Inclusive Employers 5 minutes with… Garry Clarke-Strange
Our '5 minutes with...' series is about getting to know the people who are leading the way in the I&D industry and championing inclusion everyday. Here we learn more about one of our members', Garry Clarke-Strange, Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Greene King - read on to find out what his top inclusion moment is and what he loves most about his role.
1) Can you tell us how you came to be in your role
The bulk of my career was spent working in Talent Attraction (TA). Over time the conversation surrounding inclusion and diversity became my absolute passion and naturally part of my role alongside TA.
When the pandemic hit and I was faced with redundancy I knew my next move had to be into a fully inclusion and diversity focused role. When the role of Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Greene King was offered to me I knew I had struck lucky!
2) Can you share an ‘inclusion moment’ with us – a time when you have felt included either at work or in your personal life?
My inclusion moment is going to sound corny but its my wedding day. For years I never imagined a day, when as a gay man I would be allowed to stand in front of my family, friends and work colleagues and marry my husband.
It was a proud moment for us both and personally for me the start of true acceptance. I grew up in Ireland, so this definitely wasn’t the case for me for a long time.
3) What do you love most about your role?
Knowing that were making a difference no matter how big or small is a great feeling.
I love seeing big impact projects like launching a brand new eLearning module across the organisation go live. Equally, hearing anecdotal feedback from colleagues that an initiative or piece of content, especially those that we run with our Employee Led Inclusion Groups, have helped to make them feel more included are just as fulfilling.
4) What is a typical day like for you?
No day is the same! Everyone says that right? But there is true diversity in my days … My diary can be filled with everything from governance meetings to Employee Led Inclusion Group committee meetings to planning with production companies about content we’re building.
What I love the most however is getting out into our pubs and seeing our people in their real working environment.
5) What’s been you most memorable moment in your inclusion career?
There’s quite a few but notably in the last 12 months seeing our full executive board sitting in a room meeting their internal mentors from our Black, Asian and minority ethnic community at the launch of our Reverse Mentoring scheme was an absolute highlight!
Check out our 5 minutes with series to read more inspiring stories of I&D careers from our team and members!