Andrew delivered a keynote at the MPF Forum summit on Diversity & Inclusion on Wednesday 7th June 2017 at the offices of Berwin Leighton Paisner in London.
You can watch a full replay above.
To see other keynotes and companies Andrew has presented to in the legal industry, please visit the legal keynotes page.
Keynote: Diversity of Thought – embracing digital disruption and fighting groupthink
Andrew provided a perspective on “Diversity of Thought” and how that is so important to firms, particularly in the area of digital disruption, to shape your firm for the future. Diversity of Thought entertains different mindsets, enables fresh perspectives and ensures groupthink can’t take hold – essential to your firm’s culture in an ever-evolving world.
When we look specifically at how digital is disrupting professional services this is particularly true, and is where younger, digital natives are key, able to share their expertise and perspectives with their more senior colleagues. Here, Andrew will also provide his own interesting and challenging point of view on having digital natives on boards.
The MPF Summer Summit 2017 examined how leading professional services firms are shaping up to face the future, through their people and their culture.
Against a rapidly changing backdrop with emergent new technologies, younger generations entering the workplace with different expectations, and increasing demands from clients, it is essential your firm is agile enough to adapt and attract the people you need to meet these challenges successfully. The positive impact of ensuring your workforce is diverse and inclusive on your bottom line is indisputable, as is the cost to the business of doing nothing.
Andrew provided a perspective on ‘Diversity of Thought’ and the importance of this to the professions, particularly around digital disruption, to shape your firm for the future.
Diversity of Thought encourages different mindsets, enables fresh perspectives to ensure groupthink doesn’t take hold – essential to your firm’s culture in an ever-evolving world.
This is particularly relevant when looking specifically at how digital is disrupting professional services this is particularly true, and is where younger, digital natives can share their expertise and perspectives with their more senior colleagues. Here, Andrew will also provide his own interesting and challenging point of view on having digital natives on boards.
In addition, Fleur Bothwick, EMEIA Director of Diversity and Inclusion at EY and co-author of Inclusive Leadership, discussed EY’s approach and her own experiences of D&I. Fleur will discuss how EY believes that diversity and inclusion is good for everyone – both the business and its people.
Diversity is about everybody. More than just about single strands such as race or gender, it’s about the fact that every single person is different and we all have multiple identities. Fleur is a firm believer that diverse teams are the key to creating a dynamic, innovative and competitive business and with current business trends, it has never been more important to think about how we are attracting, retaining and engaging our people.
Fleur covered elements from her book Inclusive Leadership, co-authored with Charlotte Sweeney, which introduces a framework that any sized organisation can use, operating both locally and globally, to enable them to identify where they are on their D&I journey aligned to their business objectives.
The Summit closed with a panel discussion and audience Q&A, where Derek Hrydziuszko, Partner at BLP who joined our speakers, drawing on his own experience of diversity and inclusion within the legal sector.
The event was facilitated by Luan de Burgh, of communication consultancy the de Burgh Group.
Agenda
4.00pm Registration and refreshments
4.30pm Welcome & introduction
4.40pm Andrew Grill, IBM Social Consulting
5.10pm Fleur Bothwick, EY
5.40pm Panel session and Q&A
6.15pm Drinks
7:00pm Close