Schedule Details – ED&I Summit & Awards | 09 October 2024 | Habtoor JBR, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

09 OCTOBER 2024 / HABTOOR JBR / DUBAI / UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Honouring ED&I best practice and
innovation in a day of knowledge-sharing,
analysis and premium market intel

#EDISummit

The deadline for the nominations is 22^nd May, 2024.

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Scan the QR Code to enter our exclusive Prize Draw. Quickly complete the details on the form – and you could win one of our fantastic Apple prizes. Winners’ names will be picked at 3:30pm on 9^th October – be sure to be there!
Note: The QR code will be displayed at the event.

Amanda Clack / HKA Partner / Regional CEO – EMEA

ED&I: from Mandate to Mantra

A keynote review of the impact that a comprehensive commitment to ED&I makes on a company’s culture, and how – ideally – it will transform the day-to-day experience of each and every member of staff. Yet, this is not a simple equation and requires not only the engagement of the main Board, but full awareness and participation across management lines and the spectrum of department verticals. Furthermore, as it starts on the journey, how can a company evaluate its performance? What are the accepted benchmarks – and how can smaller businesses emulate the results of major corporates?

Amanda Clack / HKA Partner / Regional CEO – EMEA

Talking points:

What are the Metrics that organisations can use to modulate or accelerate their performance?
How can a company absorb and implement ED&I to the extent that it becomes the accepted ‘mantra’?
What are the key steps that businesses should take to make their first, practical and impactful changes?

Fireside Chat

Reviewing the challenges of the ED&I journey

Amanda Clack transitions from her keynote presentation to a head-to-head conversation with Paul Godfrey, Head of Content, Middle East Consultant. The conversation focuses on the realities of implementing an ED&I-compliant culture and how to overcome the typical roadblocks that the majority of businesses are likely to encounter. It also introduces the key themes that will be tackled later in the day’s panel sessions, such as the role of Mentoring and the importance of driving an ED&I culture from the C-Suite.

Amanda Clack / HKA Partner / Regional CEO – EMEA

Moderator

Paul Godfrey / Head of Content / Middle East Consultant

Talking points:

How to overcome initial objections to the introduction of ED&I programmes; what exactly is the role of the main Board in driving the change?
Styles of language that team leaders and managers can use to ensure inclusiveness
Is it best to develop an in-house programme or to use an external, expert consultant?

Anne-Lyse Raoul / Head of DEI – EMEA / JLL
Kabira Bhatporia / Head of Human Resources – EMEA & Turkey / JLL

Moderator

Paul Godfrey / Head of Content / Middle East Consultant

Talking Points:

Does the concept of the Board as the creator and driver of the business’ culture and performance extend to ED&I implementation?
With the Board’s backing, what happens next? How does this commitment ‘trickle down’?
How can the C-Suite best position the business as ED&I-compliant both from an inward-facing and an outward-facing perspective? How do these choices impact the company’s position in its chosen market?

Panelists:

Alia Saleh / Finance Director / ISG
Joanne Awale / Technical Director of Fire and Life Safety / AESG
Emma Jordaan / Founder / Infinite Consulting
Dipali Shirsat / Founder / The Visual Poetry
Sarah Saxon / Human Capital Director / Compass Project Consulting
Engi Jaber / Managing Director / Climatize Engineering Consultants

Moderator:

Adam Smith / Managing Director / Polypipe Middle East

Fireside Chat

The challenge: implementing the building blocks of ED&I Culture

What are the key steps that a professional and capable HR team should follow in order to properly conceive and deliver an ED&I-compliant culture? Are there existing benchmarks and metrics that can be used as effective templates; and how what style of consultation is necessary to build consensus across the length and breadth of the organisation? We speak to a regional leader on the approaches that are proven to work, in the most practical terms.

Asif Shafi / Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Civil Infrastructure, MEA / AECOM

Moderator

Paul Godfrey / Head of Content / Middle East Consultant

Fireside Chat

Does an ED&I-compliant business really stand to benefit commercially?

There is currently significant debate around whether or not a culture of ED&I – for all its employee benefits – actually results in better commercial performance. Does it only offer ‘soft’ benefits, or are the rewards seen across the ‘bottom line’? Here, Chris Nicolas, a hugely-experienced senior executive, discusses the true realities, in conversation with Paul Godfrey, Head of Content, Middle East Consultant.

Chris Nicolas / Director / TBH

Moderator

Paul Godfrey / Head of Content / Middle East Consultant

Rakhi Voria / Vice President of Global Sales Development, Procore Technologies / Executive Sponsor of Procore Women’s Impact Network (WIN)

Practical Steps to a Culture of ED&I

Rakhi will explore actionable strategies for fostering a truly inclusive workplace. Drawing from her leadership experience as an executive at Procore, IBM, and Microsoft, Rakhi will share insights on the importance of intentional leadership, equitable opportunities, and leveraging data to identify and close gaps. Attendees will learn practical steps to create safe spaces, develop sustainable programs supporting diverse talent, and build a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute

Panel Discussion

Is ED&I now beyond the remit of HR?

This panel discusses the often-controversial relationship between the Human Resources function and the delivery of ED&I initiatives. Should these initiatives originate from (and be led by) the HR department? Does HR have the ‘clout’ and the means necessary to create a fully-compliant ED&I, day-to-day culture? What is the relationship in these areas between HR, department heads and middle managers – or indeed with the company’s main Board?

Talking Points:

Can the HR function ultimately have the authority to implement ED&I agendas from scratch?
How does HR ‘trickle down’ and make manifest its decisions about ED&I?
To what extent is the HR function even qualified to talk about the more highly specialised aspects of ED&I? Doesn’t this call for expert, niche recruitment?

Panelists:

Nada Abdel Khalek / Marketing Communications Manager / ISG
Sarah Rainbow / Head of Human Resources / AESG
Irfaan Arif / Director / Develop Minds
Alejandro Garcia Vinagre / Senior Vice President / Human Resources, MEA / AECOM
Natalia Barroso / Senior Director / FTI Consulting

Moderator:

Paul Godfrey / Head of Content / Middle East Consultant

Talking Points:

Can and should Mentoring be formalised and become part of an assessment protocol?
Does mentoring always give Mentor and mentee immunity from further corporate repercussions?
To what extent is Mentoring best used as a tool for probation and first-stage training, or is it an ongoing function, even for the most senior staff members?

Panelists: