12/10/2022: Engaging Men with Inclusion and Diversity Breakfast | WeAreTheCity, Token Man Consulting & Potentia Talent Consulting

Token Man and Potentia Talent are partnering with WeAreTheCity to transform the conversation about male participation in gender equity.

“No minority in history has changed history without the support of the majority.”

It’s clear that we can’t achieve gender equality without engaging men in inclusion and diversity. However, recent CMI research shows that male managers are blocking efforts by companies to improve gender equality. Despite studies showing the benefits of gender equality for businesses, two thirds of male managers believed their organisation could successfully address future challenges without gender balanced leadership (not surprisingly only a third of female managers agreed!).

WeAreTheCity are partnering with Token Man Consulting and Potentia Talent Consulting to transform the conversation about male participation in gender equity. We want to make it the norm for male leaders to see this as critical for their career and personal development, as well as being business critical! Because change should ultimately benefit almost everyone.

We have already sent out a survey for those men who have been active in gender equity to understand the benefits they have seen in their organisations, their careers and personal lives. The results will be revealed at the breakfast alongside hearing from some fantastic speakers about what the key barriers are to engaging men as well as hearing where people have been successful.

Speakers include:

Engaging men breakfast event, speakers

Catherine Gillespie, Global People & Culture Director at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

Daniele Fiandaca, Founder of Token Man Consulting

Daniele Fiandaca is founder of Token Man Consulting, an inclusion and diversity consultancy which specialises in engaging men with the I&D strategy and inspiring them to become change-makers, creating workplaces that are truly inclusive and diverse. It does this through consultancy, events, research, training and thought leadership. He is also co-founder of Masculinity in the Workplace, one of the few I&D events that has majority male attendance and is accompanied by an annual survey to measure how masculine workplaces continue to be in the UK.

Previously he was co-founder of Utopia, an award winning culture change business that creates more inclusive, more entrepreneurial and healthier cultures for clients. Utopia’s top-to-bottom, boardroom to factory floor approach had clinched household names including Alexander McQueen, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Google, KP Snacks, Nestlé, Pepsico, Rolls Royce, Spotify, Unilever and Universal Music.

He was named one of Management Today’s Top 30 Male Agents of Change, and most recently, one of the Top 50 Trailblazers in Gender Equality in the UK. He has also co-authored a number of best selling books including Creative Superpowers: Equip Yourself for the Age of Creativity

Nick Laird, Managing Director, Business Support & Recoveries at Lloyds Banking Group

Nick joined Lloyds Banking Group in 2013, undertaking a range of leadership roles across Commercial Banking in areas such as pricing & capital management, loan distribution, operations and Commercial Services.

Nick is now Managing Director of BSU, Collections & Recoveries, leading a group of teams that support businesses of all sizes in financial difficulty.

Prior to joining Lloyds, Nick spent 8 years with Barclays Corporate in London undertaking a variety of roles in credit risk, portfolio management and restructuring.

Nick has been actively involved in the inclusion & diversity agenda throughout his career. Nick is co-Chair of the Breakthrough network for LBG, the one of the largest women’s networks in the UK with over 10,000 members.

Nick is married to Sarah, has two young daughters and lives in North West England.

Robert Baker, Founder of Potentia Talent Consulting

Robert is a recognised thought leader, speaker, executive coach, mentor and consultant, helping organisations realise the power of a truly diverse workforce. He works in partnership with business leaders globally, helping them overcome organisational challenges to build an inclusive culture and so unleash the full potential of all of their talent.

He has developed a portfolio career and has re-invented himself for his “Next Chapter”. Robert is Founder and CEO of his own business, Potentia Talent Consulting, which provides consulting and workshops for companies on diversity, equity and inclusion topics, including gender balance.

Robert has a passion for gender equality. He specialises in engaging men to be allies to women in the workplace and coaches them to become gender balanced leaders. He has developed highly rated workshops for global companies on this topic.

Taf Muchenje, Marketing Executive at Channel 4 & Co-Chair of The Shed

Tafadzwa Muchenje, also known as Taf, is a 27-year-old who lives in London. Taf is a Marketing Executive at Channel 4, and is also one of the two co-chairs of The Shed. A newly formed inclusive ERG team at the company, with its dedication being focused to the men at Channel 4. Taf has been working at Channel 4 for 4 years now and having started as an apprentice in their Social Media department.

This panel will be hosted by Vanessa Vallely OBE, Founder of WeAreTheCity and WeAreTechWomen.

About Vanessa Vallely OBE

Vanessa Vallely OBE Vanessa is one of the UK’s most well-networked women and has provided keynotes on a variety of career related topics for over 500 companies worldwide. Vanessa is also one of the UK’s most prominent figures in gender equality and often provides guidance and consultancy to both government and corporate organisations who are seeking to attract, develop and retain their female talent. Vanessa was awarded her OBE in June 2018 for her services to women and the economy.