29 July 2010
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Seminar library

Stonewall runs a series of seminars as one of the exclusive benefits of the Diversity Champions programme.

The seminars form the base of our best practice forum; where we offer best practice guidance from Stonewall and invite guest speakers from our Diversity Champions members to share their solutions to ensuring sexual orientation equality in the workplace.

At each seminar there is an opportunity to network with members, the guest speakers and Stonewall.

Our seminar programme from previous years can be seen below.

Seminar programme 2009

Regional seminar 2009

Seminar programme 2008

Seminar programme 2007

Seminar programme 2006

Seminar programme 2009

Monitoring and what it can tell you
Thursday 28 May 2009, 3.30pm - 6.00pm
The Law Society

98% of the Top 100 employers 2009 include sexual orientation monitoring at job application, staff surveys or both; we update on good practice that Diversity Champions have developed since our Workplace guide on Monitoring was published in 2006 and look at the invaluable feedback monitoring can provide organisations for implementing equality processes and support for LGB staff.

Speakers included:

  • Leatham Green, Assistant Director of Personnel and Training and Rebecca Courtneidge, Personnel Advisor from East Sussex County Council, who scored as one of the top five local authorities in ‘Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2009.
  • Kulbir Shergill, Head of Equality Strategy at Nacro, Stonewall’s Top Employer in 2008.
  • Ann Marie Salamy, Executive Director of Global Leadership and Diversity at Goldman Sachs, the highest scoring Investment bank in the Index.

 

Double Glazed Glass Ceiling: Gender and Sexual Orientation in the Workplace
Tuesday 7 July, 9.30am to 1.30pm
American Express

In partnership with with Opportunity Now, we revisited Stonewall's research into the experiences of lesbian and bisexual women. We heard from LGB Employee network groups and women's groups on how they could work together to support lesbian and bisexual women.

Speakers included:

  • Judith Cherry, Head of Research & Insight, Opportunity Now
  • Ruth Hunt, Head of Policy & Research, Stonewall
  • Sara Leigh, EMEA Pride Network Steering Committee member, UBS
  • Nick Lynch, Chair of Pride UK, American Express
  • Lisa Spencer, Gender Network Executive, Department of Work and Pensions
  • Charlotte Wikman, Chair of Women's Interest Network London, American Express

 

Inside Out: Top 100 Employers North East
Tuesday 30 June 2009, 1.30pm – 3.30pm
One North East

We discussed ways in which organisations could become more engaged with its LGB staff and community by looking from the “Inside Out” from the Stonewall Top 100 Employers in the North East.  This was an opportunity for organisations in the North East to get real best practice examples and working ideas on: staff engagement, community engagement, and mainstreaming LGB equality into the heart of an organisation.

We were delighted to have the three Diversity Champions appearing in the Stonewall Top 100 2009:

  • Lucy Malarkey, Head of Neighbourhoods, Gentoo Group
  • Simon Underwood, Head of Social Inclusion, Newcastle City Council
  • Lynn Sharkey, Senior HR Advisor, Cleveland Fire & Rescue

 

Evolution of Network Groups
Wednesday 22 July 2009, 4.30pm – 6.30pm
Credit Suisse

We will explore the critical role of network groups on progressing the CSR agenda and the development of network groups for the benefit of members and the wider organisation.

We were delighted to be joined on the panel by three of our Diversity Champions:

  • Charles Barnard, Co chair of Islington LGBT staff forum and Olvia Fellas, Head of Equalities, Refugee and Migrant Services from London Borough of Islington who reinvigorated their network group to assist with the council’s diversity agenda and also to engage with their local LGB community.
  • Debbie Browett, Chair of SPECTRUM at the Home Office who were 2009 Network Group of the Year and one of the largest and oldest networks in the UK.
  • Peter Havelock, Partner, Global Business Services, Financial Management Leader at IBM shared expertise as a global leader in the technology field and described how they use technology resources to facilitate their network as an international organisation.

 

Bisexual People in the Workplace
Tuesday 20 October 2009, 4.30pm – 7.00pm
Home Office

Bisexual people face unique challenges in the workplace, yet do not seem to seek support from their organisations in the same way as lesbian and gay people. Stonewall, supported by the Home Office conducted research into the experience of bisexual men and women in the workplace and at this seminar we showcased the findings of our research, its recommendations and emerging good practice.

We were delighted to be joined by the Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson who introduced the session. 

