Our Mission

Diversity of thought is essential to the effective functioning of any organisation; commercial value is optimised by ensuring that leadership decisions are informed by dialogue which is both constructive and challenging. When leadership teams ensure that a wide variety of competing ideas are robustly integrated into their deliberations and decision-making processes, this can lead to greater innovation, more robust risk minimisation and better audience engagement. Avoiding the pitfalls of group think requires organisations to uphold values that genuinely embrace a wide diversity of cultural experience at all levels, but particularly within leadership teams.

Individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds regularly ‘feel’ a significant discrepancy between the diversity-embracing value proclamations made by organisations and their personal experience. The implementation of organisational values is dependent on many complex socio-cultural constructs that can be difficult to individually pinpoint and manage, but the outcomes are evident. The existence of a £3.2 billion ethnicity pay gap (according to the Resolution Foundation) or the fact that 51 out of the FTSE 100 companies did not have any BAME directors in 2016 (according to the “Beyond One by ‘21” report) are clear examples of meritocratic organisational values not filtering through to the experience of employees. In 2018, surveyed BAME professionals were 25% more likely to feel overlooked during recruitment and promotion opportunities compared to their white counterparts (according to the Guardian/ICM Survey).

Talented professionals from diverse backgrounds must be empowered to advance as far as their abilities can take them. The socio-cultural obstacles that impede their personal progress are not inherent, nor are they irreversible. YDWC is comprised of professionals from diverse cultural backgrounds, who are often underrepresented in formal professional networks. Without access to a network of talented professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, several challenges may emerge.

First, it can be difficult for individuals to find forums to meaningfully discuss the non-conventional issues that matter to them. The frustration of having to deal with micro-aggression, unconscious bias or cultural code-switching is exacerbated without a platform to discuss these issues with others who care about finding solutions.

Second, a wise proverb states that “you don’t know, what you don’t know”. Without a diverse network of professionals from different industries, with different experiences, it is not always easy to learn completely new and inspiring professional ideas that challenge or inspire individuals to think differently.

Third, starting new social or commercial ventures may require meeting new people that individuals may not have had access to initially. Without regular opportunities to meet a wide variety of professionals in environments which are conducive to comfortably discussing ambitious ideas, it can be more difficult for those ideas to gain traction. Access to a wide diversity of thoughts can be essential to entrepreneurs; provoking new opportunities.

Fourth, it can be refreshing to find new people who share or understand your cultural peculiarities. When demanding professions require individuals to commit a lot of time to serving clients and projects that place heavy pressures on them, it is invaluable to have a welcoming community where individuals feel they can truly unwind.

Progressively minded organisations can work with YDWC to take on the challenge of dismantling the obstacles that prevent their employees from being solely evaluated based on an objective assessment of their effort, skill, ability and performance.

Kind Regards,

The YDWC Team