Great to be part of the conversation on DEI with the opening Chief Diversity Officer Panel of day two of the National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) Annual Financial Services Conference. Two important takeaways from this panel were:
1. Start with equity of all cohorts, and use data on your organization to make the point of how to expand the size of the pie to be more inclusive with every group, rather than fall into the trap of quotas, which are under attack by a vocal racist minority.
2. Focus on the best performers for every recruitment and promotion by expanding the pool of candidates to be more inclusive of representative populations of our entire society, rather than just the cohorts that have been historically successful or easiest to reach.
It was inspiring to think about reframing the discussion around expanding the number of seats at the table instead of falling into the trap of quota limitations.
Thanks to Ronald C. Parker and his staff, as well as Richard Turnley, III, and the Board of NASP for creating this great day of learning and networking!