Provide in depth information about you and your current job role.
I am currently working as the Head of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion for the MPA Group within the music industry. I lead on and manage all our diversity and inclusion work. I am also the Champion for Menopause. The MPA is a membership organisation with over 200 international and national members including Sony and Warner. My diversity and inclusion work extends to all our members and their staff!
I like to encourage colleagues to feel confident to speak up about their lived experiences so that others can learn but always ensuring that they have a safe environment to enable them to do this. I would describe myself as a change management specialist and a qualified trainer.
I have more than 20 years working experience in diversity and inclusion, teaching and training both globally and nationally.
I have worked in different sectors including Oil and Gas, Finance, Regulators and Investment Banks. I have worked with diverse communities, disadvantaged communities and faith groups which has enhanced my knowledge and understanding of diversity and inclusion.
I am always keen on creating an inclusive work environment, where employees can bring their ‘true’ self to work and where no one feels excluded! I have supported organisations to move from ‘tick box mindset’ to ‘embedding EDI into every area from organisational, business, HR to corporate risk. I have recommended initiatives that link to internal opportunities for improvement, worked with leaders within the businesses to educate them and broader teams on the benefits of an inclusive workplace.
In the past, I worked on learning and development and recruitment programs with Women in Technology to recruit female candidates within the Oil and Gas sector. Interest in working in the sector increased to 50% (2012) from 28% (2009).
Through my successful EDI work, I helped Choice Support win the Bronze Award for TIDE (ENEI), Great Places to Work for Women and Great Places to Work awards in 2021. This put the organisation on the map and increased the number of its clients from diverse backgrounds.
I developed the first ever EDI strategy and laid down the foundations for a number of organisations including the FSA (FCA) and Choice Support. This helped the organisations begin their EDI journey. It also helped them attract candidates from a diverse talent pool which they all had difficulty with. I ensured that Job adverts, JD’s, interview panels, questions, hiring and on-boarding process were inclusive.
In 2009, I was instrumental in successfully leading Thurrock Borough Council in achieving Level 3 of the Equalities Standard in 2 months. The award encouraged them to provide more diverse services tailored to their residents needs and requirements.
I have also worked in difficult circumstances and faced many challenges, of which one was to bring together race and faith communities, during the height of religious tension in Britain. My work bought about peace and harmony to these communities. I had many meetings to help build trust and understanding between them. I did this by creating projects that they could work on together. carried out faith awareness events and made inclusive speeches to bring them all together. I was nominated by the community groups form my interfaith work and was awarded the Ambassador of Peace in 2006.
I am a philanthropist. My interest doesn’t stop just at human rights, it goes further covering animals and our global environment. I have worked voluntarily for a number of charities mainly for animal welfare and environmental organisations. I support and campaign for nearly 25 (and growing) national and global animal, environmental and human rights charities, helping them to educate, raise awareness and compassion for those who do not have a voice. I am also a poet and an artist.
Why do you feel you have been selected for the Head of Diversity & Inclusion Award?
My family, friends and colleagues have witnessed my struggles and my successes. I suppose they believe in me and that is why I was nominated. They have seen and read about the positive changes that have taken place in organisations because of my work.
At the beginning of my career, I sometimes felt lost and confused. I wasn’t quite sure if I was on the right track or if I made the right career choice (legal profession). I got into the EDI field by accident and I am glad that I did.
I have a strong commitment to human rights and equality. I am a passionate person at heart and whatever I do I do to the best of my capability. I do not leave any stone unturned when I want to achieve something. I work very hard to ensure that others do not face inequality, inequity or discrimination at work. As someone with a chronic debilitating and progressive illness, I know only to well how it feels to be excluded, invisible and ignored.
My job is challenging and sometimes stressful but knowing that I am a change maker gives me a sense of satisfaction. I feel a sense of achievement at the end of my working day, just knowing that I may have made a positive impact on somebody’s life.
This award would be like a bonus for me. It will help raise my profile within my sector. Leaders will take what I have to say seriously and hopefully it will provide me with more opportunities to aim higher. I am probably a lot older than most of your applicants but I still feel that I haven’t reached my full potential yet.
