For businesses, the public sector and charities in Scotland, The Herald & GenAnalytics Diversity Conference has become a vital part of the on-going movement to level the playing field for everyone. It is a chance to hear the latest thinking on how to create a fairer society and to remove the barriers, both overt and subtle, that still prevent too many people from fulfilling their career potential.

This year the Conference will take place on Wednesday, May 4 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow and once again it will bring together professionals at senior levels in HR, business development and recruitment to debate some of the key issues affecting diversity and inclusion.

The event will be hosted by journalist and broadcaster Rachel McTavish, and the theme will be Reset, Re-engage, Re-focus, with the speed at which long-established working practices have pivoted successfully over the last two years being just one positive example of how change for the better can happen when quickly when the need for a different approach becomes essential.

This year’s keynote speaker is Emma Bell, a former partner in Scotland’s largest law firm, who also was an employment judge and who still trains every newly-appointed judge in England and Wales.

Emma is also the author of the bestselling audiobook ‘9 Secrets to Thriving’, in which she has distilled the knowledge gained from interviewing fifty ‘thrivers’ from around the world who have successfully overcome extreme challenge. Emma has also worked with thousands of leaders, managers and entrepreneurs to shift unhelpful thinking and behavioural habits.

Throughout the day there will also be a number of panel discussions, including: ‘Learning the Lessons, Addressing the Impact, Moving Forward’, where panellists will include  Khadija Mohammed, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of the West of Scotland alongside a representative from ENABLE Works.

Age Scotland will participate in  a focus on emerging diversity and inclusion challenges, including  artificial intelligence, digital exclusion and online working; while a further discussion, entitled ‘Taking Care of Business’: Culture, Employee Wellbeing & Inclusion Discussion’, will include on its panel, Harry Dozier, Head of Health Workforce Equality at the Scottish Government.

The conference is supported by Skills Development Scotland, Diageo and commercial law specialists, CMS.

Fergus McMillan, Head of Equality and Diversity, SDS, said: “We’re delighted to sponsor this year’s Herald Diversity Conference which highlights the importance of equality and diversity in modern Scotland.

“We continue to champion the reality that a diverse and inclusive workforce – encompassing people with different perspectives and contrasting backgrounds – builds stronger organisations, forges a far better understanding of different markets and helps to bridge the skills gap. It’s something that SDS believes is incredibly important.”

And Allan Wernham, Managing Director, CMS in Scotland, said: “CMS are delighted to be sponsoring the conference once again this year. Our ongoing support underlines the importance of diversity & inclusion within CMS; we see it not as an aspiration but a business imperative. It’s also a key area of focus for many of our clients across all sectors and supporting an event which brings together leaders in this area is a fantastic opportunity which we are proud to be part of.”

Tickets are now on sale for the event, and until Wednesday, March 16 there’s a chance to save 15% on the £99 + VAT price by using the code EARLYBIRD2022.

Along with access to the event and accompanying exhibition, ticket holders receive lunch, refreshments throughout the day and the official 2022 The Herald & GenAnalytics events programme.

Full details are available from https://newsquestscotlandevents.com/events/the-diversity-conference/