Member Article

European Diversity Awards: business leaders, firms and charities nominated for top honours

The European Diversity Awards has released its shortlist ahead of the annual ceremony in November, with business leaders, firms, charities and highly commendable individuals all up for top honours.

The awards, in association with headline sponsor UnitedHealth Group, celebrate leading diversity and inclusion champions while recognising achievements across race, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity and religious belief over the past year.

Global corporations like Lego Group, WarnerMedia and Premier League are in the running for accolades alongside notable individuals including Labour councillor Philip Normal and NHS hero Noni Nyathi plus incredible charities like the Liverpool-based Oliver King Foundation.

The foundation has worked tirelessly for the last decade to install defibrillators in schools across the country while lobbying the government to pass legislation making it mandatory for every institution to have the life-saving equipment installed as standard. Progress towards legislation took a major step forward this year when the foundation met with the Secretary of State for Education and parliament took action to pass this bill.

Kellogg Company, who are based in Manchester, have been shortlisted for a Diversity Team of the Year award while BBC, ITV and Channel 4 will all battle it out under the Marketing Campaign Category.

Hospital ward manager Noni Nyathi, meanwhile, conjured up an inspired idea to help her black, Asian and minority ethnic colleagues wear PPE during the Covid-19 crisis.

The emergency medical admissions ward manager outlined to her Imperial College Healthcare trust that wearing PPE was a particular challenge for her colleagues, most notably over wearing fit-masks and being unable to wash their hair after a shift due to having natural afro hair.

She began wearing a head covering during shifts but worked to find a solution, which in the end led to the NHS trust purchasing a new range of caps and headscarves specifically designed to meet these needs.

Linda Riley, who is the European Diversity Awards founder, said: “These awards shine a light on those who have worked tirelessly to champion diversity and inclusion during what has been an extremely difficult 12 months.

“Every nominee has made real achievements in race, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or religious belief over the past year.

“Our awards ceremony will be a huge celebration that’s needed now more than ever.”

Central to the European Diversity Awards is the celebration of individuals. While many categories honour group endeavours, the Campaigner, Hero, Diversity Champion, Inspirational Role Model, HR Champion, and Head of Diversity categories reward individual efforts.

Among those nominated are activists Margot Szutowicz, Assa Traore, and Rokhaya Diallo, alongside Yasmin Diamond of IHG and Lottie Moor of TikTok.

TikTok marketing manager Moor said: “It’s incredibly important to me that, in every aspect of what I do at TikTok and beyond, I accurately share with passion and care the stories of those around me, provide safe spaces for communities to be themselves, and elevate people’s experiences with the platform I have.

“To be recognised for this is an absolute dream come true. For me, diversity doesn’t end with the experiences that I personally have as an out, queer woman in the workplace. Diversity, equity and inclusion is a never-ending commitment journey, of which I’m exceptionally proud to be a part of with TikTok.”

Launched in 2010, the European Diversity Awards have been promoting diversity and inclusion for eleven years. The pandemic has exposed the importance of inclusion, particularly with regards to disability and LGBTQIA+ services, and with the 2020 Awards cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2021 Awards hold poignant meaning.

Vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at UnitedHealth Group, Ouraphone Willis, added: “We are delighted to be the new headline sponsor of the European Diversity Awards, which shares our commitment to foster an inclusive, equitable and diverse culture for our team members and those we are privileged to serve.

“On behalf of UnitedHealth Group, I would like to congratulate all who have been nominated for this year’s awards.”

With nominations across sixteen categories, the European Diversity Awards 2021 is united by a dedication to diversity and inclusion, with this year’s awards recognising the impact of marketing, campaigning, media diversity, social mobility, and more on positive representation across Europe.

The categories include Diversity in Tech, Campaigner, Charity, Community Project, Company, Diversity Champion, Diversity Team, Head of Diversity, Hero, Inspirational Role Model, Marketing Campaign, Media Diversity Champion, Outstanding Employee Network, Social Mobility Initiative, Supplier Diversity Programme, and HR Champion.

FULL LIST OF SHORTLISTED NOMINEES

DIVERSITY IN TECH - sponsored by 10X Banking

10x Technologies Atlas Copco Avast Software Form3 Kin + Carta Playtech

CAMPAIGNER - sponsored by Kin + Carta

Assa Traoré - French Black Lives Matter Activist Belinda Parmar OBE - CEO, The Empathy Business Mandy Sanghera - Human Rights activist & Government advisor Margot Szutowicz - Non-binary activist in Poland Shani Dhanda - Disability activist Tea Colaiann - WiHTL and Diversity in Retail

