11 minute read
Conference flies the flag for diversity and inclusion
An inspirational conference and awards ceremony takes place this month, highlighting the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion. The This Is Us Conference and Awards will run at Kettering Conference and Exhibition Centre, on January 12, bringing together organisations from across the region and wider UK that are seeking better engagement and employability within their current and future workforce. In an exclusive conversation with Business MK, the conference and awards founder Meena Chander shares what visitors can expect from the event and why it is more important now than ever for businesses to have diversity and inclusion firmly on their agenda.
Conference is flying the flag for diversity
What is the This Is Us Conference and Awards? What is it all about?
MC Diversity and inclusion are being brought to the forefront of companies and should be recognised at a local level. Our conference and awards will promote the values of equality, diversity and inclusion and aim to raise awareness, educate and inform companies about D&I.
The event is a day conference and awards ceremony in the evening. The awards are designed to celebrate the great achievement in diversity and inclusion and raise a glass to everyone for the part they play.
It is really important to recognise the achievements of businesses that are doing great things in diversity and inclusion alongside celebrating the achievements of unsung heroes. It is about supporting and improving corporate cohesion and productivity in teams by championing inclusivity and diversity in an organisation.
What inspired you to launch the event?
I have a very close friend who is a crossdresser and he inspired me to produce a conference which originally focused solely on LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace.
I have shared his crossdressing journey with him, learning about the challenges he faces in society, and wanted to use my event management company to produce an event to educate and inform companies about being more inclusive. This expanded to include BAME and women in later years, and 2023’s event will see a strong focus on intersectionality and bringing people together
I come from a mixed-race family and I found it a real challenge to become recognised easily in the workplace. I was highly educated, good with clients and an extremely professional events manager but there was always a reason not to promote me. I had to work so much harder than some of my less experienced and less qualified counterparts. I feel companies need to think outside the box, look at people with different skills and from different backgrounds and be less prescriptive in the type of candidate they are looking for.
Which companies should attend and what can they expect?
This Is Us is aimed at any businesses and individuals keen to learn more about D&I and make it more of a priority within their organisation, from HR and recruitment professionals to educational establishments, learning and development professionals and members of internal or external networks and alliances.
They can expect to hear insight from D&I experts, gain practical tips to be a more inclusive organisation, share best practice and network with industry professionals. Attendees will develop an understanding of
Meena Chander
Sponsors champion a more inclusive future
Diversity and inclusion conference This Is Us has released its latest list of sponsors for its conference and awards ceremony.
Now in its fourth year, the This Is Us event is dedicated to helping business leaders to facilitate and promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace through a series of talks, workshops, and panel discussions.
The event has confirmed its line-up of speakers and leading sponsors of the awards, including North Northamptonshire Council, VTCT, Compass Group UK & I, Change The Balance CIC, Venues Collection Group and MKEBC.
The event will showcase best practices, offer training materials and address and facilitate important conversation around diversity and inclusion, enabling companies to support and improve corporate cohesion and productivity within their teams.
The awards ceremony follows the conference, recognising to recognise the diversity and inclusion initiatives of businesses across the regions and highlight companies’ commitment to equality and their positive impact on the workplace experience.
A total 12 will be presented in the categories:
n Education n Women Empowerment n D, E & I Company n Training & Development n Recruitment Policy and
Implementation
n Community Upliftment and
Community Engagement
n Organisational Champion n Employee Resource Group n Apprenticeship n Changemaker n Icon/Lifetime Achievement n Tomorrow’s Leader
Conference founder and organiser Meena Chander, said: “We are delighted to have such a fantastic collection of sponsors from prominent organisations, businesses and associations which are supporting and helping to facilitate a more inclusive future.
“For D&I to take precedence in our society, leaders within business, politics, and social groups play an integral role in creating real change and we are thrilled to see these key leaders within our sponsors. With the media partnerships, speakers, sponsors and award entry participants that we have obtained, we are ecstatic by the interest and awareness that This Is Us Conference and Awards is gaining.”
corporate diversity, learn practical ways to create an inclusive workplace environment, understand how to communicate inclusion, realise the importance of allies and role models, understand sensitivity to multiple discrimination and more.
What problems does the event seek to solve?
The aim of the conference is to bring together organisations that are seeking better engagement and employability with their current and future workforce.
What topics will the conference explore?
The conference will explore fostering open, honest and equitable dialogue. Attendees will learn how to hold the space and find physical and mental ease to allow others to be vulnerable.
Allyship aims to deconstruct and eliminate discrimination and we will discusss uniting people through differences and finding commonality.
The benefits of LGBTQ+, young people, disabled, gender and BAME role models will feature; ,how people can act as role models, the purpose of a role model and visibility. We will also highlight mental health and wellbeing and how we can support it in the workplace.
Why will this year’s conference be bigger and better than ever?
We have chosen a venue that is a very central point in the UK, making the event easy to access from all parts of the Midlands and East Anglia.
The This Is Us Awards are designed to reward the individuals, organisations and unsung heroes who help make the world and the workplace more inclusive for everyone in the region.
Everyone has a right to equal opportunities and esteem without fearing harassment or prejudice and our aim is to celebrate this and the companies that embrace it.
We believe that by continuing to fly the flag for equality, diversity and inclusion across these areas we can help make the UK a better place to work for everyone.
How to make serious tax savings as a business owner
Tony Byrne, managing director of Wealth & Tax Management, has some sophisticated advice for wealthy individuals.
Fed up with the Autumn Statement, never-ending tax rises, endless red tape and overly burdensome regulations and legislation? Do you ever wonder whether all of the sacrifices and hard work you have put in to become successful were worth it?
Well, the good news is that there remain numerous ways to save taxation legitimately. You just need to know where to go to get the right professional advice.
