OUR CULTURE STORY | AUTUMN 2019 32
BE YOURSELF CHAPTER ELEVEN
This year, I attended a discussion on the role of Allies in championing inclusion and change for minority groups, hosted by One Loud Voice, a group campaigning for gender balance, of which BDO is a sponsor. In the 250-strong audience were varied organisations – from accountancy firms to the UK Space Agency (one of my clients) – and we all heard strong arguments from the panel about, for example, the need to engage men along the gender balance journey. And, of course, the concept of Allies does not apply to gender balance alone. And I was proud when our LGBT+ network, BLEND, spearheaded a new Allies network at BDO this year. Stonewall statistics indicate that the majority of LGBT+ graduates go back into the closet when they start work, even if they have previously been open about their sexual orientation or gender identity. There is so much more we all need to do here to support just that one community alone. Coming into – and thriving in – a professional environment can be challenging enough; but if you don’t feel you can be yourself, that can add extra pressures. From time to time, we all need the support of others – in and out of the workplace – in order to achieve our potential. Allies – and
mentors – in the workplace can help so many people, regardless of gender, race, religious conviction or sexual identity. One of the key parts of being an Ally is to learn about the experiences and issues of those you want to support; those skills are equally useful with friends or family members. We are a large and diverse firm, we will not all share exactly the same world view on every issue – and that’s ok; diversity is our strength and we need to give each other space to be ourselves and have differing perspectives on life. What is vital is that we all treat each other with mutual respect and help each other to succeed in every way. I’ll keep working to be an Ally of those groups who need one, as part of our ‘Be Yourself’ approach at BDO – but also to simply do the right thing.
IAIN NETTLETON International Projects Group Partner, avid skier and intrepid explorer An astronaut, an adviser and some Allies walked into a room… I’ve been working with BDO Inspire (BDO’s equivalent of a women’s network) for a few years. Now that I’m a partner, I – together with fellow partner, Ruth Ireland – have continued to ensure the Network has a voice at the table. It’s clear to me that BDO is doing many good things – short- and long-term. But it’s also clear that – just like in broader society – there are still years ahead of us where there will be more males at the top table than females. As the host of the Guilty Feminist podcasts, Deborah Frances-White, says in her book: it takes time to re-balance thousands of years of imbalance.
chapter eleven
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