A vision for change: our new diversity strategy 

CIWEM’s new corporate strategy puts making our people our priority at its heart. Our new diversity and inclusion action plan also shares this vision. Francesca Brahmbhatt reports

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) mean different things to us all. To me, being a woman with dyslexia, living in a country I was not brought up in and with a “foreign” surname, I understand the different experiences people can have, personally and professionally, and the impacts of that.

That is why I am passionate about ensuring CIWEM has an inclusive culture and is committed to being a visible ally for all forms of diversity.

Francesca Brahmbhatt is CIWEM company secretary (pictured above)

CIWEM chief executive Terry Fuller tells us having a diverse sector is “not just about doing the right thing; it is imperative to everything we do”.

The chief executive sits on CIWEM’s D&I committee. He says, “we simply cannot meet the complex challenges of the climate and ecological emergencies without a diversity of thought and experience”.

Our new D&I action plan will help us to achieve this. We will be focusing on actions that will allow us to create an environment that recognises and values everyone’s differences and contributions. We’ve identified four priority themes:

• A visible commitment to D&I
• A diverse membership
• An inclusive culture
• Data and evidence

Each theme has been reviewed with a working group, to identify key objectives and actions to improve the diversity and inclusion of the organisation and better understand our members, volunteers and partners.

This year, we are rolling out new digital systems that will enable us to measure progress and inform future decisions. This will be a crucial time for our members to come on board with our D&I journey. New systems support our work; it’s people that make the difference.

Find out more: www.ciwem.org/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion