How to Get Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Right for Your Global Teams

In tech, only 5 percent of leadership roles are filled by women.  

Moreover, only 4 percent of that 5 percent figure come from a minority background. These were some of the startling facts delivered by Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates, at G-P’s PANGEO event. Shaw shared his thoughts on a panel with Meagan Gregorczyk, VP of Talent Experience at G-P and moderator Kathrin Koedderitz, Senior Sales Director EMEA, G-P, on how global companies can foster an inclusive culture centered on practical diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. 

To address this significant shortfall, Shaw advocated that startups and scale-ups must build DEI into their DNA from the very outset. Adding this vital ingredient later when the company is growing fast and becoming successful will be difficult and disruptive to the company’s growth journey. Instead, by fostering DEI at the origin of a company’s journey, leadership can more efficiently focus on the general employee experience.  

“Tech reaches out to every sector of our economy. We need to build better products and services with a more diverse workforce. This has been talked about for years and years but we’re not there yet,” Shaw said. 

When discussing the importance of building DEI architecture into a company’s framework, Gegorczyk had this to say: “DEI in brand building is not great. They all sound the same. They’re typically vivid pictures that all look the same because they’re all done the same.”

To accomplish DEI, Gregorczyk stated that the basics – like pay equity – must be there in a company’s engineering of DEI.

“It might not be flashy or clickbaity, but change is not made with flashy ad campaigns but through slow and steady policies and procedures. In tech, we like instant gratification and results, but real change takes time,” she said. 

Shaw concurred with this general feeling, insisting that change must start at the top through CEOs, boards, or government leaders. However, he also stated that the roots of inclusivity and diversity must be cleared of obstacles. This includes barriers such as curriculum, educational environments, and ensuring everyone in diverse communities can access digital skills. 

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