Viacom Presents: Fusion/Think Thursday Media Talks

In September, Viacom’s internal employee groups Fusion and Think Thursday joined forced to host a Media Talks event discussing diversity and why it needs to be more than windows dressing and move firmly into the space of inclusion. I gave my two cents and was joined on the panel by:

Craig Orr – VP Commissioning, MTV International

Sereena Abbassi – Group Head of Culture & Inclusion for M&C Saatchi Group

Paul Gillian – Director of HR and D&I Chief, L’Oréal

Moderated by – Nihal Arthanayake, Radio and TV Presenter

A statement I’ve been hearing a lot lately is that diversity talks have been done to death and nothing is really changing. In some respects I agree, especially if there isn’t any real action taken by the people hosting them. On the flip side, I think it’s a good move for organisations to have such conversations within their walls and amongst their employees. Organisational culture is one of the hardest changes to make but one of the most important factors when it comes to building an inclusive working environment. Internal events, talks and activities create a space for candid conversation and learning which should then in turn permeate throughout the business (supplemented by action too of course). So while it might seem like this ‘diversity and inclusion’ drum has been banged on for some time, personally I think it’s no way near time for it to stop.

Thanks to Viacom for having me!