THE BENEFITS of inclusivity for business and wider society is the focus of a new business-led think tank in Coventry and Warwickshire.
OPTIC aims to help organisations turn inclusion in leadership, recruitment and training into a strategic advantage – and boost their bottom line.
The group, which is backed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, brings together 12 regional business and civic leaders to highlight how more inclusive companies are more profitable.
The group – co-chaired by Diverse Matters founder and director Natasha Broomfield-Reid, and CultureNav founder Chris Golby – will meet every two months to identify issues and opportunities and come up with solutions.
The first meeting heard evidence on how firms with inclusive leadership teams are more likely to perform better, be more innovative and have better decision-making processes.
Kalie Sahota, who brings more than 25 years of experience across corporate, public, and not-for-profit sectors, was instrumental in its formation and is the Chamber’s representative on the group.
She said OPTIC – which stands for Outcomes, Performance, Transformation, Inclusion and Culture – would showcase the true benefits of inclusivity for business and wider society.
Kalie said: “The evidence shows that companies that are embracing diversity and inclusion in the UK and across the world make better decisions and innovate faster.
“Improving processes in the workplace to be more inclusive is the right thing to do but it has real impacts on the bottom line too.
“By tapping into the widest pool of talent available, any business gives itself an opportunity to build a leadership team with a wide range of skills and ideas, positioning them for sustainable growth now and in the future.”
Natasha Broomfield-Reid said the role of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in enhancing business success was not fully understood.
She added: “This group will be working to change this and to support businesses with evidenced, data-driven and qualitative information and guidance.
“The group also aims to defy myths and misunderstandings regarding equity and inclusion so the business benefits are fully understood by business across Coventry and Warwickshire.”
