Inclusive Employers From our Inclusion and Diversity Director – goodbye for now… It’s been a blast!
Well, after 10 years of learning, laughter and life in general, it’s time for me to hang up my Inclusive Employer’s operational hat. Over the last 18 months, since my cancer treatments and my Mum’s death, I have been giving a lot of thought to what I want to do with the rest of my life and have decided that it’s time to move on from my role as Inclusion and Diversity Director, and let others get stuck in.
So, on December 18th, I am leaving Inclusive Employers in an operational capacity. I will remain as Chair of the Board and Exec Sponsor for our Inclusive Sport Function.
I have been running a few sessions recently around sustainable staff networks and in them we’ve been exploring founders’ syndrome. As a founder, I feel like this move out of the business could be difficult, it actually feels so exciting. Firstly, it feels exciting for the business and the wonderful people in it. This is about new voices, new directions, and new ambitions, which I feel can be thrust forward on the very solid foundations of the last 10 years. I will watch on with such excitement. Secondly, it feels exciting for me, to have the opportunity to have another slice of career, doing something different, learning more, meeting new folk, and having more fun.
The bit I am sad about is the people I won’t see so much: all our wonderful members, many of whom have become trusted friends; and the wonderful team of people who show up for Inclusive Employers, and our members; who work imaginatively and innovatively, and who are truly committed to making inclusion an everyday reality.
I urge these wonderful colleagues to have fun, to dig deeper and continue to challenge inequalities and champion inclusion. The business will breathe their ideas, as it has done for many years.
I hope that the team will have me back for some inclusion sharing in Inclusion Week in September 2021, and I’m thinking about writing a blog, almost like ‘From our overseas correspondent’, except I doubt I will be overseas! I will just be exploring inclusion in action in other parts of businesses.
I want to say a huge, huge thank you to you all. So many of you have played such a wonderful role in helping me learn and laugh and drive inclusivity. So many people to thank. Of course, all the wonderful team at Inclusive Employers. Two people that I cannot not mention, and the two people who will be steering the business through on an operational level, are Claire and Rupert. For their understanding, compassion and support, and for the fact that they are still focused and driving Inclusive Employers into the next 10 years!
I hope that I will get to see you all at some point, I plan to rock up to an event or two, but just to say thank you and, please, everyone, keep going.