There remain some serious tax-saving opportunities if you take tax advice from the top tax specialists. Fees will be expensive but the tax savings will dwarf the fees. It is very much an added-value service. It is also not the type of tax advice you will get from a run of the mill firm of accountants.
This is sophisticated tax advice for wealthy individuals who have wealth of at least £5 million. It is especially suitable for business owners and property entrepreneurs.
Advice is bespoke for each client because everybody’s personal situation is different so different tools need to be used from the toolkit for each scenario. Vehicles such as overseas pensions - Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme Tony Byrne
(QNUPS) and Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) - overseas business succession trusts, Exempt Property Unit Trusts (EPUTS), UK limited companies, family business partnerships, Limited Liability Partnerships, family investment companies and UK limited companies are among the solutions proffered.
All of these solutions are legitimate UK structures. When taking advice it is critical to ensure that the solution recommended is pre-approved by HM Revenue & Customs and reapproved annually.
If you are interested in making serious tax savings, take advantage of a one-hour Discovery Meeting either at our offices or by a video conference call at our expense worth £270 to each of the first three readers who contact us before January 31. You know it makes sense. We offer a great cup of coffee too. Ring us on 01908 523740 or for free on 0800 980 4516 or email wealth@wealthandtax. co.uk.
Girls relish an insight into engineering
More than 160 students and teachers had a valuable insight into a career in engineering when they visited high access platform manufacturer Niftylift’s headquarters in Milton Keynes for the company’s annual Women in Engineering event.
They were joined by Milton Keynes Mayor Cllr Amanda Marlow and Debbie Brock, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, both of whom described the day as ‘interesting’ and ‘inspiring’.
Niftylift has hosted the event for the past six years, aiming to break down traditional engineering stereotypes and encourage young females to embrace science, technology, engineering and maths and to take up a career in engineering.
The two-day event was Niftylift’s largest to date and welcomed students and teachers from Watling Academy, Oakgrove, Thornton Students tackle some Niftylift challenges at the Women in Engineering event. Below: Milton Keynes Mayor Cllr Amanda Marlow
College, Bridge Academy, Denbigh, Ousedale, MK Academy, Shenley Brook End, Radcliffe and, for the first time, Hazeley Academy, Kents Hill Park, Northampton High and Silverstone UTC.
The days included factory tours, production assembly tasks, Control and Hydraulic Systems demonstrations, a 3-D CAD workshop, purchasing and supply chain activities.
The students heard from Niftylift’s female staff about their routes into their chosen careers before a ride in Niftylift’s tallest machine, the HR28 Hybrid giving the students a view of the Milton Keynes skyline from 28 metres up.
Niftylift’s marketing manager Simon Maher said: “By championing the discipline’s creative aspects and inspiring young females, Niftylift hopes to encourage a new generation of female engineers to take their place in an exciting, vibrant and growing industry.”
Mayor Cllr Marlow was shown round the Niftylift factory by one of the company’s apprentices. “It was a genuinely interesting visit, and I found it incredibly inspiring to see how valued women are in engineering,” said the Mayor. “Walking around the various activities that had been planned and run by apprentices for visiting schools, you could not fail to see how interested the girls were in what they were being shown and taught.
“I really hope that a lot of the young women who visited Niftylift will be inspired by the manufacturing tour and will pick engineering as a career, choosing an apprenticeship pathway.”
Debbie Brock, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, joined the girls in trying out some of Niftylift’s machinery.
“It was inspiring to see the jobs available and meet some of the awesome women carrying out those roles,” she said.
Youth charity calls for crime campaign backing
CEO: Business partners are invaluable
Businesses are backing a unique programme run by the charity Action4Youth aimed at teenagers at risk of being sucked into crime.
The Breakout programme has been developed by Action4Youth with funding from Thames Valley Police in response to a rise in knife crime. Independent evaluations have shown it to be an effective anti-knife and anti-gang programme.
“Business partners are invaluable to our essential work with young people,” said Action4Youth chief executive Jenifer Cameron. “Breakout is one of our initiatives that is particularly valuable in crime prevention. We know there are many young people needing our help and our corporate partners help us to work with as many young people as possible.”
On the three-month programme young people hear personal experiences and explore alternative choices. With individual mentoring and adventure education at Action4Youth’s Caldecotte Xperience at Caldecotte Lake in Milton Keynes, sessions enable young people to develop confidence and skills.
To date the initiative has worked with students from Hazeley Academy, Shenley Brook End, Bridge Academy and Central thanks to funding from partners such as NHBC, MyMiltonKeynes Business Improvement District, Paradigm Housing Group and Milton Keynes Community Foundation.
NHBC supports Breakout as part of its Our Communities initiative. Strategy and change manager Toni Archer said: “I think it is a really important initiative. It gives young people who are on the edge of knife crime new skills and new opportunities and helps them make more positive decisions.”
MyMilton Keynes BID funds the programme as part of its Safe City strategy. Chief executive Melanie Beck said: “While providing a safe place to work and live, it is vital that we create provisions to ensure that our young people have the motivation and belief in themselves which will help them become productive and happy members of our society.”
Sir Francis Hapgood, former Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, has welcomed the announcement that a further 11 funded programmes are booked for Milton Keynes in early 2023. He called for more businesses to support Action4Youth and the Breakout programme.
City BREAKFAST CLUB MK
City Breakfast Club, Milton Keynes is the longest running, premier networking event giving you opportunity to meet with the city’s top business leaders. The event takes place on the first Wednesday of each month*.
To book your place, visit citybreakfastclub.co.uk
Steve Freeman
Chairman
Delta Milton Keynes, Timbold Drive, Kents Hill MK7 6HL
7:30 - 9:00
*No events in January and August
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