He helped set up the women’s network in Mercer UK and was the first man to join the Board of leading global women’s network, PWN Global. He has mentored and sponsored many women globally and is mentored himself by a number of women. Today Robert runs his own consulting business, focussing on delivering keynotes, workshops and coaching for (mostly male) business executives to help them develop their leadership skills in gender balance and so build diverse and inclusive workplaces. He is a Board member of European Women on Boards, responsible for D&I Strategy, and is a Trustee of One Loud Voice for Women. Robert is also a Non-Executive Director of Spktral, the specialists in gender pay gap analysis and reporting and an Ambassador for the Diversity Project.
Get men engaged! We will not achieve gender equity unless organisations engage men in the topic. These would include running workshops and communication programmes to help male leaders and colleagues to: Appreciate the changes and trends that are taking place in the world which are accelerating the progress of women and explore what this means for men in the workplace; Develop awareness of the benefits for men of gender equality policies (as well as for their female colleagues) and from being active allies for gender balance; Listen to the issues their women colleagues face in advancing their careers and commit to support them through specific actions eg sponsorship; Understand the role they can play in balancing work and home responsibilities and to share the “mental load” of childcare and elder care etc; Develop the social and emotional intelligence skills necessary to lead in a gender balanced workplace.