Cass Business School Hosts Champion of Diversity
Cass Business School of the City University of London recently hosted champion of diversity, Helena Morrissey, CEO of Newton, an investment management subsidiary of BNY Mellon, for its Dean’s Lecture Series in February 2016.
Morrissey’s lecture, entitled ‘New Approaches to Diversity’ focused on the nuances of fostering gender equality in the business world.
She said:
“In today’s world, the idea of including diversity as a part of what it takes to develop healthy organizational cultures and to run a modern, forward-looking business is well accepted and understood. Most leaders of organizations would say that improving diversity, from the imperfect situation that we still have today, is one of their top priorities…However, once you look beneath that goal, you often find that the actual approach to bettering diversity within an organization is either very siloed: delegated to certain people to resolve; or it’s left to a number of specific initiatives. The approach isn’t really embedded and there’s no focus on the day-to-day behaviors people are seeking to change. But, we have the opportunity to take a different approach.”
Morrissey is the founder of The 30% Club, an initiative which aims to achieve gender balance on the boards of Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 companies. Cass Business School hosted the 30% Club’s first seminar in July 2011. According to the initiative’s website:
“The 30% Club aims to develop a diverse pool of talent for all businesses through the efforts of its Chair and CEO members who are committed to bettering gender balance at all levels of their organizations. Business leadership is key to our mission, taking the issue beyond a specialist diversity effort and into mainstream talent management.”
The 30% Club works with universities to raise knowledge of gender equality, and it will launch its first scholarships for Cass Business School EMBA students this September.
About the Author
Maggie Boccella
Maggie Boccella, a lifelong resident of Philadelphia, is a freelance writer, artist and photographer. She has consulted on various film and multimedia projects, and she also serves as a juror for the city's annual LGBTQIA Film Festival.
