Charlotte Sweeney OBE: 'Creating change is not easy'

Many companies will be deciding their New Year’s resolutions right about now, and one key area businesses should look to improve is diversity and inclusion.

With benefits on productivity and engagement, it’s surprising to note that only 14% of new firms have plans and policies to encourage inclusion and diversity in the workplace, according to a poll by First Round Capital.

Charlotte Sweeney OBE, Founder & Director of Charlotte Sweeney Associates and creator and leader of the ‘Power of Diversity’ Programme, part of the Lord Mayor of the City of London’s 686 plan, spoke to us about the importance of diversity, and how employers can best champion change.

“Creating change is not easy and it is the one aspect in business that can create a level of emotion that is seldom seen in the workplace. Many diversity & inclusion programmes, although positioned as attempting to change the culture and structures within organisations, actually have no change management principles wrapped around them,” she explains.