Workplace leaders gather for EDI conference
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Published
10 July 2024
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More than 120 attendees from across the public and private sectors came together for the third instalment of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion conference, hosted by the University of East London’s Office for Institutional Equity.
The annual event, held at UEL’s Docklands Campus, featured powerful keynotes from Leroy Logan MBE, one of the UK’s most highly decorated Black police officers and a UEL alum, as well as Mark McLane, the Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing at international savings and investments business M&G.
Drawing on his former career as a police officer and superintendent, Mr Logan detailed the racism and discrimination he faced in the Metropolitan Police even as he rose up the ranks. He stressed the importance of continuing the fight to address social justice issues. He said:
I don’t want my grandchildren’s generation to go through the same inequalities and injustices as my children’s generation, my generation, and my parents’ generation. That’s what keeps me competitive; that’s what prevents me from being complacent.
The conference served as a collective call to action, emphasising the importance of fostering inclusivity in workplaces, educational institutions, and communities.
Mr Logan and Mr McLane were joined by London Higher Chief Executive Diana Beech, Prince’s Trust Senior Strategic Advisor Nero Ughwujaro, and UEL Pro-Vice Chancellor, Education and Experience, Professor Bugewa Apampa for a panel discussion on “Conscious Inclusion: Disrupting the Status Quo” where the idea of EDI being either “baked in" or “sprinkled on top” was discussed in-depth.
Mr Ughwujaro, also a UEL alum and former Special Advisor to then-UK Prime Minister Theresa May, praised the private sector for leading the charge on positive actions on EDI, and discussed the rise of the “culture war” rhetoric within the political sphere, including the pushback against “wokeism”.
We have injustices in society, and we need to be woke to these injustices so that we can really begin to address them.
Afternoon breakout sessions allowed attendees to gather in smaller groups and discuss specific topics in depth, including leveraging EDI when promoting success within organisations, and highlighting specific inclusive practices at UEL. Another session focused on efforts to accelerate gender equity and featured UEL Senior Lecturer Dr Nadia Habashi and Interim Dean of the Office of Institutional Equity Dr Jummy Okoya.
As the day drew to a close, attendees were encouraged to take the insights gained from the conference and implement them within their own spheres of influence.
Equality at UEL
UEL has an ambitious equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) vision, and is proactive in creating a culture of inclusion and belonging in line with the cross-cutting strategy of social justice within its ten-year strategy, Vision 2028.
UEL is one of only three UK institutions with a Silver Race Equality Charter (REC) award, having received the honour in April 2024. The Race Equality Charter Mark, managed by higher education charity Advance HE, aims to support and encourage universities to work towards race equality. It provides a framework through which institutions can work to identify and reflect on barriers experienced by minority ethnic staff and students.
In June this year, UEL was also awarded the Silver Athena Swan Institutional Award for gender equality, with the University commended for efforts in fostering gender equality, particularly noting significant measures such as establishing a strong governance structure for EDI. This is the third year that the University does not have a gender pay gap of statistical significance.