CHARITY - sponsored by Societe Generale

COCEMFE - Confederation of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities, Spain Daisy Inclusive UK - Charity supporting disabled people & their families reach their potential Eurofirms Foundation - promoting the culture of equality in the world of work European Disability Forum - an umbrella organisation of persons with disabilities in Europe European Network Against Racism (ENAR) - the voice of the anti-racist movement in Europe Femmes For Freedom - Defending girls and womens rights Rainbow Migration - Supporting LGBTQI+ people through the asylum and immigration system The Oliver King Foundation - UK charity working to save lives by ensuring access to defibrillators

COMMUNITY PROJECT OF THE YEAR - sponsored by Deutsche Post DHL Group

Brightstars Autistic Club - community club providing a safe space for those living with autism Inclusion@Lloyd’s Partner Networks - initiative supporting cross-market networks within the insurance market that focus on specific diversity and inclusion needs Insurance Cultural Awareness Network (iCAN) - volunteer-run network supporting multicultural inclusion across the insurance sector Kirklees BAC Community, Amber & Greene, and Kirklees Council - eight-month community-led initiative seeking to uncover inequalities & racism & improve the relationship between the local council and Black communities Musicians in Exile - an ensemble of asylum seeking and refugee musicians in Glasgow. NatWest Social & Community Capital - lends to social enterprises and community businesses who are unable to access mainstream finance

COMPANY - sponsored by HSBC

Applus+ IHG - InterContinental Hotels Group Lego Group Mitsubishi Chemical Novo Nordisk nVent SThree WarnerMedia

DIVERSITY CHAMPION

Jo Campos - Resource Solutions Lottie Moor - TikTok Nurit Hattab - Electronic Arts Shimon Akad - Playtech Sunil Sheth - Fladgate LLP Suresh Raj - VIRTUE Worldwide Tatiana Ohm - AgileOne Yasmin Diamond - IHG Hotels & Resorts

DIVERSITY TEAM - sponsored by United Health Group

BBC - 50:50 The Equality Project Clarasys - D&I team HSBC - Wealth and Personal Banking Step Forward Programme (UK) Kellogg - Europe Inclusion & Diversity Team OLIVER Agency - OLIVER and Inside Ideas Group Selfridges - Diversity Board Standard Chartered - D&I Team WarnerMedia - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programme

HEAD OF DIVERSITY - sponsored by 10X Banking

Abadesi Osunsade - Brandwatch Agnieszka Filipska - Fujitsu Poland Asif Sadiq MBE - SWarnerMedia International Aynur Norman - PwC Germany Chris Edwards - Travers Smith Jaleh Bradea - Vivendi Paris Lauren (Garey) von Stackelberg - Tate & Lyle Vicki Foster - St. James’s Place Wealth Management

HERO - sponsored by The Pharm

Bobbi Pickard - bp Javad Mushtaq - Serial Social Entrepreneur and Diversity Pioneer Matthias Weber - European Pride Business Network (EPBN) Noni Nyathi - NHS Oxana Evsukova - IHG Russia Philip Normal - Labour Councillor

INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODEL - sponsored by Intercontinental Hotel Group

Arlene McDermott - LSEG Asha Kumar - HSBC Dawn Osbourne Eugenio Pirri - Dorchester Collection Lance Uggla - IHS Markit Pete Markey - Boots UK Sarah Bates - Alliance Trust Steve Jacques - Key Assets Group (Europe)

MARKETING CAMPAIGN - sponsored by TSB

BBC - 50:50 The Equality Project Channel 4 ITV Invisible Disabilities Lego Group Premier league Vodafone

MEDIA DIVERSITY CHAMPION - sponsored by WarnerMedia

Deca Media Consultancy KVH Casting Parable Project Leidmedien Spotify Vivendi

OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE NETWORK - sponsored by Standard Chartered

Ashurst - Race and Ethnicity Equality Group (REEG) Deloitte - Multicultural network Deutsche Post DHL Group - RainbowNet Égalité - Publicis Groupe Jacobs - Prism Network Johnson & Johnson – Open and Out EMEA Kin + Carta - LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group P&G - People with Disabilities Network

SOCIAL MOBILITY INITIATIVE - sponsored by Accenture

Corporate Social Responsibility International Team - WarnerMedia Host Response in Opportunistic Infections (HOROS) Man Group Pink Dynasty Project Access Denmark Sporting Chance Programme

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAMME - sponsored by DeNovo Legal Services

INvolve JALEO! Sport & Humans Events Pfizer Resource Solutions Standard Chartered Telenor Asa

HR CHAMPION OF THE YEAR

Clare Hope - IHG Kat Redman - WarnerMedia Mark Shrimpton - Martin James Network Nicole Zube - Kellogg Company Robert Hicks - Reward Gateway Siraj Mayet - Kirklees Council Sophie Yaxley - Playtech Thorsten Eger - Johnson & Johnson

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Miller .