Last night, I joined "Out Leadership Asia Summit", sponsored and co-hosted by HSBC Japan, introduced to me by our Advisor Larry Bates - who is an "out leader" himself.
The panel had Todd Sears, CEO, Out Leadership; Edward Weeks, CEO, HSBC Japan; Joy Ho, General Manager Japan, Unilever; Takeshi Nakao, Head of Japan Practice, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; and Eric Yaptangco, Manila Head of Macquarie Group (who happens to be my colleague from 20 years ago!)
To summarize what participants said, Diversity is not only important for people's well being and dignity
Diversity creates business innovation because:
1) People are productive when they can be themselves
2) Diverse team understands diverse customers - tap into new markets
3) Diverse team attracts diverse employees - recruit and retain talent
4) Diverse skills and thinking adapt to change quickly - agility and resilience
5) Diverse human capital is valued by investors (ESG) - equity value goes up
6) What more can you think of....?
In an era of rapid change and fierce competition, diveristy is an imperative for businesses.
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