Building a case for ED&I that senior leaders cannot ignore

We know many of you in ED&I can find it a challenge to get senior leaders to understand what you do and buy-in to your ED&I work. We know ED&I should not just be seen as a “nice to have” in an organisation; it needs to be purposeful and strategic. But convincing others of the importance and impact can be difficult. That’s why we hosted a webinar on “Building a case for ED&I that senior leaders cannot ignore” to help you do just that.

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You can catch up on the recording below and find out more about our ED&I and culture experts who spoke on the panel alongside our host and Finance Director, Ash McDowell.

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Our speakers

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Matt Foster, Director of DEI at Ogilvy UK

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Branded by the creative industry’s The Drum magazine as “adland’s activist” Matt is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at Ogilvy UK, the world’s most awarded advertising agency. He is also a DEI thought leader, frequent public speaker, LGBTQ+ campaigner and multicultural specialist. Matt’s career has spanned 18 years as a Healthcare communications expert, specialising in HIV advocacy.

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As a British Diversity Award-winning and founding member of WPP’s LGBTQ+ network UNITE, he has front-line experience of empowering employee networks that drive organisational change. Matt currently sits in the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) Talent Leadership Group, the European Association of Communications Agencies’ (EACA) DEI Task Force and the Brand category judging panel of the British LGBT Awards. As a proudly queer, multi-racial British Filipino, Matt is a patron of Pinxy Creatives UK: an organisation supporting British Filipinos in the media, arts and creative industries.

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Vic Bolton, Head of Talent & Culture at VIDA Connected Specialists

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Vic Bolton is a dynamic professional with nearly 15 years of experience in talent management and recruitment. Currently, she serves as a driving force behind Talent & Culture at VIDA Connected Specialists. Her passion lies in fostering the perfect balance between people and profit, making her a committed advocate for the B Corp movement.Prior to her current role, Vic held significant positions within the FMCG industry (Nestlé, Molson Coors) as well as a scaling creative tech business (Talenthouse).Her expertise extends to equality, recruitment strategies, diversity hiring, and innovative talent acquisition methodologies.

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With a vision to harmonise people-centric values with profitability, Vic is adept at looking at how ED&I needs to remain core to the purpose and priorities of all businesses, advocating for talent management being used as a tool to foster inclusive, impactful workplaces.

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Joanne Conway, Head of DEI at EY UK

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Joanne is proud to be listed on the Northern Power Womens Future top 50 list, and is the Head of Diversity, Equity(DE&I) & Inclusiveness EY UK. Joanne previously led the Global DE&I strategy for EY. She completed a Masters in HR Management with a dissertation in Psychological Safety in minority groups.  Joanne is a school governor and guest lecturer at Salford University.  She is studying culture and privilege as a Doctorate student with Cranfield University.  When not working or studying Joanne spends her time on the football side-lines supporting her daughter and son who play for local teams.  Joanne is an advocate for equality for all and has a particular interest in inclusion in football and levelling the playing field for girls and young women in football.

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