The Value of Inclusion for a Post-COVID-19 World

Contributor(s): Ann Cairns, Ruth Cairnie, Wanda Hope, Lance Uggla, Nate Yohannes | The impacts of COVID-19 within firms include cost-cutting, a move towards virtual working for many workers and the pivoting of business objectives. These impacts of COVID-19 have the potential to erode the gains to inclusive culture that have been made within many firms over the last decade as focus is placed elsewhere. This is at a time when the benefits to having an inclusive culture have never been more needed. In this webinar we bring insights from the academic literature to a panel of diverse leaders and ask them what these insights mean for them in practice. Ann Cairns (@AnnMCairns) is Executive Vice Chair at Mastercard, and is senior ambassador and executive leader. She also sits as part of the company’s global management committee. Prior to joining Mastercard in 2011, Ann was head of the Financial Services Group with Alvarez & Marsal, CEO of Transaction Banking at ABNAMRO and held senior positions at Citigroup. Ann is currently chair of ICE Clear Europe, owned by the Fortune 500 company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). She is also global chair of the 30% Club, the chair of the Financial Alliance for Women and serves as a member of the UK government’s AI Council and the IBDE advisory board. She has a Pure Mathematics degree and honorary doctorate from Sheffield University and a MSc. with research into medical statistics and honorary doctorate from Newcastle University. Ruth Cairnie (@RuthCairnie) has worked in the engineering sector for 37 years spanning senior functional and line roles at Royal Dutch Shell PLC as well as experience advising government departments on strategic development and capability building. She is currently the Senior Independent Director of Associated British Foods Plc. She is Patron of the Women in Defence Charter, the Chair of POWERful Women, an initiative to advance gender diversity within the energy sector and a trustee of Windsor Leadership. Prior to this, she has been a Non-Executive Director of Rolls Royce Holdings plc, ContourGlobal plc and Keller Group PLC and a member of the finance committee of the University of Cambridge. Ruth is a Master of Advance Studies of Mathematics from the University of Cambridge and holds a BSc Joint Honours in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Bristol. Wanda Hope (@WandaBHope) currently serves as Johnson & Johnson’s Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and is responsible for globally advancing the company’s diversity and inclusion (D&I) outcomes, strengthening D&I capabilities, improving reputation, and driving innovation and growth for future success. Prior to this role, Wanda held a variety of leadership positions across Johnson & Johnson including Vice President, Sales & Marketing; Vice President, Commercial Analytics, Development & Operations; and Vice President, Global Performance & Development. She recently presented at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Conference as well the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Annual Conference. She currently serves as a strategic advisor on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the New Equality and Inclusion, the Penn State Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors, the State Theater New Jersey Board of Trustees, and the Board of the National Sales Network. Lance Uggla (@LanceUggla) is Chairman and CEO of IHS Markit, responsible for leading the strategic direction and operational results of the company. He founded Markit in 2003 having identified opportunities to create greater transparency and data accuracy in illiquid financial markets, initially focusing on derivatives. In 2016 he jointly led the merger of equals between IHS and Markit, becoming Chairman and CEO in January 2018. Lance earned his BBA at Simon Fraser University and his MSc at the London School of Economics. He was previously Head of Global Markets at CIBC and latterly Head of Europe and Asia and Cohead Credit Trading at TD Securities. He was the UK EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012 and won the Outstanding Alumni Award, 2014 at Simon Fraser. Lance sits on the Board of Directors of Mastercard is a Trustee and Honorary Member of Tate Foundation. Nate Yohannes is currently a Technical Advisor and Corporate Strategy Leader to the Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft. Nate joined the CTO’s office after directing Product Management & Planning at Microsoft Artificial Intelligence (AI) & AR/VR and as a member of the task force advising Microsoft’s vision and social-ethical responsibilities for AI Video Surveillance. Nate graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Law as a Barbara and Thomas Fellow for Human Rights and clerked for NYS Supreme Court’s Hon. Paula Feroleto. Elected Class Director, he received the Hon. Green Commencement and Alumni Trailblazer Award. Following graduation, Nate became Associate General Counsel at the Money Management Institute, representing the wealth management industry to the U.S. government. This led to his political appointment by President Obama as the Senior Advisor to the Chief Investment and Innovation Officer, U.S. SBA. He was a Team Leader for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, U.S. Department of Treasury and a member of the White House Broadband Council and the White House Business Council. Grace Lordan (@GraceLordan_) is Associate Professor in Behavioural Science and the founding Director of The Inclusion Initiative at LSE. The Department of Psychological & Behavioural Science (@LSE_PBS) is a growing community of researchers, intellectuals, and students who investigate the human mind and behaviour in a societal context. Our department conducts cutting-edge psychological and behavioural research that is both based in and applied to the real world. The Inclusion Initiative (@LSE_TII) is part of the Department of Psychological & Behavioural Science.