Ipsos Mori UK and Ireland CEO reveals how a mistake showed the need to assess diversity
Diversity and inclusion isn’t just a matter of doing the right thing — it’s been shown countless times across benchmark reports, such as the annual bellwether report from McKinsey, that the more diverse teams are, the greater returns are likely to be.
Gathering for a DIAL Global Digital Summit, where Verizon Media is a strategic partner, executives at the world’s largest organisations discussed how companies can lead and win through inclusion and how organisations can craft better inclusion strategies for a competitive edge.
Ben Page, CEO at gold standard pollsters Ipsos Mori UK and Ireland was on the first panel, alongside
Christopher Kenna, CEO and founder of Brand Advance and David Grevemberg CBE, CEO of The Commonwealth Games Federation.
READ MORE: DIAL Global Virtual Summit: Google, Amazon, Unilever execs talk about diversity and inclusion
Page, who has been at the global market research firm for 33 years, pointed out that the core of what they do is to “understand humanity” and why people think or do the things they do. When it comes to diversity, it is two pronged — not just in terms of having diverse teams of employees but also to be constantly mindful, even when you think you’re doing it right.
“You need to represent the society that you serve,” he said.
Page gave an example where a project had a “blind spot” and missed out a whole demographic of people because the team making the methodology did not include a person representing that community.
Page discussed how during a crisis, people tend to turn to business leaders as well as political leaders for guidance. He said, what people need more than ever is “transparency, empathy, and clarity” to give them confidence and help them navigate the new world of work during the coronavirus pandemic.
