The Global Diversity Network comprises a group of leading, globally-focused companies who share a practical mission to accelerate the effective integration of diversity and inclusion into their global organisations and to demonstrate the business value of that integration. Companies active in this field wanted a quality of connection with other diversity leaders which could help them make smarter, faster progress. "From the outset, we at BP have committed to making the network a success - we see many benefits flowing from it. It's been invaluable for us to build a good sense of what other companies are doing on diversity, and to learn from others' experiences as well as our own" The ongoing vision is of an intimate, candid and stimulating network of up to 15 member companies that currently includes Barclays, BP, BT, Cadbury Schweppes, Dow, National Australia Bank Group, KPMG, PepsiCo, Shell, Tyco and Unilever. The delivery of that vision can be seen in some of the comments we receive from members: “What I like so much about the network is the opportunity to get to a level of honesty never achieved at a standard conference. It’s also inspirational to learn about other’s success in the field. This isn’t easy stuff to deal with – the network has been genuinely helpful to me and my business.” “Other networks provide resources which are useful but with the GDN it’s the candour of other members in our discussions that is really unique” That mission is supported by a number of activities and events designed to inform and equip members in areas of diversity practice which they decide are current priorities. The yearly `agenda’ is pulled together by Schneider~Ross in partnership with the Advisory Board which is made up of a small group of the members. This year these have included a series of themed conference calls for all members. Some of the mission-critical topics being discussed are peer review and coaching, developing goals and accountability to accelerate progress etc. We are also carrying out two Action Learning projects. The first is around integrating diversity and inclusiveness into core HR practices to deliver sustained change and the second demonstrating business value from the integration of diversity and inclusion. At the core of the GDN’s work lies a rigorous bi-annual global benchmarking process which was developed through a collaborative process, enabling participating members to audit themselves, compare results, discover best practices and identify actions to accelerate progress in Diversity. The process covers all areas of diversity (gender, race, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, and, of course, nationality). It addresses both internal (employee profiles, working culture) and external (stakeholder perceptions) dimensions. The Global Heads for Diversity in each GDN member company meet every spring for the main two day Global Heads' conference. It is work like that which is focussed on at these meetings, which will continue to keep the GDN members at the leading edge of diversity practice. The GDN is an active network and the different work strands are integrated to support delivery of the mission as shown above. If you are already a member please access the members only area of the site for more detailed information. If you aren't a member but are interested in finding out more about becoming a member please contact Raquel Anstee de Mas - for contact details please click here. We look forward to hearing from you.