April is Diversity Month, a day to celebrate, recognize and honor the diversity and intersectionality of race, color, sexual orientation, religion, size, age, and beyond. And while this is a month designated to shine a light on diverse causes, voices, and stories, as leaders, we must commit to delivering DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and creating opportunities for people of all walks of life.
It is critical for leadership to develop strategies and tools to embed DEI into their company's DNA. Doing so will not only attract and retain the top talent needed for the company's growth and innovation but lead to the recovery and future of our societies and nation as a whole.
According to the 2020 Annual Business Survey (ABS), which covers 2019, approximately 18.7% (1.1 million) of U.S. employer businesses were minority-owned, and roughly 15 percent of people with disabilities have started their businesses, with those numbers continuing to grow.
Furthermore, one billion people, or 15% of the world's population, experience some form of disability, making this the largest minority group worldwide. Yet, only 4% of businesses are focused on making offerings inclusive of disability. As a result, people with disabilities are often disregarded as customers and deprived of access to employment. The current global employment rate for disabled people is half that of non-disabled people.
It is no secret that minorities (including those with disabilities) often experience unequal hiring and promotion standards, unequal pay for equal work, and occupational segregation in the workplace.
This April and all year long, we're honoring trail-blazing leaders and brands leading DEI initiatives for a more inclusive workplace and society.
Unbroken by blindness in 1998, Mark Pollock competed in ultra-endurance races across deserts, mountains, and the polar ice caps, including being the first blind person to race to the South Pole. He also won silver and bronze medals for rowing at the Commonwealth Games. In 2010 Mark was left paralyzed after falling from a second-story window. He is now exploring the frontiers of spinal injury recovery as the world's leading test pilot of Ekso robotic legs combined with aggressive physical therapy and innovative electrical stimulation. Through the Mark Pollock Trust, he is on a mission to find and connect people worldwide to fast-track a cure for paralysis.
Gina Badenoch is a social entrepreneur and photographer whose dream is to reduce inequality, enabling social and economic mobility by building a more inclusive society. Creating experiences that change mindsets where the most significant prejudices exist between talent, potential, and companies. She has been working with Global organizations to promote a work-inclusive environment that increases inclusive leadership and diversity as an asset. Badenoch was awarded by the Queen of Great Britain a British Empire Medal (BEM), among other recognitions.
Thando Hopa, an advocate of diversity, has a diverse portfolio, including legal background, an international modeling career, and work as an activist, contributing to United Nations policy discussions around albinism. First black South African ever to be featured in the Pirelli Calendar, photographed for its 2018 edition. Throughout her tenure in the media, Hopa has promoted inclusion, diversity, and representation and was listed as BBC's top 100 hundred inspirational and influential women across the globe. In April 2019, Hopa graced the cover of Vogue Portugal, making her the first woman with albinism ever to grace the cover of the internationally acclaimed publication.
Laura Liswood serves on the Council of Women World Leaders, and whose background spans corporate, government, and civil society roles; brings a multi-stakeholder approach and broad perspective of the role of business in promoting an inclusive society both internally and in the broader community. With 16 years of experience advising diversity at Goldman Sachs and an extensive background in leadership as the Secretary-General of the Council of Women World Leaders, she is an expert on the importance of inclusion and diversity in the workplace. Liswood is also the author of "The Loudest Duck" and "The Elephant and the Mouse" (Wiley) on how to ensure a fair and level playing field for anyone working to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization.
Tinna C. Nielsen Equitable Transformation Lead for Social & Human Sustainability at EQT. She is an anthropologist specializing in diversity, equality, bias, and inclusiveness. She created Move the Elephant for Inclusiveness to help spread research and models of sharing, reciprocity, and creating equal access to enablers that ensure sustainable inclusion in organizations, communities, and societies.
Dr. Carolina Castaños is an Austin-based bilingual, award-winning therapist with more than 25 years of experience. Dr. Castaños is a strong advocate for mental health awareness in the workplace and coaches business leaders and entrepreneurs from all walks of life to learn about themselves and how to be more in touch with who they are to reach (and their teams) fullest potential. Dr. Carolina Castaños didn't always know she'd be a therapist, but she did see early on how trauma and pain could shape a person's life. Dr. Castanos understands that [all] individual suffering needs love, compassion, support, and help to heal and grow. As a result, Dr. Castaños launched ReConnect, a 360 integrative holistic wellness center with a group of compassionate interdisciplinary teams devoted to caring and creating a safe space to heal and connect.
Growing up in developing countries, in dictatorships, and witnessing oppression and abuse, Dr. Castanos found her passion in trauma treatment and advocacy. As she develops personally and professionally, she understands how connection and compassion are crucial for healing. Dr. Castanos continues to promote and create spaces where these conditions are realized. Dr. Castaños also has extensive post-doctoral training in Emotionally Focused Therapy for working with couples (EFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Neuropsychology, and Hypnosis. As a mental health professional and entrepreneur, Dr. Castanos has trained in executive business management and leadership programs at Harvard and Stanford Universities.
Dana Spaulding is the founder of Wander + Ivy, a certified woman and disability-owned company providing premium wine in upscale single-serve packaging. Prior to creating Wander + Ivy, Dana spent seven years with J.P. Morgan's Private Bank managing assets for ultra-high net worth families. Spaulding, a new mom and a new business owner built Wander + Ivy's investment pool —to date, she has raised over $3 million —to grow and scale the business. After Spaulding gave birth in January 2021 to her first child, the company's sales grew 425-percent year over year. One notable takeaway of Wander + Ivy's growth story is the scale of its charitable donations. From the beginning, the company has been committed to giving back. Wander + Ivy donates 1-percent of its sales to the nonprofit Colorado Feeding Kids and has provided a whopping 15,000 meals to hungry children in the company's home state of Colorado and nationwide.
“I was born with Syndactyly, which is the malformation of the limbs. Thankfully, my parents raised me to never view this negatively. Do folks stop listening while I’m in the middle of a presentation and stare? Sure. Do I type slower than the average person? Probably. But do I let that impact my confidence and ability to succeed? Absolutely not. And that’s the key,” states Founder Dana Spaulding. She continues, “Recognize your differences as ways that you are unique and never let anyone’s stares or judgements impact your confidence.”
Kenyan-born, Georgia-raised Saada Ahmed is the co-founder of Everyday People, an event series founded in New York City centering the community, music, activism, and wellness of those within the African Diaspora. Labeled "A Daytime Dance Party that Celebrates Black Diversity" (New York Times), Everyday People has grown into a cultural phenomenon through its hugely popular day parties spanning several NYC residencies and pop-ups in Los Angeles and Miami. Since 2012, Everyday People has celebrated the diversity of Black culture — African and American, immigrant and first-generation — through community, music, and food. It is designed to be a safe space, a proud space, a space to be anything you want to be. This year for Diversity Month, Everyday People has partnered with Diageo and its brands its brands Crown Royal, Deleon and CÎROC Spritz to come together to champion diversity, inclusion and intersectionality and celebrate people from all walks with a party with a purpose in Los Angeles.
