#36 Welcome back to Diversity Secrets Podcast! Season 4 of Diversity Secrets concludes with a crucial conversation on Diversity Fatigue—what it is, why it happens, and how to tackle it. Host Louise welcomes Alexia Sena, founder of Joyeux Bazar and author of Understanding Racism and Antisemitism (get the book here), and Camille Fant, Global CSR lead at Akeneo, to unpack the physical, mental, and emotional toll of DEI work. As a wrap-up to a season filled with reflections on the challenges and...
#35 Welcome back to Diversity Secrets Podcast! This is episode 2 of a 2-part series where we explore the ins and outs of deploying a diversity and inclusion survey in organizations in Europe. To help us unpack this complex topic, we have the pleasure of welcoming Eileen Barnard, Principal Organisational Culture Manager - DE&I at Babbel, one of the leading language learning platforms globally. Eileen designed and rolled out her company’s first DEI survey this year, and agreed to take us th...
#34 Welcome back to Diversity Secrets Podcast! Today, let’s dive into the complex and often taboo topic of measuring diversity in organizations in Europe. There’s a running myth in most European countries that collecting sensitive data on ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and other diversity characteristics is simply illegal and therefore impossible. But that’s not true. Yes, Europe’s stringent regulations around data privacy, most notably the GDPR (General Data Prote...
#31 Welcome back to Diversity Secrets Podcast! Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) leaders are driven by two things: passion for humanity, equity and inclusivity, and their will to create systemic change. In other words, the perfect mix for potential burn-out! So how can we achieve systemic change for DEI, in line with our passion, without running out of fuel along the way? What stakeholders, allies, and systems can we rely on in our organizations to increase our impact and safegua...
#30 B, from Belonging, is the new letter that we increasingly find attached to the Diversity Equity and Inclusion acronym: DEIB. As an industry, we've reached the tacit agreement that the success of DE&I in a company is measured by the feeling of Belonging of its employees. But what does Belonging really mean to each of us? What does it take to belong, and who is made accountable for the act of 'Belonging'? Pushed to its limits, can Belonging fall in a performative trap and end up hurting...
#29 Today we welcome Nichelle Appleby, Founder of Work Imagined Compensation and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultancy. Nichelle is putting pay equity and dignity back at the heart of DE&I. With multiple years of experience in compensation and compliance, Nichelle is helping organizations committed to DE&I put their money where their mouth is. In capitalistic societies where value, self-worth and respect are largely derived from the amount of our pay-check, pay equity takes a w...
#28 Welcome back to Diversity Secrets podcast! In this episode, Laure Bereni, Sociology Research Professor at CNRS lays out the key findings from her latest book “Management of Virtue: Corporate Diversity in New York and in Paris” (published in French). This comparative study of Diversity & Inclusion management in New York and in Paris offers a unique perspective into the work of DE&I managers. Laure's findings demonstrate the inherent contradictions that lie at the heart of DE&I ...
#27 For the first episode of season 4 'So, What Now?', we are thrilled to welcome an experienced DEI advocate and practitioner, Elizabeth Anderson. Elizabeth says that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at a Mirror Moment in its history. What does that mean and how did we get to this point? What comes next, once we've taken a good hard look into the mirror? Find out with us on this episode as we tackle DE&I at crossroads and its implications for the industry and its practitioners. Eli...
#26 Welcome back to Diversity Secrets Podcast! We’re back with a brand new season called ‘So, what now?’ Why this question? Well, because at Diversity Secrets we feel that DE&I is at an inflection point and we want to make sure that as an industry we take the right turn. For several months now I’ve been asking myself wether DE&I, and its practitioners (myself included!) are holding themselves accountable to the very principles that we preach: authenticity, integrity and impact. DE...
#025 And that’s a wrap for season 3 of Diversity Secrets Podcast! We’ll be back with a brand new season during the next quarter. In this episode, we go over what we’ve learned during this season, and give you a sneak preview of what to expect from season 4. This season, we wanted to build a hands-on, practical blueprint to help YOU set your DE&I work up for success! Here are the main lessons our guests shared with us on how to succeed at what sometimes can feel like an impossible job, i....
