Meet the Author: In Conversation With Priya Bates & Advita Patel
The year is flying by, and with it came VMA GROUP’s 5th Meet the Author event last Friday, 9th June, at the spectacular Hanover Communications venue. Hosted and organized by managing consultant Crystle Pearce, this successful event series is designed for communications professionals to unite, listen, and discuss ideas from some of the best wordsmiths in the field. With striking views over Southwark Bridge and drinks in hand, it was another wonderful chance to ‘meet the author’ with VMA GROUP.
So, What Was the Book?
In our multicultural world, organizations are striving to encourage and promote diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) within their workplaces. With DEI being such a hot topic, it was great to welcome Priya Bates and Advita Patel, authors of Building a Culture of Inclusivity: Effective Internal Communication for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As seasoned IC professionals, Priya and Advita wrote this book as an essential toolkit for IC professionals and business leaders to assist in creating truly inclusive workplaces.
What Was Discussed?
The discussion between Priya and Advita highlighted that the key to a successful diverse and inclusive workplace often lies at the core of the business. It’s crucial to ask if leaders and decision-makers represent the diversity around us, whether visible or not. Are there women of color? Is there representation for the LGBTQ+ community? Is there a range of socio-economic backgrounds?
The conversation was thought-provoking, encouraging attendees to consider how their companies may pride themselves on being ‘diverse’ and ‘inclusive’ and whether their decision-makers are truly diverse. In their words, “diverse leadership teams [are needed] for diverse thoughts.” The discussion also touched on the intrinsic links between wellbeing and DEI. If a working environment is wholly inclusive, minority groups should not score low on wellbeing surveys.
Establishing an organization with ‘perfect’ DEI is challenging and arguably not feasible. However, IC professionals must encourage organizations to provide sufficient budgets and open conversations to support DEI strategies, ensuring actions are intentional to avoid DEI being a mere ‘tick box’ exercise. Leadership teams need knowledge, such as demographic data and wellbeing insights, to make meaningful decisions around DEI.
Wishing You Were There?
Thank you to all who joined VMA GROUP on Friday for this Meet the Author event, and thank you to Hanover Communications for hosting us. We love meeting you all in person and hope you find the events engaging and insightful. Don’t forget to save the date for the next MtA in conversation with Fiona Passantino on Tuesday, 11th July. It’s an excellent way to network, gain knowledge, and enjoy a free drink or two! We hope to see you soon.
About VMA GROUP
VMA GROUP is a leading international interim, contract, temporary, and permanent recruitment and executive search specialist. We focus on providing support to the communications, marketing, digital, and change communities. Our specialist practice areas cover communications, corporate communications, internal communications, change communications, PR, media relations, financial communications, CSR, public affairs, investor relations, marketing, brand, digital marketing, and agency services.
We have a reputation for providing expert consultancy services and advice, supported by in-depth knowledge of the professions we recruit for. Our thought leadership and benchmarking studies have become go-to resources for the communications, marketing, digital, and change industries, supporting planning and decision-making for organizations of all shapes and sizes. In the UK, VMA GROUP has offices in London, Bristol, and Manchester, and in Europe, we have offices in Amsterdam and Brussels, but we work with organizations and individuals globally. VMA GROUP is committed to equal opportunities and is a Diversity Pledged Recruiter.