Derek Carpenter, National Bisexual Representative for the Environment Agency Wales and Sara Leigh, who has extensive experience in investment banking provided discussion with their experiences on our panel.

Workplace Equality Index 2010 Preliminary Results
Wednesday 9 December, 4.30pm - 7pm
Herbert Smith LLP

The Workplace Equality Index 2010 was our largest to date, with over 350 entries. This seminar was an opportunity for Diversity Champions to get a glimpse of trends and best practice in advance of the public launch of the Index in January 2010.

  • Lisa Pinney. Head of Strategic Co-ordination from the Environment Agency talked about their continued improvement within the Index and how they have used it as a tool to implement change.
  • Mary Gallagher, CR & Diversity Manager, and Daniel Winterfeldt, CR & Diversity Partner of Simmons & Simmons shared their experiences as winners of the Most Improved category in the Workplace Equality Index 2009.
  • David Shields, Director of Workplace programmes from Stonewall explored the headline trends and analysis from this year’s Index and set the agenda for 2010.

 


Seminar programme 2008

Innovation in Diversity
Thursday 31 January 2008, 4.30pm - 6.30pm
Ernst & Young LLP

Following on from the excellent practice we’ve seen in the Workplace Equality Index, we’ll be discussing the impact of tailored solutions in ensuring workplace equality for LGB staff. We were delighted to invite Dianah Worman, OBE from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development to discuss why innovation is important for organisations and also Mary Evans, Head of Equalities and Inclusion and Jo Barringer, LGBT Steering Group member at Brighton & Hove City Council.

Lesbian Gay & Bisexual equality & Corporate Social Responsbility
Thursday 27 March 2008, 1.00pm - 3.00pm
HBOS

Many private sector organisations place responsibility for LGB equality within their corporate social responsibility portfolio. In this seminar we will examine the positive results this can enable. We will then look at where the public sector places responsibility for LGB equality and ensure Diversity Champions understand and utilise good practice in both areas for maximum strategic impact.

Speakers included:

  • Tyrone Jones, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Bank of Scotland Corporate,
  • Paul Cavadino, Chief Execuitive of Nacro, the organisation which won 'Overall Winner of the Workplace Equality Index 2008'
  • Paula Hennighan-Finlay, Diverse Communities Officer, Hampshire Constabulary
  •  Dave Small, Associate, Stonewall who spoke as previous Equalities & Diversity Officer at Portsmouth City Council

Launch of Productivity Research – The business case for LGB equality
Thursday 3 July 2008, 4.30pm - 6.30pm
IBM Southbank

The Rt Hon John Hutton, former Secretary of State for Business joined us to launch this significant piece of research sponsored by IBM.

The research analyses the effects of inclusive workplaces on gay, lesbian and bisexual staff productivity and presenters included Jean Balfour, Consultant, and Ruth Hunt, Head of Policy at Stonewall with a welcome from Brendon Riley, General Manager, UK & Ireland at IBM.

Further details about Peak Performance: Gay people and productivity click here. 

Lesbian and bisexual women in the workplace
Tuesday 4 November, 4.30pm to 6.30pm
Lloyds TSB

We look at the experiences of lesbians and bisexual women in the workplace, how both gender and sexual orientation impact on them and how organisations can better engage with them.

Nathanael Miles, Policy Officer at Stonewall and author of our guide on this topic, will discuss the key findings and Ruth Hunt, Head of Policy at Stonewall will present some of the recommendations. The seminar and guide are kindly supported by Lloyds TSB.

We are delighted to be joined on the panel by Fiona Cannon, Equality & Diversity Director, from Lloyds TSB who’ll be sharing her experiences.

Workplace Equality Index Preliminary Results 2009
Friday 12 December 2008, 12.00pm - 2.00pm
London Fire Brigade

In this seminar we shared the preliminary learning from this year’s Workplace Equality Index. We also examined the latest trends and innovative good practice from the Diversity Leaders in LGB workplace equality.

We were delighted to be joined on our panel by Kulbir Shergill, Head of Equality Strategy at Nacro; who were the Overall Winner of the Workplace Equality Index 2008. As well as Dee Rowe and Matthew Rowbotham, co chairs of Pinsent Masons' network group. Pinsent Masons were Most Improved in the WEI 2008.

 

Seminar Programme 2007

Bullying and Harassment
Thursday 25 January 2007, 4.30pm - 6.30pm
UBS

This seminar explored the nature and impact of anti-gay bullying in the workplace, the barriers which gay employees may face when reporting it and ways in which employers can effectively deal with the problem.

