From London to New York: Around the World with Diversity Atlas

This month’s newsletter is packed with event highlights from the DEI Data Summit, London Tech Week, to a webinar with New York University. We are happy to announce the launch of the Diversity Atlas Programs and free DEI Health Check, along with our recent submission to the Australian Parliamentary Joint Committee. Don’t miss a quick introduction to our littlest & youngest Diversity Atlas members

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“As a leader, I am forever trying to co-create a culture & an organization where everyone continues to feel valued & appreciated & always keeps sight of our organization’s vision.”  

– Peter Mousaferiadis, CEO Cultural Infusion

Global Inclusion Online Forum: DEI Data Summit

The Global Inclusion Online Forum is a global digital platform comprising an annual forum and smaller-scale events throughout the year promoting diversity, equity and inclusion for advocates and practitioners. Our Director of DEI Roman Ruzbacky and CTO Rezza Moieni are presenting a session at 4.00am AEST, ‘Addressing Diversity Fatigue in Data Analysis and Reporting Impacting Decision Making’. 

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London Tech Week

Diversity Atlas was proud to be selected to represent Australian Innovation as part of a trade mission to London Tech Week in June 2023 by the Victorian State Government. We represented a group of over 600 people internationally, and one of 36 businesses from Victoria,  Australia as a Trade Mission.

London Tech Week is a huge annual event, that showcases the very best of tech and this year had the largest audience to date of over 15,000 people.  There were many worldwide experts, thought leaders and speakers with the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak kicking the week off with the opening address. There was a vast range of topics covered, AI featuring heavily and as expected,  Diversity Equity and Inclusion were a common thread to many discussions, in particular to better reporting with ESG’s but also the complexities and need for greater understanding as well.  This was evidenced by Caroline Brady, Director of Impact Management & Research, Fundamental Equity at BlackRock when she spoke about the growing need for organisations to have a closer look at their own operations. What training, data, teaching, biases do they have. And not to just look at the Boards, but all the way down. She also pointed a more outside stakeholders view for organisations with growing expectations from investors who are now expecting much more, but also the need to be more representative of customers that are served. Impact investment is not at the very forefront and Laura Citron CEO, London & Partners (an independent industry body that represents and advances the global FinTech community in the UK) also spoke key values of belonging, where everyone needs to be welcomed. With the growth of AI it was clear the need for greater humanity existed and from topics and presentations these two topics and how we grapple with them are clearly front of mind. 

“My clear takeaways and hot topics for LTW; AI and Humanity – how can we grow the importance and understanding of the latter, not at the cost of the former”.

Michael Walmsley, Chief Experience Officer

We also caught up with some of our UK clients and Partners and established many new great contacts in what an incredibly informative and valuable visit. A huge shout out to the Global Victoria team that organised many supporting workshops and networking events spread across central London. From the Oval Cricket ground, to lawyers, consultants offices, Australia House and some great rooftop bars their network and organisational skills was incredible and hugely valued. The entire mission was amazed and grateful of the opportunities Global Victoria helped open up.

We look forward to future events and expanding our reach in UK and Europe.

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Outside the Box with NYU

“Every classroom is an act of making citizens in the realm of that room, and every room is a figure for the larger community.” 

~ A. Bartlett Giamatti (1938–89)

On Thursday 22 June, our CEO & Founder Peter Mousaferiadis, Cultural Ambassador Wanah Bumakor and Executive Assistant Catherine McCredie attended a New York University online seminar on Ethnic Conflicts run by Prof. (Adj.) Amb. (Hon.) Colette Mazzucelli. Wanah discussed the origin and nature of ethnic conflicts in Africa, while Peter asked everyone for their definition of ‘diversity’, prompting a range of interesting replies and conversation. 

Not just a powerful diversity data and equity tool, Diversity Atlas itself creates a space of inclusivity and unexpected connections, and we felt lucky to share insights with this clever cohort.

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Recent Submission for Australia’s Human Rights Framework

We are proud to announce that Cultural Infusion’s recent submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has been approved and released as a public document. 

The upholding of human rights is an essential precondition for a healthy democracy. Human rights are closely linked to peace, stability and sustainable social and economic development, but the rights of minority groups, in particular, are often overlooked in democratic systems.

Our submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights’ Inquiry into Australia’s Human Rights Framework calls for a Human Rights Act and a revised national Human Rights Framework, and includes the following recommendations with supporting detail: Incorporate a strategy for data management; Incorporate DEI strategies; Embed intercultural capability into the Framework; Extend education and training around human rights in cooperation with the entire community; Take care with language. 

We are also recommending that the group overseeing revisions to the Framework include strong representation from minority groups in Australia and at least one person from a very small minority group (fewer than 200 members) for the essential insights their perspective can offer.

Read the full submission (submission no.47) here.

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Babies, Babies, Babies!

The Diversity Atlas team is celebrating a baby boom! Welcome to the world, Kimmi and Amani and congratulations to respective parents Mylinh Le (kickass Database Analyst) and Wanah Bumakor (Cultural Ambassador extraordinaire). We are overjoyed for you both. We also have 7 month old Nate (baby of Marketing Specialist, Eileen) joining us remotely all the way from Malaysia.

We are anticipating more new arrivals quite soon so stay tuned!

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July Calendar Updates

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Calendar Spotlight: Bastille Day

Our spotlighted date for this month is France’s National Day, known in English as Bastille Day, which falls on 14 July each year and is France’s National Day in commemoration of the ‘storming of the Bastille’ when on 14 July 1789, a crowd of around 1,000 people (the majority local artisans) surrounded and eventually broke into the Bastille prison. The Bastille, which had been built in the 1300s as a military fort to protect Paris, was seen as a symbol of the monarchy’s tyranny.

It held many political dissidents, including the writer Voltaire, though by 1789 it was scheduled for demolition and only held 7 prisoners: 4 accused of forgery, 1 at the request of his family and 2 ‘lunatics’. The event is widely considered to be the instigating event of the French Revolution.

Check out the Diversity Atlas Cultural Calendar for more cultural events below

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