifying detour into the world of stand-up comedy. This seemingly disparate path, which included performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, gigging with John Cleese, selling out my one woman show and treading the boards of the world famous Comedy Store in London, taught me invaluable lessons about holding a room, connecting with an audience, and literally the power of bringing your “whole self” to work. It challenged the outdated notion that you must leave your personal passions at the door, demonstrating instead that joy and authentic energy really improve learning and impact. And, by allowing creative skills into our work, we can add so much value, as we tell stories and dig for meaning in highly technical subject areas. 

This philosophy deeply informed the founding of Streets Consulting in 2007

Our then unusual fully remote working model, met with scepticism and criticism, has proven its resilience and ability to attract diverse talent across geographies, especially through tumultuous times like Brexit and the pandemic.  For a while, I kept the comedy interest apart from the business, but as soon as I blended them together, things really took off.  Not only did it set us apart, it welcomed us onto the stages and into rooms to keep company with the industry’s most senior leaders and visionaries. And it has bred and spread. We’re all punchline people and storytellers; we coach others to present and pitch.

The current discourse concerning DE&I efforts is deeply concerning as the US narrative takes hold

And I’ve been talking to many senior leaders. They tell me that they are “taking the temperature out of the conversation,” rebranding initiatives, or even removing DE&I from their websites. But the work goes on. So while we understand that there may be concerns and constraints about what they say, enlightened leaders understand that right now, what they actually do really matters. 

As a proudly openly gay woman, I intimately understand the exhaustion and fear of having to hide one’s identity in the workplace. My personal experience of navigating a career while concealing my true self, which ultimately led to burnout, fuels my conviction that fostering truly inclusive environments is non-negotiable. 

Beyond the moral imperative, DE&I is a strategic necessity

This is particularly true if you are looking to attract and retain talent like Gen Z, who explicitly seek out organisations where everyone feels genuinely welcome. Any organisation that takes its foot off the pedal is at risk of disconnecting with – worse, losing – their Gen Z talent, talent that deeply cares. Do this at your peril. Imagine what your organisation could look like in 5 years’ time while your competitors gain the edge and reap the rewards that we know DE&I delivers.   

Five critical pillars for driving tangible DE&I change

In 2017, I founded, funded and hosted DiverCity Podcast, shining a light on positive progress, calling out areas requiring further focus and offering lots of ideas to drive change. It was born from a frustration with performative DE&I statements – like “DE&I is in our DNA” – and a desire to spotlight genuine positive progress, identify areas requiring further focus, and offer practical guidance. 

Over 16 seasons, I interviewed hundreds of leaders from the Governor of the Bank of England, the President of the CBI, to leaders of lesser-known grassroots initiatives from all over the world.  From the hundreds of episodes, we identified five critical pillars for driving tangible DE&I change within organisations:

1/ Authentic leadership from the top is non-negotiable; leaders must go beyond words and visibly champion DE&I, demonstrating genuine commitment through their actions. 

2/ Focus on the “sticky middle” management (MD, MD-1, MD-2 levels), as they are responsible for performance delivery and need to be empowered to drive change.

3/ Rigorous recruitment and retention strategies are vital, holding recruiters accountable for diverse candidate pools and meticulously crafting inclusive job descriptions to ensure no talent is inadvertently excluded. 

4/ Encourage and support role models, advocates, and allies, essential to advocate for those who may not feel able to speak for themselves and to provide visible representation and support. 

5/ Empower and support your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and networks.  They will provide invaluable wisdom and insights, demonstrating that addressing one aspect of diversity, such as disability, often benefits everyone due to the intersectional nature of our identities. And never forget that there are intersectional humans – a muslim parent, a black employee with an invisible disability, so avoid the risk of creating silos. 

The internal conversation around DE&I must not lose momentum

Navigating DE&I globally presents unique challenges, with varied legal systems and cultural norms. My advice to international organisations is to leverage diverse networks and local advisors to understand what is permissible and impactful, especially when human rights concerns might conflict with local customs. 

Despite the progress we have championed and witnessed, leaders understand that more needs to be done. The internal conversation around DE&I must not lose momentum, especially in an industry like financial technology, which does not yet fully reflect the breadth and array of talent available. We must continue to lean in, continue to challenge, advocate, and strive for a truly inclusive industry and representative of our diverse society. Time and again, we see the proof that it’s best for businesses as well as the people behind them.