Reflecting on Developing a Diverse Workforce - VLW 20'
Charles Obazuaye, Director of HR at the London Borough of Bromley; Gifty Edila, former Director at the London Borough of Hackney and qualified Barrister; Fiona Ledden, Director and City Solicitor at Manchester City Council
Solace does not have a ‘silver bullet’ answer to the issue of under-representation of BAME people in senior positions in Local Government. We are keen to hear, listen and reflect on the stories of real people before jumping to any solutions. It is our hope that the session will start a conversation, giving us feedback from participants on their views, experiences and ideas.
The Panel of current and former senior Local Government professionals will be discussing their career journey from a BAME/gender perspective, the challenges they encountered along the way and their reflections on what we can learn.
Chairing the Panel will be Charles Obazuaye, current Director of HR & Customer Services at the London Borough of Bromley, where his remit includes Human Resources and Workforce Development. Charles will raise questions regarding a diverse workforce, the potential impact of Covid and whether new ways of working could be more advantageous for BAME professionals seeing to develop their career.
Gifty Edila is a former Director at London Borough of Hackney and a qualified Barrister. She is the recent author of ‘Defying Expectations: The Extraordinary Journey of a Black Woman Lawyer’, Gifty will talk about her career experiences, the barriers she has encountered as a black woman and her reflections.
Fiona Ledden is a Director and City Solicitor at Manchester City Council and offers experience of recruiting and developing BAME staff and actively supports diversity initiatives. Fiona will be offering insights from her own career, as well as discussing the work Manchester are doing to address the challenges and promote this agenda.
Solace does not have a ‘silver bullet’ answer to the issue of under-representation of BAME people in senior positions in Local Government. We are keen to hear, listen and reflect on the stories of real people before jumping to any solutions. It is our hope that the session will start a conversation, giving us feedback from participants on their views, experiences and ideas.
The Panel of current and former senior Local Government professionals will be discussing their career journey from a BAME/gender perspective, the challenges they encountered along the way and their reflections on what we can learn.
Chairing the Panel will be Charles Obazuaye, current Director of HR & Customer Services at the London Borough of Bromley, where his remit includes Human Resources and Workforce Development. Charles will raise questions regarding a diverse workforce, the potential impact of Covid and whether new ways of working could be more advantageous for BAME professionals seeing to develop their career.
Gifty Edila is a former Director at London Borough of Hackney and a qualified Barrister. She is the recent author of ‘Defying Expectations: The Extraordinary Journey of a Black Woman Lawyer’, Gifty will talk about her career experiences, the barriers she has encountered as a black woman and her reflections.
Fiona Ledden is a Director and City Solicitor at Manchester City Council and offers experience of recruiting and developing BAME staff and actively supports diversity initiatives. Fiona will be offering insights from her own career, as well as discussing the work Manchester are doing to address the challenges and promote this agenda.