IoD is convening directors to develop a roadmap to achieve greater diversity and digital transformation in the board of directors.
At the virtual event held on June 16, a panel of experienced directors will debate and challenge the progress made on these two key issues.
The first panel meeting, the lack of diversity and inclusiveness in the board of directors, will explore the lack of racial diversity on the board of directors in the UK. This group will explore how the board of directors can create a culture of diversity and inclusiveness to develop a team of leaders. It will also study how leaders with different ethnic backgrounds hold leadership positions.
Panelists include: Harriet Green, former Chairman and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific; Charu Gorasia, Director General of Capability and Resources, Ministry of Interior; Anuradha Razdan, Executive Director of Hindustan Unilever and Vice President of Human Resources for Unilever South Asia; Charlotte Valeur, Experienced FTSE Index Chairman and Investment Banker; Pramila Srivastava, who recently retired from The Coca-Cola Company as Vice President of Strategic Transformation.
The Digital Transformation Deficit in the second panel session will explore how Covid-19 brings digital disruption to the forefront of each organization’s strategy. Panelists will ask whether today’s board of directors is ready to fully embrace digital transformation, and whether it should work alongside traditional committees such as audit, risk, and compliance.
The group will include: Charlotte Valeur, an experienced FTSE index chairman and investment banker; Brian Solis, digital anthropologist and futurist, serves as a global innovation evangelist at Salesforce; Natasha Davydova, Global Head of Infrastructure and Information Security, Allianz; and Ashish Kumar Gupta, Vice President of HCL Technologies and Head of Europe and Africa (Diversified Industries).
Raj Singh, Chairman of IoD Berkshire, will chair the two meetings. He said: “These will be inspiring and thought-provoking panel discussions with successful international business leaders from different backgrounds who support these causes on the board. We welcome suggestions from attendees. Problem because we want to set an agenda for change.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, IoD provided important support to directors, including financial assistance for payroll and changes to bankruptcy rules. Through its Voice of Policy program, it provides the government with a first-hand report of the personnel handling the crisis.