Opportunity in Bedrijf

Opportunity in Bedrijf was founded in 1996 in reponse to the Dutch Government's observation that the Netherlands is behind other countries when it comes to the number of female senior executives,  it operates as a network and expertise centre  and today has become a network of companies,ministeries and non profit organisations that recognise that change is taking place in society, recognising the strength of gender diversity.

Recently members of Opportunity Now were invited in attend and participate in a conference to show case the many initiatives being undertaken within the UK .

When looking back on the meeting on the 20th of November, we feel this has been another excellent example of  British-Dutch collaboration! The members of Opportunity in Bedrijf have greatly appreciated and were much inspired by the open and honest presentations and discussions with The Co-operative, BT, PWC, Goldman Sachs and ING. We all hope this will not be the last opportunity to share our common knowledge!

Members attending included,  Goldman Sachs,  the Co- Operative Society and British Telecom.  PricewaterHouse Coopers presented jointly with their Dutch subsidiary.  Without exception the presentations told the story of the great strides being taken within the UK to tackle the issues of diversity.
Sonny Tannk, Policy Leader, Employee Relations of BT Open Reach opened the day with a presentation covering the building and driving of a diverse workforce explaining how the challenge of recruiting 1.500 Customer Service Engineers in all locations over the UK has been met by addressing the gender imbalance within the workforce.  This has been achieved by changing attitudes and retraining interviewers together with structured on- the -job training and by changing perceptions by using the media.   Objectives were set and success measured on a regular basis.

 Amanda Jones Head of Diversity at the Co Op Group explained how  the Co-Op addresses the need to attract diverse talent for the Co Operative Group- the UKs largest co-operative covering business's as diverse as Food Retail, Funerals, Travel, Healthcare, Motor, Farming Legal Services, Property.  Success for the Co -Op requires a multi- strand approach including foundation activity around creating the right environment, achieved by creating a great working environment, reaching beyond their boundaries to attract a broader range of talent.

The presentation from Annabel Smith, Head of Diversity EMEA Goldman Sachs reported on the progress and challenges following the mission statement from the 2006 Task Force:  To assess the status of the firm's diversity progress and to make concrete recommendations to drive behavioural changes to advance diversity and inclusion at the firm.

The joint presentation from Sarah Churchman Head of Diversity and Inclusion Pricewaterhouse Coopers UK and Astrid Tebberman Diversity Manager at PWC Netherlands covered the diversity Transformation Triology - awareness/ support / monitor using mentoring as a significant factor in retaining and developing talent.  Networking has been proved to play an important part in professional success, as has gender intelligence.