ROUNDTABLE REVIEW
and Inclusion, showing how committed the school has been on these issues historically. We approach diversity by making sure the school is socially diverse. We took stock of the fact that in France and many Western economies, when you’re from an affluent background, you’re much more likely to undertake higher education and graduate from a master’s level programme. “We thought deeply about how we could enhance the chances of students from lower economic backgrounds applying and succeeding in a very selective admission process. We did that through mentoring prior to application, as well as lowering barriers to entry, including creating specific scholarship schemes. We’ve also set a target for 22 per cent of our master’s in management cohort to come from lower economic backgrounds. “We’ve noticed that the proportion of international students has been increasing and currently stands at around 40 per cent. Two years ago, we developed a game called Diversity Fresco, which we use with students to discuss the causes and consequences of all types of discrimination. Through the workshop, they become aware of how they might have been discriminated against, or if they have been discriminating against others.” What are some of the common challenges that you face when implementing DE&I initiatives? And, more importantly, how can they be overcome? Sally Everett “People having the confidence to tackle issues around DE&I can’t be taken for granted. A lot of academics come from backgrounds where they haven’t had to discuss diversity and inclusion. It’s not that they don’t want to, but I think there is a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. Having allies and supporting faculty in these endeavours is absolutely key. “A big challenge is definitely resources, specifically time and money. Diversity topics cannot just be an ‘add‑on’. It’s great that we’ve got dedicated DE&I roles, but it has to be part of the core academic workload,
we’re not launching diversity programmes in name only, but embedding them into the culture itself. “As an example, in 2020, our dean formed a DE&I taskforce and, over the course of a year, that committee interacted with stakeholders throughout the community to find out what the priority was in terms of building a formal DEI strategy for Insead. My position came out of the set of recommendations made by that committee.” Sankalp Chaturvedi, associate dean, equity, diversity & inclusion, Imperial College Business School “We have done a lot of work in this domain, instigating policy development, plus supporting and implementing different initiatives, from a race equality charter to Athena SWAN accreditation. “We have also started working on a student and staff strategy for what DE&I should look like in the future. In fact, my position came out of that discussion. In my role, I’m putting together teams to measure representation parameters, taking a step further towards embedding equity, which is an integral part of creating an inclusive culture. “On the student side, we have set up more social clubs for those from under‑represented groups to voice concerns. We also have a vice-president of DE&I who specifically focuses on the student energy and enthusiasm in this regard. “We take DE&I into consideration when hiring and on promotion panels, not only in terms of representation, but how people experience fairness and respect in the workplace. I work closely with the DE&I committee and one of our taskforces focuses on ‘institutional identity’, examining how students can be school ambassadors. Plus, we review how best to appreciate student diversity in terms of neurodivergence, accessibility and so on.” Anne-Claire Pache, associate dean, strategy and sustainability and member of Essec Business School’s senior leadership team “This year, we’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of our Centre for Diversity
PANEL PARTICIPANTS
CHAIR Colette Doyle Head of editorial AMBA & BGA
DELEGATES
Sharon C Brooks Executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Insead
Sankalp Chaturvedi Associate dean of equity, diversity & inclusion at
Imperial College Business School
Sally Everett Vice-dean of education at King’s Business School
Anne-Claire Pache Associate dean for strategy and sustainability at Essec Business School and a member of the senior leadership team Sven Stromann Previously Mannheim Business School’s diversity manager, now director of the school’s Alumni Relations and Career Development Office
Ambition | MAY 2023 | 25
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