The seminar was chaired by Katherine Cowan, former Policy Officer at Stonewall who is author of the guide. She was joined by Dr. Hannah Young, Equality & Diversity Manager, Cardiff University and Samantha Clark, Head of Inclusion & Diversity, Accenture who provided best practice examples from their respective organisations’ experiences in regards to bullying and harassment.

Being Out in the Workplace
Wednesday 30 May 2007, 12.30pm – 2.30pm
Manchester City Council

The seminar follows on from the successful break-out session on this subject at the Workplace Conference in March.  Speakers presented on their experiences of being out at work, and also on how best to facilitate a workplace environment where LGB staff feel comfortable to be out. The presenters were:

  • Rob Cole, Chair of Kaleidoscope at BT
  • Julie Barnes Frank, Coordinator LAGSA at Greater Manchester Police
  • Terry Moran, Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Department for Work and Pensions

Supplier Diversity
Wednesday 25 July 2007, 4.30pm - 6.30pm
Barclays Global Headquarters

We had presentations from Transport for London and JPMorgan, both of these organisations were breaking significant new ground in the leverage they were exerting over their suppliers to make them achieve concrete results with respect to diversity at the time.

Career Development
Wednesday 12 September 2007, 4.30pm - 6.30pm
Morgan Stanley

This seminar covered how organisations were supporting their lesbian, gay and bisexual staff through training and support schemes to ensure that they develop as fully as possible in their careers.

Presenters included Ruth Hunt, Head of Policy and Research from Stonewall, as well as Darren Oakey, Neighbourhood Policing Officer from Staffordshire Police and Rob Cole, Chair of BT Kaleidoscope from BT whose best practice we highlight in the guide.

Workplace Equality Index 2008 Preliminary Results
Tuesday 27 November 2007, 1.30pm – 3.30pm
Greater London Authority

Preliminary results for the Workplace Equality Index 2009 was presented by David Shields, Director of Workplace programmes with guest speaker Melissa Godfray, Manager of Group Equality & Diversity, Lloyds TSB who presented on how they achieved 'Best Improved' award in the Index 2007.   

 

Seminar Programme 2006

Recruitment
Wednesday 25 January 2006, 4.30pm – 6.30pm
Credit Suisse

This seminar looked at ways organisations can reach out to as-yet untapped markets of lesbian, gay and bisexual graduates and job-seekers.  Attracting and retaining the best talent and skills is a top priority for all organisations and only by recruiting from every community in Britain will modern employers find the very best employees.

This afternoon seminar featured Sean Russell the former president of the University of London Union and former Director of Career Services at Birmingham University and Jemima Jefferson who is European Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Credit Suisse, each discussed the best means to reach out to the lesbian and gay population.

Religion and Sexual Orientation
Wednesday 17 May 2006, 12.00pm–2.00pm
Birmingham City Council

Speakers discussed ways organisations, managers and colleagues can manage conflicts arising between co-workers, staff or service users.  Maintaining an inclusive and welcoming working environment free from bullying and harassment is not only a legal imperative, it also improves organisational efficiency.

Monitoring
Wednesday 19 July 2006, 4.30pm – 6.30pm
Lehman Brothers

In conjunction with the launch of our second Workplace guide on the topic, our second seminar on monitoring gave practical advice and specific examples on how organisations approached monitoring their staff and communication of it internally, to collecting the data and following it up.  Stonewall’s former policy officer, Katherine Cowan, who conducted the research and wrote the guide, presented her findings.  Afterwards, Darren Oakey, Staffordshire Police and Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, Barclays Bank plc, who were featured in the guide, presented on their organisations specific approaches, successes and challenges. 

Goods, Facilities & Services
Wednesday 6 September 2006, 4.30pm – 6.30pm
Lloyds TSB

Alan Wardle, former Director of Parliamentary and Public Affairs at Stonewall, Fiona Walker, Assistant Director of the Women & Equality Unit, Department for Communities and Local Government, and David Carrigan, Diversity Manager at Metropolitan Housing Partnership, presented on the effect of the goods, facilities and services regulations and what they meant for business.

Workplace Equality Index Preliminary Results 2007
Wednesday 8 November 2006, 12.00pm – 2.00pm
Metropolitan Police Service

Preliminary results for the Workplace Equality Index 2007 was co-presented by Stephen Frost, former Director of Workplace programmes and Paul Barlow, independent consultant.  

 

 
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