How can diversity and inclusion be at the heart of the future workplace?
Type: Breakout session , Room:
Room 5
Diversity and inclusion is vital to business success. Having a diverse workforce is proven to deliver benefits, from increased innovation to better connection with customers and improved revenue. Yet it may be hard to sustain this in the workplace of the future, where technology such as AI will play a greater role. In this session, we discuss the successes of leading organizations in this area and how best to reshape workplaces and working practices in the digital age.
Speaker:
Kitrhona Cerri
Director Social Impact
World Business Council on Sustainable Development
Kitrhona Cerri is Director of Social Impact at WBCSD, leading collaborative projects on Business and Human Rights, and on the Future of Work.
The WBCSD is a CEO-led organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, bringing together some 200 of the world’s leading corporations spanning a wide range of sectors and geographies. The Council’s mission is to galvanize the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the environment. Together with its members, it applies a mix of thought leadership and advocacy to generate constructive solutions and take shared action to tackle sustainability challenges. The WBCSD also benefits from a network of 60 national and regional business councils and partner organizations, a majority of which are based in developing countries.
Kitrhona joined WBCSD in 2012, having previously worked for Accenture Management Consulting across their Public Service, Financial Service, and International Development Practices. Specializing in performance management and impact assessment, she worked across geographies and industries to assess and improve the performance of a diverse range of organizations, programs and cross-sector partnerships. She holds an M.Sc. in Development Management from the London School of Economics, and an M.A. in Psychology and English Literature from the University of St Andrews.
Kelly Becker
Country President Ireland, Europe Operations
Schneider Electric
Kelly Becker is Country President of Schneider Electric Ireland, the global specialist in energy management and automation. In Ireland since April 2019, Kelly is responsible for all operations and employees operating within the country. Before her time in Ireland, she was Vice-President of the Power Solutions Division for Schneider Electric in the US where she was responsible for strategy and business execution for a portfolio of Power Monitoring Hardware, Software and System Solutions, Power Quality and Lighting Control products.
Additionally, she previously led Strategy and Business Development for the $4B Partner Business unit in the US focused on strategic growth and breakthrough initiatives, market and geographic expansions and internal start-ups.
Prior to Schneider, Kelly was a Global Product Manager at Danaher Corporation in their Product Identification Platform. At Danaher, she worked extensively on new product development, sales growth strategies and driving the core business internationally. Before attending business school, Kelly worked for TAC/Schneider Electric selling complex energy management infrastructure projects to K-12 Schools and Universities in Texas, Illinois and New Mexico.
Kelly holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Advertising/Public relation from Texas Christian University and a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
She serves on the board of the France-Ireland Chamber of Commerce Habitat and the Darden School of Business Corporate Advisory Board.
Sarah-Jane Littleford
Head of Responsible Business, Global Service Delivery Unit
Fujitsu
Sarah-Jane is Head of Responsible Business at Fujitsu Global Service Delivery Unit. In this role she develops strategies that enable Fujitsu to have a positive impact on the environment and on local communities, in the 8 global locations where Fujitsu Global Delivery operates. Responsible Business is of significant importance for Fujitsu Group, particularly through focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Previously, Sarah-Jane was a researcher at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment based at the University of Oxford, working on corporate governance and approaches to long-term investing. Sarah-Jane has a PhD in Geography from the University of Oxford, where her research was supported by the Rhodes Scholarship.
Arlene Gregorio
Head of Philippines Global Delivery Center, Head of BPO Services Hub
Fujitsu
Arlene is a results driven, passionate and engaging IT executive from Fujitsu’s Global Delivery Group – heading the Global Delivery Center in the Philippines, and the BPO Hub/ Service Line across Fujitsu Delivery Centers.
She drives business operations and strategic growth for Fujitsu’s Global Delivery Center in the Philippines, working with customers in Japan, Australia, Asia, US and UK across multiple service lines: Service Desk/Service Management, Hybrid Infrastructure, Network & SOC Services, Workplace Services, Applications Support, ERP Services, and Business Process Outsourcing.
She is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, promoting equal opportunities for both men and women to thrive in tech/leadership roles.