Perspectives
Mark Palmer Edgecumbe, 40, Group Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Barclays Bank Plc
At its best, Barclays is exciting, fast moving and bold. We're doing some quite edgy stuff and I believe we are cutting edge on inclusion and sustainability.
Diversity is shifting away from its traditional strand based and HR focused model My job is about ensuring we don't just get Diversity and Inclusion right for our employees, but that we also anticipate the needs of our diverse customers, and have the right products and services to serve them
The world is evolving - traditional models of wealth are changing We need to ensure we are matching and anticipanting what's happening. For example, the combined wealth of Britain's richest 100 women is currently £33.27bn, and the Centre for Economics and Business Research suggests that by 2020, 53% of millionaires in the UK will be female
I love the fact that my role is completely unpredictable Working with an extremely diverse set of stakeholders helps me grow amd develop as a change agent
The downside is some of the processes and procedures that frustrate creativity and innovation
One of my career high points was designing and delivering a global mentoring scheme for disabled employees. Currently over 25% of disabled employees are on the scheme but it's not just about numbers. It's seeing how these individuals have grown and developed since they joined the scheme, seeing them getting promoted and moving to new and exciting roles within the bank.
I've learned that getting the politics right is as important as getting the work right
One of my challenges is how to take European diversity concepts into other countries. In much of Africa, it's unheard of for women to be in management, so how do we introduce women at Board level there, and more importantly, how do we set them up for success?
My first boss in the world of Diversity was truly an inspiration. She was brave in sticking to her beliefs and pragmatic about how to get there.
To someone starting work now I'd say get a mentor and make sure you understand the rules of engagement in your organisation. What's not said is often more important than what is.