#24 For our last episode of the season on how to succeed in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), we are joined by the brilliant Jeffery Smith, VP DE&I at the online education streaming platform Masterclass. With over 25 years of experience as an HR and DEI leader both in-house and as a consultant, Jeffery shares with us what it means to successfully integrate DEI into your business. Integrating DEI in your business means that DEI should be considered as a critical business component f...
#23 Anyone that’s done it before knows it: deploying a diversity and inclusion employee survey is no side project. It’s a complex endeavour that should not be taken lightly - and that’s an understatement. That’s why we’ve invited Sandrine Charpentier, CEO of Mixity.co, the first 360 digital platform to assess, manage and monitor DEI in the workplace. We deep in the nitty-gritty of what makes a good DEI survey: from guaranteeing safe and anonymous data collection, to understanding the underl...
#22 When we think of ‘diversity hiring’, we often think of the result: new diverse talents joining our organization. But if we wind up a bit, how do we get there? In this episode, Yasar Ahmad, Global VP Talent at HelloFresh meal-kit company, explains what it takes to actually attract, hire and retain diverse talents. He shares insights, anecdotes and best practices from many years of experience in talent acquisition in the Tech sector. There’s no sugar coating it: reaching your objectives ...
#21 We’re kicking off the year with a brand new Diversity Secrets Episode! 'Diversity hiring’ and ‘inclusive culture’ take up a lot of space in the DE&I discussion. But beyond recruitment and culture, a lot needs to be in place in a company setting to guarantee that all employees can truly achieve their full potential. So how do you guarantee inclusion and equity are embedded in all stages of an employee’s life cycle in your company? To gather answers, we are joined today by Miguel Ca...
#020 What does it take to be a good Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader? Today on the Diversity Secrets podcast, we hear from DE&I coach, fellow podcaster, and keynote speaker, Ashanti Bentil-Dhue. Ashanti tells us that if you want to have real impact as a DE&I professional, passion and lived-experience are not enough. Being a DE&I know-it-all either! So what skills do you need to succeed in this job? Well, that depends on the task at hand in the organization you work in… We...
#019 There’s a lot of talk and literature out there about how important DEI is for employees, and for companies. But when it comes to finding out what initiatives actually work to build diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces, it suddenly becomes overwhelming, with a lack of benchmarks, an overload of resources and literature and no clear one way to go. That’s why today we are joined by Julie Coffman, Chief Diversity Officer at the global consultancy firm, Bain & Company, and author...
#018 Embark on a time travel with Leïla Grison, DE&I Director at Publicis Groupe, as she takes us back to her first day on the job and tells us how it all started. Leïla takes us back in time and shares her family story, the social ascension of her grandmother and mother, a story of social inequality and a real obstacle course. Fast forward and it’s Leïla’s first day as DE&I Director at Publicis. She tells us how the role got created, how she managed to gather support and comm...
#017 For our first episode of Season 3, “How to Succeed at DE&I”, we are thrilled to welcome Sarah Cordivano, Head of DE&I Strategy and Governance at Zalando, a fashion e-commerce headquartered in Berlin. Sarah published her first book in August 2022 “DEI: How to Succeed at an Impossible Job”, a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to impactful DE&I work. Whether you are a practiced professional in the space, or new to the field, this book is a must-have resource. Akin to the book it...
#016 Welcome back to the Diversity Secrets Podcast ! We’re excited to be back with a brand new season called “How to Succeed at DEI” - a blueprint for real impact and effective results. In the past 2 years we’ve seen a wave of corporate and CEO statements reaffirming their DE&I values and commitments. Billions of dollars are spent on DE&I trainings, programs and initiatives around the world. Now we want to see real results. Join us for this series of interviews as our guests share wi...
#015 Diversity Secrets podcast is back for a bonus episode with Kate Bourdet who leads Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Orange Business Services, part of the French Telecom company Orange Group. In this up-front conversation, Kate shares with us what the notion of Belonging means to her, and we discuss what implications it holds for a company in order to make sure that employees can bring their true authentic selves to work, and belong there. Kate raises an important point: a truly ...