457: Embracing diversity in the workplace (with Kay Formanek)

Welcome to an episode with an inspiring speaker, author, and coach, Kay Formanek. Get Kay's book here: https://amzn.to/3EgXNYP

Kay Formanek is the Founder and CEO of Diversity and Performance, a company committed to creating new insights and more conscious diversity leaders. She is the author of Beyond D&I, a book that equips leaders with strategic models and practical tools for advancing Diversity Performance in their organization.

Kay is a leading authority on diversity and inclusion, a global speaker, board member, contributor to leading business schools, and advisor and expert to various top advisory organizations. She brings over 30 years of experience of navigating diversity journeys and cultural transformations in over 50 organizations spread across the world. She was Partner and Managing Director in Accenture, where she played a crucial role in advancing diversity and inclusion for 25 years. She also assumes the role of Inclusive Leadership Coach and Expert in Aberkyn and McKinsey.

Within the framework of her own company, Diversity and Performance BV, Kay has spent the last six years undertaking extensive study and research in the areas of diversity, inclusion, equity, leadership, and purpose. She has collaborated with multiple organizations to develop and test her thinking. Her experience and research led to the development of the anchor diversity models: The Virtuous Circle and the Integrated Diversity Model.

Kay believes in the importance of knowledge and personal learning to overcome personal and systemic bias and that personal learning is at the heart of becoming a courageous and inclusive leader of diversity. She has developed the global certification program for corporates, government institutions, professional services organizations, and NGO's entitled "Inclusive Leadership and Mitigating Bias" Certification. Diplomats, ambassadors, D&I practitioners, leaders, professors, and many individuals who wish to play a role in advancing inclusive diversity have attended certifications around the world: Dubai, Singapore, South Africa, Boston, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, and more than 30 other locations.

In this episode, Kay spoke about the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equity in an organization. We will learn more about the underlying reason behind why people discriminate, stereotype, and why people have unconscious bias. 

Beyond D&I: Leading Diversity with Purpose and Inclusiveness. Kay Formanek: https://amzn.to/3EgXNYP

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