What diversity initiatives have you implemented within your workplace across the following diversity strands?:
Age | Disability | Gender | LGBT | Race | Religion & Faith
I have always worked hard to ensure that I create an inclusive working environment that allows my colleagues to have open and honest discussions, to create opportunities for development and progression, to have their voices heard, to raise awareness about diversity, to reach out to those voices that seldom gets heard and to provide a platform so that they can be heard, and where
nobody feels left out. So, in early 2022, I announced the launch of 10 employee networks for the music publishing sector. The networks cover all 9 protected characteristics and also include new areas such as Menopause, Social Mobility and Mental Health and Wellbeing. This is a first for the sector.
Another first for the sector is my M3 managers guidance on Menopause, Menstruation and Miscarriage and related health matters (for example, adenomyosis and endometriosis). This was launched in October last year during Menopause Awareness Month. This guidance is a must for any organisations to help support employees going through certain life stages and experiences and helping to support them at work.
I have signed the MPA up to a number of external EDI organisations to demonstrate public commitment, for example Race at Work and Disability Committed pledges. Other organisations within the sector have followed my lead to demonstrate their commitment as well.
Since joining the MPA, I have worked together with my CEO to appoint 3 women Chairs (one of whom is disabled and another is Black) on all 3 major boards at the MPA.
I joined the MPA in 2021, knowing that the sector was a late comer to EDI and had a lot of catching up to do. I believe that I have made a huge difference to the organisation. I have developed the MPA’s EDI strategy from scratch with a 52 point action plan to ensure that the MPA and its members embed diversity and inclusion in all aspects of their work.
I prepare future talent from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds for the sector through the MPA’s Next Gen programme. Preparing them with skillset and training to be able to apply and work in the sector. On behalf of the MPA, I have partnered with another organisation called SheSaidSo to carry out a mentoring programme where we connect senior executives to women at middle management level. Therefore, preparing a talent pipeline for future leadership and board roles for women.
Through our employee networks, I link our members up to external organisations who could provide them with further support. I do this via my guest speakers who are currently working in those organisations. I also provide external training opportunities for our members such as mental health first aid courses.
What impact have these initiatives had on your workplace?
I have helped and supported a number of well-known national and global organisations to successfully begin their EDI journey’s. Throughout my career, I have been successful in improving diversity recruitment processes, where my work has led to more diverse applicants, diverse panels, inclusive interviewing processes and better training and management of diverse employees. I have improved an organisations brand image and have committed them publicly to EDI by signing them up to charters such as Disability Committed and Race at Work.
I provide speakers from all diverse backgrounds, from junior to senior level at my employee networks. This opportunity helps my guest speakers gain more visibility within my sector, a wider network, more clients and helps them improve their speaking techniques.
I have helped to improve the number of women working at senior management within my sector through our leadership programmes. My NXT Gen programme will include young people from intersectional and marginalised communities.
I have recently produced a managers guidance on menopause, menstruation and miscarriage which provides information on how to support women and people who were assigned female at birth in the workplace.
I am also putting 10 employee network through Mental Health First Aid training so that they can support their organisations on mental health and wellbeing matters.
I provide advice , guidance and support to our staff and 200 plus members ( all different organisations) on all things EDI, ensuring that we are compliant and bias free in all areas of our work.
Have you or your company received any accolades as a result of your work surrounding equality, diversity & inclusion?
Winner – Rising Stars 100 Awards 2023
Winner – MTM Special Recognition, MTM Awards 2022.
100 most Inspirational D&I Leaders 2022, listed in D&I Leaders 2022.
Nominee for Women in Accountancy and Finance Awards 2020, Women in Accountancy and Finance Awards Apr 2020.
Winner of Ambassador of Peace Award, Interfaith Alliance 2006
Please provide a name and contact details of a person we can contact to make this evidence credible.
Name
Arabella Hoy
Email Address
Arabella.hoy@mpagroup.com
