** Unfortunately this event has been cancelled **
“A lot of inclusion is a tick-a-box exercise,” says UNE politics and international relations lecturer Dr Xiang Gao. “It’s not sufficient to recruit people from different backgrounds and life experiences. We also need to create the right environment for those people to feel they can voice their ideas and be respected.”
Gathering diverse people into your team, rather than assembling a group of like-minded people, generates new perspectives and innovation, according to Dr Gao, who will take part in a panel conversation to recognise International Women’s Day (IWD) on 14 March.
“When it comes to the representation of women, it should not be about recruiting or inviting people from the same, for example, middle-class, elite university backgrounds,” Dr Gao says. “And employers need to be prepared for dissent and to be challenged if they truly want to be inclusive of diversity.”
The IWD event is being organised by UNE Sydney and the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce as the first Future of Work Business Breakfast Forum for 2024. Dr Gao will be joined by Jacqueline Vozzo, Director of Western Sydney Lakes and 2023 NSW Outstanding Business Leader of the Year, who will share local insights into how to inspire inclusion.
The event will be held from 7am-9am at the NSW Rugby League Centre of Excellence at Sydney Olympic Park. The cost ($35 for chamber members and $60 for non-members) includes a light breakfast and Q&A.
Register for the forum and more information.
